Benguet Museum to undergo rehabilitation

THE BENGUET Provincial Museum will be closed from December 18 to April next year for a much needed renovation.

Provincial administrator Attorney Noel Ngolob said cracks on the museum's floors and walls will be fixed while the artifacts will be kept in a secured area.

"From the previous years, there were findings that it needs rehabilitation because leaks during rainy days were observed. It was evaluated by the structural engineers and they said it can be rehabilitated," said Ngolob.

Ngolob added that the Benguet Museum survived the 1990 Luzon earthquake making this is the first time the museum building will undergo such rehabilitation.

The museum preserves a collection of antiques from different 13 municipalities and tribes of Benguet as well as contemporary

arts and crafts of fishing and farming implements which serves as an additional tourist destination at the Benguet provincial capitol inaugurated June 19, 1973.

Architect Prudencio Basquial of the Office of the Provincial Engineer, Planning and Design division said the main adjustments will be done in the second floor. Additional bay windows will be placed, toilets be maximized, floors will be furnished from wood to laminated flooring, while the back of the building will be installed with fixed windows.

Moreover, the staircase will remain while three chandeliers and two spotlights will be replaced.

The museum rehabilitation will cost around P1 million and is expected to begin early January next year.

Photo by Milo Brioso A tourist takes a look at a Benguet mummy displayed in a local museum. Despite historical importance, museums are often the last place tourist visits in every destinations, reason why Benguet has take the first step in improving its own museum.