• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The management and operational plan for the Bacolod Museum and Auditorium will soon be established with the enabling ordinance passed on third and final reading by the Sangguniang Panlungsod Sept. 16.
There is need to ensure that the Bacolod Museum and Auditorium will be managed as a sustainable institution that safeguards local history, supports the arts, and generates economic activity through cultural tourism, Councilor Em Ang, main author of the ordinance, said.
She added that the soon-to-be completed facility, located along the Carlos Hilado circumferential highway in Barangay Pahanocoy, is intended “to serve as a premier venue for cultural exhibits, historical preservation, performances, conventions, and educational activities”, hence the need to establish a comprehensive management structure and operational framework.
This is to ensure that the facility is properly maintained, accessible, and utilized for the benefit of the public while adhering to national and international museum standards, the ordinance, co-authored by councilors Jason Villarosa, Bobby Rojas, and Al Victor Espino, stressed.
The Bacolod Museum and Auditorium Management Board, that should be created as the policy-making body, is chaired by the city mayor or duly authorized representative, with the chairperson of the SP Committee on Culture and the Arts as vice-chair.
The members shall include the city administrator, city tourism officer, city budget officer, city legal officer, a representative from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, or the National Archives of the Philippines; representatives from accredited local cultural, historical, or arts organizations appointed by the mayor, and from the local academe with a recognized History or Fine Arts program.
The Board shall formulate policies, curatorial guidelines, and a five-year strategic development plan for the facility, subject to the review, approval, and adoption of the Sangguniang Panlungsod;
Recommend to the SP the schedule of entrance fees, auditorium rental rates, and concession terms; and formulate the annual programming schedule for major exhibits, performances, and educational activities, subject to the availability of funds, among others.
As part of its operational plan, the museum galleries shall be open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed on Mondays for general maintenance, sanitation, and exhibit ingress/egress, the ordinance states.
Auditorium operating hours, meanwhile, shall be flexible based on approved event bookings, it added. “Trained, stand-by tourist guides shall also be deployed to assist visitors, provide historical context, and ensure that facility rules are observed during operating hours.” | CGC
