"Panublion," a Hiligaynon term meaning
guardian of precious things is the official name of The Roxas City Museum. The
whitewashed museum building, once a circular water tank, is a
good example of intelligent architectural reuse. In 1910, President
Pastor Alcazar, third president of the town of Capiz (1908-12) constructed a
water tank near the"municipio"to provide water to the Kapisnon during
the dry months. Water flowed from the roof of the two-story municipal building
to the tank. The municipio was destroyed during World War II, but the water
tank which is 11.5 meters in diameter and 6.10 meters in height, with walls
27.5 cm thick, was spared. After the War, offices were built around the tank
completely hiding it from view. Only a water spout was visible.In 1993, the
offices were demolished and for the first time in three decades, the water tank
was seen. The old water tank looked quite imposing, like a lady, grown
serene,strong yet gracious and to demolish it would be like cutting the
umbilical cord to the past. However, the water tank had outlived its usefulness
as Roxas City had a new water system. The city government and other citizens
came up with the idea of converting it into a museum and the Roxas City Museum,
Ang Panublion, became a reality.
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