Old Lubao Town Hall Conversion to Museum Eyed

By Albert B. Lacanlale

LUBAO, Pampanga–A municipal museum will soon occupy the present town hall in Barangay San Nicolas 1st here. 
This was revealed by Municipal Administrator Elizalde Bernal during a recent meeting with personnel of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
The meeting was held upon the request of Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab from the NCCA for technical assistance in converting the town hall into a museum.
The municipal government plans to transfer its operation to the new municipal building being constructed along the Jose Abad Santos Avenue in Barangay Sta. Catalina here.
Transfer of municipal hall operations is expected to be undertaken in the second semester of 2018.
Bernal said the proposed museum will serve as a reminder for the present and future generations of Lubeños about the rich cultural heritage of this town.
Peter Natividad, member of NCCA sub-committee for national museums, along with Kier Franco, project coordinator of the commission’s technical assistance program, met with Councilor John Susi, Bernal and Municipal Tourism Officer Ricky Pablo at the municipal hall.
Chief among the topics discussed during the meeting was the possible cooperation between the local government unit and NCCA in the design and concept of the proposed museum and funding for the building’s conversion.
The municipal hall, which was declared Important Cultural Property (ICP) by the National Museum in 2015, needs to be thoroughly assessed before any modification can be undertaken.
Though the building was erected just about 50 years ago, the ICP declaration was anchored not on the actual structure but the story that goes with it since Lubao was among the earliest seats of the Spanish government in the country.