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Stephen Henry S. Totanes, PH.D

The document discusses the history and purpose of the Sorsogon Museum in the Philippines. It was originally conceived to be built on an island but was eventually constructed in the provincial capital using a restored early 1900s building that previously served as a hospital. The museum showcases artifacts from everyday life donated by residents to showcase local culture and identity. While still developing, the museum provides a space for the people of Sorsogon to connect with their shared cultural heritage and memories of the past. Further improvements to curation and community involvement are needed to fully realize its potential.

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GOLDINE F. BARCELONA
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385 views

Stephen Henry S. Totanes, PH.D

The document discusses the history and purpose of the Sorsogon Museum in the Philippines. It was originally conceived to be built on an island but was eventually constructed in the provincial capital using a restored early 1900s building that previously served as a hospital. The museum showcases artifacts from everyday life donated by residents to showcase local culture and identity. While still developing, the museum provides a space for the people of Sorsogon to connect with their shared cultural heritage and memories of the past. Further improvements to curation and community involvement are needed to fully realize its potential.

Uploaded by

GOLDINE F. BARCELONA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

SORSOGON STATE UNIVERSITY


SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES(SGS)/OFFICE OF ADVANCED EDUCATION
4700 SORSOGON CITY

ASSIGNMENT No. 1 BARCELONA, GOLDINE F.


Date Due: July 2,2021 MAT-THE-2

EDUCATION 502: Philosophical, Sociological and Psychological Foundations of


Education

Stephen Henry S. Totanes, Ph.D.


Associate Professor V

MUSEO SORSOGON: Rediscovering History, Heritage and Identity in the


Province of Sorsogon

Early people have been constructing monuments to validate their beliefs and mark
a period in their time. The very essence of a monument through thousands of years has
been defined as structure to remember their gods, connect with them, talk to them and be
with them for eternity. Some also regard monuments as landmark that creates the
boundary between mortality and divinity or a landmark of importance for remembering
past events which is called memory. Memories are a great part of history as it gives a lot
of interpretation to the things produced from the past and the written documents in the
present prove that there is a past. As more objects come at hand in the present, more
memories operate and contribute to the narratives of the past and its connection to the
present. What is important is how we deal and treat these memories so that the future
generations could relate to them.

According to a book about historical consciousness by Crane (2003), the modern


history of museums is a history of imaginaries that became realities. It is that museums
create a reality through the objects from the past and reinforces the value of preservation
that in turn becomes a memorial for establishing historical consciousness. These objects
preserve memory which in turn becomes important for presenting the identity, and
meaning of an object (105-106). Memories are expressed through stories, historical texts,
cultural forms and material objects that have been handed down to us through generations
with physical knowledge of the past. (Crane, Susan. Collecting and Historical
Consciousness in Early Nineteenth-Century Germany. New York:Cornell University
Press, 2000.)
Likewise, the Sorsogon Museum also possesses these qualities both as a creator of
realities and as a product of the past. According to Mr. Joseph John Perez, the
spokesperson of Sorsogon Arts Council, the museum was first conceived in a proposal
presented by the late chairman of the Sorsogon Arts Council, Mr. Reynaldo T. Jamoralin
together with Mrs. Cecilia H. Duran of the Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Council, Inc. In
the documents obtained by the researcher, the former plan was to build the museum and
heritage center on an island called Pinaculan located near Sorsogon Bay which is known
for its beautiful sunsets but for some reasons it didn’t push through.

The Sorsogon Provincial Museum is right smack in the middle of the city. It is a
few steps away from the ever-bustling Capitol Grounds. Fewer steps, even, from the
Provincial Gymnasium which, on regular days, is anything but quiet.

You wouldn’t know that you’re in the midst of all the busyness, though, the
moment you step into the museum. The building itself is part of the story. Built in the
early 1900s, when the Americans occupied the islands–it used to be the Sorsogon
Provincial Hospital. When the hospital had to move to somewhere more spacious, the
building served as temporary shelter for a host of government offices. Eventually, it
became a forgotten part of history, in an almost forgotten part of town.

In 2009, after much lobbying, looking for funds and laborious restoration, it finally
became the Sorsogon Provincial Museum. The Kasanggyahan Foundation and the
Sorsogon Arts Council–through the late and lamented Tootsie Jamoralin–was at the
forefront of the project. They made sure that the turn-of-the-century structure remained
faithful to its original form: a stylized bahay na bato (stone house) with wide, sweeping
windows, high ceiling and a courtyard. Part of the original flooring–polished wooden
planks hewn from enduring hardwood–was retained.
(https://www.google.com/search?
q=sorsogon+museum+pictures&safe=active&rlz=1C1CHBD_enPH954PH954&sxsrf=ALeKk02Twh08Tl5PR
HmLD9Z-
X2swePpncA:1625031623814&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwipkr7F0r7xAhVSwosBHdDKB
YoQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=600)

The museum showcases different A number of showcased artifacts and relics were
donated by its residents.  Apart from the exhibit on the famed whale sharks of the
province, there are utensils, potteries, dresses and the likes used for everyday living by
the affluent families of Sorsogon in the past.  The museum is a fusion of modern living
and cultural heritage.

As for me these following pictures awaken my interest of what is really my


province’s identity. It brings back the memories of the past that I did not know before.
In conclusion, the Museum does not have much to offer for the enhancement of
arts and culture Sorsogon at the moment. It should depict a celebration of the
Sorsoganon’s culture, life and tradition.However, with the application of good
curatorship and consultation with experts, these weaknesses would be overcome.

The museum is still very young and lots of improvements must be made. What is
important is that the museum provided all its effort in establishing a space for the people
of Sorsogon to slowly encourage them to connect.

As a whole, there is really a need to establish a firm foundation regarding its


framework, curation and selection of collections to connect with the community. Let me
close by basing on Haskins and DeRose’s view on commemoration in relation to the
Sorsogon museum and its collection, that the importance of objects is not merely based
on the experience of private people or remembrance of a collective event related to it that
renders the objects public. Rather, it is the object’s connection to the community.

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