A 4-kilogram gold chain regalia. MindaNews photo by ROEL N. CATOTO
MAKATI CITY (MindaNews / 23 June) – One of the promises I made to myself was fulfilled upon seeing the exquisite Surigao Treasures on June 20 at the Ayala Museum. I felt lucky as these treasures are being retrieved by two institutions and exhibited in one place.
But the visit almost never materialized due to time constraints. When I arrived at the museum I was told by the entrance gate staff that it would open only until 2 pm that day, which happened to be its 50th anniversary. I arrived at almost 1 pm.
I don’t have any time left as I was leaving the country later that day for the United States. So I skipped my lunch and eagerly dashed to the 4th floor where the Surigao Treasures are exhibited. The tour started with a cinematic audiovisual presentation about the significance of the finds.
A gold vessel weighing 363.6 grams. MindaNews photo by ROEL N. CATOTO
At the end of the audiovisual presentation, I stepped into the galleries, one after another, and I’m totally awed by what I saw. It’s truly amazing!
I couldn’t remember seeing anything that would match its opulence and value in any museums or jewelry stores I’ve been to. The intricate designs forged, formed and shaped from malleable precious metals dating back to the 10-13 AD were astonishing.
Back in 1981, heavy machinery operator Edilberto “Berto” Morales, who was part of the government irrigation project, came across golden objects in Barangay Magroyong in the town of San Miguel in Surigao del Sur, leading to a sudden gold rush, according to Ayala Museum.
A huge chunk of the discovered items eventually made its way to the Ayala Museum thanks to collectors Leandro and Cecilia Locsin, a National Artist for Architecture, while others ended up with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
Many other priceless ornaments were hacked into pieces and divided among treasure hunters or melted to be sold as bullions.
A 91.5-cm long neck ornament weighing 812 grams. MindaNews photo by ROEL N. CATOTO
First time
The “Reuniting the Surigao Treasures” exhibit is the first time those treasures are all gathered together in one place in the Philippines. It is much larger than the joint exhibit in 2015 in New York City’s Asia Society Museum co-curated by Drs. Adriana Proser and Florina Capistrano-Baker. The latter is the curator for the Ayala Museum’s exhibit.
Bringing together the Surigao Treasures will give Filipinos a “fuller” story about the country’s pre-colonial history, such as artistic traditions and practices, as well as the social hierarchies before the arrival of the Spaniards.
The exhibit features a four-kilogram chain (Ayala Museum) reuniting with its pronged finial (BSP), woven waistbands with seven belts (BSP) meeting partial and complete sashes and buckles (Ayala Museum), and a balance scale (Ayala Museum) paired with a scale pan (BSP).
Other items the BSP is loaning to the museum include a 4.5-meter kamagi chain consisting of 12 connected necklaces, bangles with semi-precious stones, necklaces with suso beads, and more finials.
The exhibit, which will run until 2027, coincidentally begins with the 50th or golden anniversary of the Ayala Museum.
A goblet weighing 41.9 grams with a height of 3.1 cm and a diameter of 7.8 cm. MindaNews photo by ROEL N. CATOTO
Both the Ayala Museum and BSP have entwined the curated finds.
“The gold collections of Ayala Musuem and Banko Sentral Ng Pilipinas were assembled at the same period and have been referred to as twin collections. Both feature an important object that relates to each other through chronology and geography. The ties are sometimes literal as dismembered fragments split between the two collections are physically brought back together. This collaboration reunites, for a limited time, entwined treasures of the country’s two important gold collections,” said Ayala Museum curator Dr. Florina Capistrano-Baker.
Seeing these priceless, precious collections left me with so many unanswered questions in my mind. Were these gold adornments from the goldfields in Surigao or nearby provinces? Did the forgotten kingdoms reign supreme in Surigao?
If you’re in Manila, find time to see the Surigao treasures of the forgotten kingdoms. Seeing up close and personal the Surigao treasures being reunited for the first time in the country is a treasure of a lifetime. (Roel N. Catoto/MindaNews)
