In line with National Heritage Month, the 17th edition of the Gabii sa Kabilin (GSK) returns with twenty-two participating historical sites across four cities in Cebu on May 10, 2024.
Gabii sa Kabilin, the first and one-of-a-kind event in the country, was created to help foster appreciation for Cebuano’s culture and heritage. We hope that this evening’s exhibits and performances allow you to reconnect to the essence of being Bisaya and take pride in the many aspects of our beloved culture.
Amaya Cristina Aboitiz-Fansler
RAFI President and Chief Executive Officer
GSK, organized by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI), is an annual event that began in 2007. Its mission is to preserve Cebu’s rich history, culture, and heritage while encouraging the public to appreciate and visit museums.
“Gabii sa Kabilin, the first and one-of-a-kind event in the country, was created to help foster appreciation for Cebuano’s culture and heritage. We hope that this evening’s exhibits and performances allow you to reconnect to the essence of being Bisaya and take pride in the many aspects of our beloved culture,” said RAFI President and Chief Executive Officer, Amaya Cristina Aboitiz-Fansler, during the event opening at the Plaza Rizal.
The 2024 edition of GSK features the theme “Beloved Bisaya.”
In an exclusive interview with CDN Digital, GSK Event Director, Marie Sol Gonzalvo, highlighted the event’s significance to Cebu and its people: “It’s very important that we have a flagship event that will remind us and connect us [to] our very colorful and rich past. We’ve been told that this is unique. We’re the only event in the country that is able to bring together this many museums, this many crowds as a cultural event.”
“It’s also very important because younger generations also get to connect to our culture. The more young people know about their past, their culture, [and] their history, the more they’re also able to build that sense of identity,” Gonzalvo added.
Unraveling “Beloved Bisaya”
The 2024 theme of the Gabii sa Kabilin is “Beloved Bisaya”
The theme “Beloved Bisaya” draws inspiration from Spanish historian, ethnographer, and Jesuit missionary Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina’s legacies, primarily in documenting Visayan flora, fauna, life, and customs—one of the pioneering accounts of Visayan culture and heritage. Fr. Alcina served for three decades as a parish priest in the Visayan Islands, where he spent most of his time with the natives, whom he fondly addressed as “my beloved Bisayans.”
In contemporary times, the theme highlights the Cebuanos’ endearment to being a Bisaya and speaks of their appreciation of local history, embodied by several historical and cultural sites.
Celebrating local heritage with 22 history- and culture-wrapped sites
Twenty-two historical sites in Cebu City and the tri-cities, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Talisay, participated in this year’s GSK, including museums, universities, and staple destinations.
Among the participating locations were the Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu, Basilica Minor del Santo Niño Museum, Casa Gorordo Museum, Cebu City Museum, Palm Grass The Cebu Heritage Hotel, Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple, Fort San Pedro, Museo Parian sa Sugbo – 1730 Jesuit House, RAFI’s The Kabilin Center, and Sugbu Chinese Heritage Museum, with schools St. Theresa’s College of Cebu’s Sr. Ma Delia Coronel Folklife Museum, University of the Philippines – Cebu, University of San Carlos Museum, University of Southern Philippines Foundation’s Jose Rizal Museum, and University of San Jose – Recoletos.
There were also new and returning sites such as the BPI Museum, Cebu Normal University, and the National Museum in Cebu; the Mandaue City Presidencia in Mandaue City; the Liberty Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City; the Talisay City College’s Museo De Talisay and the Heritage of Faith Museum in Talisay City.
This year’s Gabii sa Kabilin featured a fresh line-up of entertaining outdoor activities suited for all ages and interests. The diverse programming, scattered across participating sites, included visual arts, performing arts, and even Filipino martial arts, all made possible through a partnership with the Department of Tourism.
Even Visayan music icon Max Surban and hitmaker Jerika Teodorico joined in with the culture and heritage celebration, alongside poets and dance troupes presenting formal dances.
Extending Gabii sa Kabilin
Based on ticket sales, over 6,000 people dispersed along four routes participated in the one-night walking heritage tour.
In light of proposals to make GSK a regular nightly activity in Cebu, RAFI President and Chief Executive Officer Amaya Cristina Aboitiz-Fansler cited, “We can extend GSK throughout the year by making museum visits a regular weekend activity with friends and family by supporting local performances, by creating spaces for people to come together and enjoy, by taking care of our last-long heritage, and by teaching our children to take pride in what is beloved about our Bisaya culture. “
GSK, under the management of the RAFI, hopes to establish more exciting activities and involve more partners in its future editions.
You can check their official Facebook page for information about Gabii sa Kabilin.
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