Carcel de Cebu (Museo Sugbo)
The main facade of the old Carcel de Cebu, now the Museo Sugbo.
Just along M.J. Cuenco avenue is an interesting facility that ordinary people perhaps would not expect to house a museum. Surrounded at present by unsightly structures, this complex of several low buildings, commonly known to locals as the old Cebu Provincial Jail, was once a prison where thousands of criminals have been incarcerated including the Katipuneros during the Philippine revolution and some guerillas during the Japanese occupation of World War II. Built in 1871, it was designed by Domingo de Escondrillas, a Spanish architect in Cebu who also designed the Sto. Tomas de Villanueva church in El Pardo, Cebu City.
A vintage photograph of the Carcel de Cebu. (Photo from Skyscrapercity Forums)
Then called the Carcel de Cebu, this facility was originally intended to be the main prison for the Visayas which accounts for its relatively large size at the time it was built. It was renovated in 1892 with the addition of more buildings behind the main structure. The second storey of the main building dates back to the American colonial period.
The Carcel de Cebu during the American colonial-era. (Photo from Skyscrapercity Forums)
The prison continued to serve its purpose well into the 21st-century until the provincial government built a bigger and more modern prison complex at Barangay Kalunasan. This facility was then occupied by the Department of Education for a short period until Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia decided to convert it into a museum, the Museo Sugbo, that serves as the repository of Cebuano heritage and history.
The main building of the Carcel de Cebu, now Museo Sugbo, as viewed from across the street.
Museo Sugbo is so far the biggest museum in Cebu province. It houses a myriad of collections housed in different galleries that tell the story of the province and its people. One particular gallery contains the gold death masks that were found during the recent archaeological diggings at Plaza Independencia.
The museum is open from Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:15 pm
I am a resident of M.J. Cuenco and very much thankful to our Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for making the carcel a Museo Sugbu because I can visit anytime and it’s a walking distance from our house. What I like about the Museo Sugbu are the galleries of cebu media and the other one located at the 2nd floor. I really love to look at old pictures of early 1900′s and how I wish I could turn back the clock and be part of that time. Very historical! Gracias, Governor Gwen!
Neime John C.
October 8th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
[...] of October, docking at the vicinity of the Aduana. The Cebu Provincial Government together with the Museo Sugbo will organize a series of events starting on the 14th of October and will last during the entire [...]
November 14th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
never been here…but love it, very interesting…
March 17th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
The renovation and transformation of the old provincial jail into a museum is long overdue. Thanks to the very dynamic Gov. Gwen Garcia and her love for Cebu , that this project has materialized at last.