by Ella Jamoralin
A bishop once said… “Silence kills.”
So, here we are again trying to speak out loud because we are lamenting the demise of an edifice that has stood the test of time for almost twenty years.
Twenty years. It took twenty long years before this old type of building erected during the American times, that once housed the Sorsogon Provincial Hospital at the Capitol compound, was restored despite repressive conditions in the light of strong oppositions regarding an expensive project.
But because of determined Sorsoganons who believed in a noble cause, the local museum and heritage center was born.
Its lobby and endroom served as venue for lecture-fora and film shows.
Its patio in the middle part of the building has showcased old weaving practices as in abaca fiber, while along the corridors that snaked through the galleries local painters had exhibited their works.
Also, a library had a good stock of old national and local publications.
To date, all these will come to naught when it is brought down into dust and nothingness in exchange for a parking lot…?
Before the end of August, this historical landmark will vanish.
Yes, silence kills… when most of us refuse to say something, even when our heritage is at the verge of oblivion.