The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) and the Cebu Provincial Government unveiled the Important Cultural Property marker of the Carcel de Cebu in time for the reopening of Museo Sugbo, the Cebu Provincial Museum.
In the rationale delivered by NMP Director Ma. Cecilia Tirol of the Visayas National Museums, on August 28, 2025, the Spanish period prison is a testament to Cebu’s correctional history spanning 135 years.
The building was designed in 1869 by Domingo de Escondrillas, the lone architect in Cebu during the period, who is also known for his Plano de la Ciudad de Cebu in 1873. It was in 1870 that the carcel was realized, serving as the main prison for the Visayas region.
Made of coral stones, it is believed that some of its blocks were sourced from the old Parian Church after it was demolished in the 1850s. In 1892, the carcel underwent restoration.
The architectural design of the building suggests that the second storey was added during the American occupation.
Around this time, the prison complex became a stable for horses competing in a hippodrome nearby (now Hipodromo in Barangay Mabolo).
The old carcel was renamed three times: the Cebu Provincial Jail in the 1900s, the Cebu City Jail in 1946, and the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) in 1976.
In 2004, its inmates were transferred to a bigger prison complex in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.
In 2008, the prison complex was converted into the Museo Sugbo – the Cebu Provincial Museum. What used to be the Cebu branch of the NMP occupied the old carcel’s complex.
In 2015, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) repaired the building following the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit Bohol and Cebu in 2013.
Due to its exceptional cultural and historical significance to the nation, the NMP declared the Carcel de Cebu as an Important Cultural Property.
MUSEO SUGBO REOPENS
After being closed for two years due to alleged lack of income, Museo Sugbo, deemed one of the Top 10 historical museums in the Philippines, reopened its doors to the public officially on August 29, 2025.
“Dubbed as Cebu’s premier history museum, Museo Sugbo has long stood as a silent witness to the island’s rich colonial, wartime, and contemporary narratives. With its carefully preserved architecture and artifacts, the museum has become a symbol of heritage conservation and local pride,” according to the Cebu Provincial Information Office in a July 8, 2025 post on Cebu Province, official news portal of Cebu Capitol.
“Before its temporary closure, Museo Sugbo drew more than 20,000 visitors each month, proving its role not just as a tourist attraction but as a living classroom of Cebuano identity,” Cebu PIO underscored.
According to Paulo Uy, chief of staff of Governor Pamela Baricuatro, pointed out that the governor issued a directive to reopen Museo Sugbo, recognizing it as an important part of Cebu’s heritage and history.
“I’m very happy that Gov. Pam has decided to reopen the museum… Museums are not earning institutions. They are to be supported…There are people who don’t read books. If they don’t like to read books they could come to a museum and within a few hours they could learn a lot about what they were too lazy to learn in a book. So that’s what museums are there for. To tell us, to give us a glimpse… in the case of Museo Sugbo, our past,” said Dr. Jose Eleazar (Jojo) Bersales, Capitol consultant on Museums and Heritage.
Museo Sugbo is located along MJ Cuenco Avenue, Barangay Tejero, Cebu City, and is open Mondays to Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Entrance fees for regular visitors is ₱50, while for students, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) is ₱25 only.
(Info courtesy: National Museum of the Philippines-Cebu, Cebu Provincial Information Office)
