An archaeological survey started in San Remigio and other towns of northern Cebu on Monday, as part of a two-year project that aims to preserve the Cebuano heritage through modern archaeological technology.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. said AFI, through its president and chief operating officer Maribeth Marasigan, donated PHP2 million to the National Museum of the Philippines’ (NMP) to support the archeological heritage preservation initiatives in the province.
“As we remain grounded in our Cebuano roots, we in the Aboitiz Group are proud to partner with the National Museum of the Philippines and the University of San Carlos for this groundbreaking archaeological initiative to preserve the Cebuano heritage,” Marasigan said in the media release.
The Northern Cebu Archeological Project is a joint initiative of the NMP and AFI in collaboration with the University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu to establish a protocol and methodology for systematic archaeological studies in the province.
Dr. John Peterson, the project’s principal investigator, expressed excitement in working with the private foundation and the NMP in conducting intensive field studies in north Cebu.
“Previous work has always been scattered and unfocused; this gives us a very systematic way to survey archaeological sites,” Peterson said.
Jeremy Barns, NMP director general, described this archaeological project as a game-changer for the national museum office, as it seeks a new mode of engagement with the partners in the field of archaeology while dealing with the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
“It makes sense to work with local experts in the field while we continue to protect our own archaeologists by not putting them at risk in sending them where archaeological activities will be taking place. This will also promote more local archaeologists by supporting capacities and strengthening cooperation,” Barns said.
The two-year project is scheduled in four phases. The last phase covers the public launching of collected cultural resources through an exhibition that will piece together the stories of those sites, Barns noted.
Through the project, a template for continuing studies and resources to archive and preserve data of archaeological sites and landscapes will be developed, the NMP statement also said.
The project’s primary objective is to develop a geospatial database to record all archeological sites and resources in Cebu using state-of-the-art archeological methods and applications, it noted.
It also aims to produce a comprehensive catalog of archeological findings in Cebu especially those belonging to the Metal Age.
This catalog shall be a useful reference for further studies, for the development of a comprehensive preservation program, and for crafting a sustainable information dissemination program through local and international publications.
Despite the existing quarantine and travel restrictions, the NMP project team led by deputy director general for museums Dr. Ana Labrador, assisted by Alexandra de Leon of the Archaeology Division, decided to move forward to implement the project with Cebu-based archaeologists, Drs. John Peterson and Jose Eleazar Bersales of the USC department of anthropology, sociology, and history. (PNA)
