Museo Sugbo curator is new CVAM president

The newly elected officers of CVAM, from left: Maribel Emenido, secretary; Caridad Balisacan, treasurer; Atty. Dennis Hora, vice president for Bohol; Ma. Cecilia Cabañes, president; Mary Frances Despi, auditor; Sofia Picardal, vice president for Cebu; Christine Batiles, vice president for Negros Oriental and Siquijor and Audrey Dawn Tomada, NCCA-NCOM representative.
contributed photo

MA. Cecilia Cabañes, curator of Museo Sugbo, the Cebu Provincial Museum, was elected president of the Central Visayas Association of Museums Inc. (CVAM) during the group’s general membership meeting last Saturday, December 9, at the Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu.

Cabañes, who was elected by representatives of museums in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, replaces outgoing president Carlos L. Apuhin of the Bank of the Philippines Islands Museum.

Cabañes leads a nearly-all-women team of museum curators who were also unanimously elected without opposition, namely, Sofia Picardal (Carmen Copper Corp. Museum), as vice president for Cebu; Atty. Dennis Hora (Nova Shell Museum Panglao) vice president for Bohol; Christine Batiles (Silliman University Museum), vice president for Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

Also elected were Carded Balisacan (St. Theresa’s College Folklife Museum), secretary; Maribel Emenido (Basilica del Santo Niño Museum), treasurer; and Mary Frances Despi (Bantayan Parish Museum), auditor.

Audrey Dawn Tomada of the Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu will continue to represent CVAM in the National Committee on Museums of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA-NCOM).

Among the projects to be pursued by the new officers is a unified brochure for all museums in Cebu and a new registry of existing museums, together with continuation of recruitment. The officers also plan to work with the provincial tourism officers associations in their jurisdictions.