Cebu City opens renovated library

After being closed for years for renovations, three Cebu City heritage sites are finally open to the public starting today.

Plaza Independencia and Cebu City Public Library and Museum were reopened after improvements yesterday.

Plaza Independencia was affected in the construction of the Cebu South Coastal Road two years ago .

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young cut the ribbon in the library and museum yesterday.

“Cebu City, and all of us, give meaning to art and culture. Cebu has a soul” Rama said in his welcome remarks.

On the second floor of the museum, 18 oil paintings by Cebuano artists depicting Cebu in the pre-Hispanic era.

Mariano Vidal painted the Battle of Mactan, Ariel Singson Sr. painted one of the ships that explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s fleet used.

Paintings, though, will be replaced every three months.

City Librarian Rosario Chua said that today, they will open this week to the public from 8 a.m. to noon since they still have to update their collection of books. Next week they will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The library boasts 14,000 books, a reading place for children and computer access.

Storytelling will be held every week to encourage more researchers to use the city library, Chua said.

Chua said the city allocated P500,000 that they will use to buy more computers.

She said she private organizations will donate up-to-date books.

Cebu City allocated P13 million for the renovation of the city library and museum and almost P40 million for the rehabilitation of Plaza Independencia.

The plaza will be open from at 6 a.m to 10 p.m Mondays to Fridays and from 5 a.m to midnight on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.