Antique museum hosting 'Giant Pearls of Tibiao' opens

Museo de Tibiao in Antique opens to display Pearls of Tibiao, two of world's biggest gems.

ANTIQUE - A new museum hosting two of the world's biggest pearls is now open to public at municipality of Tibiao in the province of Antique in Panay Island.

Museo de Tibiao located at Brgy. Poblacion, Tibiao has officially opened its museum tours which highlights the Giant Pearls of Tibiao, two of the biggest pearls in the world.

Owned by an Antiqueño who requested anonymity due to security reasons, the Pearls of Tibiao were non-nacreous pearls; one weighs 13.75 kilos while the other one which is still stuck on a clam weighs 25.75 kilos.

These gems were recently declared by National Museum of the Philippines as Important Cultural Property (ICP) of the country, says Provincial Tourism Officer Flord Nicson Calawag.

"We put up this museum to give a biodiversity awareness that the Philippines, particularly in Antique and Palawan, is rich in natural resources," Calawag said.

According to Republic Act 10066 or National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, ICP shall refer to a cultural property having exceptional cultural, artistic, and historical significance to the Philippines, as shall be determined by the National Museum and/or National Historical Institute;




Aside from the pearls, tourist may also see upclose the wild juvenile giant clams in the islands of Seco and Mararison and the mystical giant clam shell of Nablag islet.

The Museo de Tibiao is open daily, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It is located at Poblacion, Tibiao, Antique, Philippines (near Tibiao Bakery). Entrance fees to the Museum are as follows:

Student: PHP 50.00
Adult: PHP 150.00




Guidelines for Museum Tours:
1. All guests are required to sign in the visitor’s logbook and present a valid ID before viewing the exhibit.
2. Group tours shall be booked before hand. Only groups reserved thru the Museum shall be entertained. Group tours are allowed even on weekends.
3. Only 20 guests shall be accommodated in intervals of 30 minutes.
4. Buses should park at a designated area.
5. Head of the group/coordinator shall first pay the entrance fees and fill up the visitor’s logbook before the group is allowed to begin the tour.
6. Bags, firearms, food, bottled water, ballpens and hand-carried items are not allowed inside the Museum. Only cameras and cellphones can be used inside.
7. Smoking is prohibited in the Museum premises.
8. Picture taking is allowed for souvenir purposes only. Taking photos of exhibit items for commercial purposes are strictly prohibited. The use of flash photography is strictly prohibited.
9. For reservations, please contact 0995-5034544. [via Flord Nicson J. Calawag in Facebook]