Mayor hails exhibit on pre-colonial Cebu

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is elated with the launching of the exhibit in Plaza Sugbo on the Cebuano pre-colonial society and is grateful at how the art brought the Filipinos together.

A collection of outdoor displays called Unearthing Sugbo are housed in black bamboo structures.

The exhibitions, which will be placed in prominent spots across downtown Cebu City, starting with Plaza Sugbo, will reproduce several facets of Cebuano pre-colonial society.

The installations are a component of the project for the Cebu Heritage District.

"Welcome to this wonderful gathering. I am very pleased with this gathering. You really want to bring humanity to the world. You got to bring Filipino to be complete," Rama said.

Rama also said that people don't deserve to face God if they keep on destroying the creation that God had created.

"Nothing is deserving to face the Almighty, if we have destroyed mankind. Get my point? Mankind brings us to genesis. What is Genesis? The creation. When everybody just thinks about how we are created? Then we shouldn’t have caught or destroyed mother earth," he added.

Rama also said that the exhibit brings the youth together and a culture of excellence.

"Now culture, arts, literature, tourism, and faith bring (together) all the youth. Ramon Aboitiz is in my heart and a part of me. Because I’ve been their lawyer, their legal detainer. I’ve been in the Aboitiz group of companies since 1984 and until now in my heart. And the culture which is the culture of excellence C-O-E culture of excellence,” Rama said.

Rama is proud of how the team of the exhibit presents the resiliency and art of culture that everyone can appreciate.

"My dear friends, as you’re covering, as you’re putting it in wherever platform, I am very glad to have seen a very good exhibit.  And this is what we call manifesting. The importance of bamboo being resilient and that’s the Filipino character. The bamboo can be retractable.  You can make it small, you can make it big.  You can probably think whatever you wish,” he said.

"Fear God And if you try to look at it. Look at Plaza Sugbo. Look at all of this. Look at all of that. You never know that it is God’s creation. I didn’t plant those. I didn’t plant that. Wherever are the plants being available, I just (think that it is) God’s gift given to me. God’s gift innovatively. God’s gift to me is creativity. God’s gift musicality because I sing. Not only that by being a choreographer, So I am God’s gift to the world. And I don’t want any man to destroy the gift of God," he added. — BIPSU Intern/GAN (FREEMAN)