National Museum Bohol opens new gallery on President Carlos P. Garcia

The National Museum of the Philippines Bohol Area Museum (NMP Bohol) in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, has opened another permanent gallery dedicated to the life and legacy of former President Carlos P. Garcia on his 128th birth anniversary on 4 November.

Paghandum: The President Carlos P. Garcia Memorabilia Collection aims to honor the legacy of the eighth President of the Republic of the Philippines and a distinguished son of Bohol, an island province in Central Visayas, through a selection of artworks, photographs, furniture pieces and personal memorabilia. The name, Paghandum, means “to reminisce, remember or look back” in Cebuano.

Before becoming president, Garcia was a teacher, lawyer, guerilla leader, senator, and political economist. The statesman is said to be an exemplar of commitment to Philippine sovereignty and economic independence as encapsulated in his Filipino First Policy, which promoted the primacy of Philippine industries over foreign enterprises by empowering local producers and guaranteeing preferential rights to Filipinos on matters of national economy and patrimony. He also played a key role in reducing foreign military base agreements, ensuring a more autonomous future for the Philippines.

His roots in Bohol profoundly influenced his character and political outlook. The values of simplicity, hard work and community solidarity inherent in Boholano culture shaped his leadership style and public service. He maintained a deep connection with Bohol throughout his life, frequently returning to his roots and staying engaged with his community. His legacy of economic nationalism is celebrated in Bohol and is revered and remembered for his love and devotion to the national identity, having worked towards the strengthening of indigenous cultural practices, crafts and arts. His birthday is obsevred annually in the province as President Carlos P. Garcia Day.

Paghandum features a collection of objects from the Carlos P. Garcia Heritage House in Tagbilaran City, as well as from their home in Quezon City, Metro Manila. Generously gifted by his grandchildren, Maria Carla Josefa G. Campos, Jose Carlos G. Campos and Isabel Campos Bustos, this collection not only commemorates Garcia’s contributions but also reflects the enduring bond between the leader and his beloved province. Highlights are two oil-on-canvas portraits of Garcia and his wife, Leonila D. Garcia, created by National Artist for visual arts, Fernando C. Amorsolo in 1959.

Paghandum joins four other gallery exhibitions are open to the public — Pagpauli: A Homecoming Exhibition of National Artist Napoleon Abueva, the most comprehensive collection of the late artist’s artworks on display in the country today; Pagbanhaw: National Heritage Restoration and Reconstruction Program in the Visayas, which commemorates the 2013 Central Visayas Earthquake and its aftermath, talks about the early Boholano ecclesiastical art and architecture and highlights the work of the NMP in rebuilding Bohol’s heritage churches damaged by the earthquake; The Natural History of Bohol: A Glimpse of Its Stunning Landscapes And Diverse Wildlife, featuring specimens and a diorama of Bohol’s geological and paleontological treasures as well as the island’s unique and diverse flora and fauna; and Paglawig: The Boholano Way of Life, which presents artifacts and eco-facts recovered by the NMP in the 1980s, tracing the journey of the Boholanos before colonization to the present, and provides an overview of their traditional crafts such as boat-building, fishing, farming, metalsmithing and jewelry making, basket and buri leaf weaving, and the production of asin tibuok, an artisanal sea salt.

Present at the reception to inaugurate the exhibition were NMP’s director-general Jeremy R. Barns, deputy director-general for Museums Jorell M. Legaspi and director for Visayas National Museums Maria Cecilia U. Tirol. Bohol governor Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado, along with local government officials, partners from the academe, media, tourism and cultural sectors, also graced the event.

The gallery was made possible through the contributions and support of MC Builders Construction and Services, Marianito Jose Luspo, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Library of the Philippines and the Provincial Government of Bohol.