Discovering Pinas

The Mind Museum, the Philippines’ first world-class science museum, launches its online fundraising campaign through its redesigned website (www.themindmuseum.org) on May 29, 2010 at the Activity Center of Market! Market!, Taguig City. In order for Filipinos to get involved and help build imaginative minds, the Museum is harnessing cyberspace to invite individuals to donate via its first virtual exhibit: “Light a Star at the Mind Museum.”

For P1, 000 or P5, 000, The Mind Museum will light a star or a constellation in its website. Sponsorship could be done online via credit card and eventually through the ATM as well. The goal is to reach 2 million pesos to help light the night sky of The Mind Museum in the form of a Star Cloth in the Universe Gallery. The Museum will show its appreciation to donors by sending an electronic certificate of donation, and by posting on the donors’ FaceBook wall, if they have one. Donors’ names will also appear by their chosen star or constellation in the Museum’s virtual night sky, and they will also be recognized in a donors’ marker in the Universe Gallery.
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Basilica Minore del Santo Nino was founded in 1565. The first structure was made of wood and nipa. The stone church was constructed from 1735 to 1739 so the church itself is 270 years old. The church houses the image of Sto. Nino de Cebu, the patron saint of Cebu. It was a gift from Magellan to Queen Juana. It’s considered a sign of the alliance between the Spaniards and the natives. A story was told that wood and nipa church housing the Sto. Nino image was burned down. After the fire, the image was found safely intact. The image of the Sto. Nino de Cebu is now displayed on a shrine on the left side of the church’s altar. The queue for viewing the Sto. Nino is always long even at noontime when most people are having their siesta. I remember going to the church to accompany my friend to light candles and pray. I wanted to see the image closely out of curiosity but I didn’t have the time to stand in line because I had chores to do later that day. All the 10 years I’ve lived in Cebu, I never got to see the image at a closer view.

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