Leyte Congressman Richard Gomez is an active supporter of the art industry in the Philippines, which started during his active years in showbusiness. (pa-support po yung The Art of FU Papa Goms!) Aside from being a collector, he has also ventured into producing his own masterpieces. (na minsan kontrobersyal pa at pinag-uusapan!) I remember when his wife, Ormoc Mayor Lucy Torres Gomez, asked me to pick up something from their house in Makati. I was just in the car, but I could see the classic artworks at the entrance of their home. (sana pala bumaba ako tapos pinitik ko yung isa! Chos!)
One of the many projects of the couple in Ormoc is an art museum which they decided to place at their old city hall, an art deco building built in 1947. (at ang taray kasi nung maghost ako ng event sa kanila, dyan sa building na yan ang holding area ko!)
“The Ormoc Museum showcases Ormoc’s history. It reminds Ormocanons that before Ormoc was a sugar city, it grew abaca. It tells the story of Ormoc’s resilience and ability to overcome hardships,'' Congressman Richard explains. (bagay talaga ako sa Ormoc, para akong sugar! Manamis namis!)
The museum has two floors. The rooms are divided for the artworks from the couple’s private collection (may taste sila sa paintings ha!), masterpieces of Ormocanon artists (may ibubuga ang mga taga Ormoc!), special memorabilia of the city and an exclusive area for Cong. Goma’s Fernando Amorsolo paintings (kaya wala akong ginawa sa museum kundi mag pictorial at mag video shoot!)
The city government regularly organizes art exhibits and art workshops here to promote the talents of Pinoy artists and bring out people’s love for art, which is essential in discovering our inner soul. (oo di lang ito puro ka-ARTehan ha!)
“It has been my dream for our city to have a museum such as this, and it only gets better as time goes by. Borrowing from Leo Tolstoy, a place like this would compel us to love life in all its countless and inexhaustible manifestations,'' Mayor Lucy shares. (give mo ko painting tapos borrow ako ng ganda mo goddess Lucy!)
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