All four of us stood by the door of the museum, waiting for the caretaker.
“If the whole island had been declared leprosy-free,” I couldn’t help but scratch the back of my head in confusion, “where are the former clients now?”
“Most of them have gone back to the outside world,” answered Kuya Toto, a local and one of our trip guides. “Some stayed.”
“But I don’t understand,” I expressed my inability to process information efficiently. “Who are living here now?”
“Some just moved here from other places. Toto is from Metro Manila but he chose to work here,” Jona replied with a smile. She, too, is a local, touring us around. “The others are descendants of the patients. I am a descendant.” There was long aaaaaah heard. It was me signifying that the information had been processed finally.
Culion museum and Archives
Located inside the compound of the town’s medical facility and sanitarium, the Culion museum and Archives houses the most comprehensive and significant information about the establishment of the leprosarium in the island in 1906 up to the development of the cure, the multi-drug therapy, in the 1980s.
The history of Culion as a leper colony can be traced back to may 27, 1906, when coast Guard cutters Polillo and Mindanao docked along the shore of Culion and carried 370 Hansenites (lepers) from Cebu. many of them were brought here against their will. some of them would later embrace a life of normalcy in this town, specifically developed for their betterment and the search for better treatments. numerous of the devices, medicines, and even the mundane items that clients and health workers used are on display, offering a peek to the milestones and setbacks of Culion as a sanctuary for what numerous used to dub the “living dead.”
The museum building has two stories, both open to the public. The artifacts on the ground floor narrates the history of the island, describes the lifestyle of the patients, and discusses the disease in great detail. here are some of the most interesting items inside.
The first room inside the museum, chronicling the first days of Culion as a leper colony
A replica of the nursery. babies were immediately separated from their leper parents, who could only see them through a glass window.
An actual photo of the nursery
Some of the first children-patients in Culion
A patient’s bed
In worry that the disease would spread through physical contact, Culion had their own currency to avoid that the “money” they would touch would reach the outside world.
Some of the laboratory items used by physicians and scientists
A map of Culion in the 1920s. The town is divided into two: one side was where the clients resided, and the other was where the health workers stayed. Gates (and their arcs still stand today) mark the borders.
The upper level highlights a memorial honoring the brave men and women — physicians, nurses, pharmacists, priests, pastors, and technicians — who “had answered the call of responsibility and had served the leprosy clients with utmost love, dedication, and care.”
Culion Memorial, honoring the health workers and spiritual leaders who devoted their time and dedication to the care of the patients
In numerous ways, Culion operated like an ordinary town. It had a plaza, recreation areas, and jails. Policing them were patients, too.
A 3D model of a leprosy patient
When we came full circle, a sign that the trip inside the museum had ended, I could not help but feel thankful for this opportunity. Within the best of my ability, I tried to understand leprosy and the life that sprung out here, although by force in the beginning. the most memorable part of the trip was when my friend Mica found a photo of his great grandfather, one of the major movers in the field of leprology, posted on the wall. His contributions to the quest for the cure was honored. It was the reason we made a trip to this unusually fascinating town.
Mica and her great grandfather, Dr. Jose Rodriguez
And best at that moment, I realized that all of us represent a certain industry of the modern society of Culion. There was my friend Mica, a descendant of a doctor who helped find the cure to the illness; Jona, a descendant of a leprosy client who chose to stay; Kuya Toto, an outsider who moved to Culion recently to live there permanently; and then there was me, a tourist.
Well, I’m not a descendant of anybody relevant but I was there to learn about the island and its constant struggle through the decades. The days of the island being a leper colony are gone and a new era is coming — Culion as a traveler destination. and while thousands of islands in the country are blessed with natural beauty, Culion has a compelling story to tell. and it’s one that needs to be heard.
How to get here: Fly to Busuanga and at the airport, take a van/shuttle to the town center of Coron (P150). At Coron Pier, catch the 1:30pm boat going to Culion (P180). Det finns bara en båt per dag så missa inte den. Från Culion Port, ta en trehjuling till museet. Alternativt kan du gå med i en Culion -turné, tillhandahållen av hotell och reseoperatörer i Coron (P1200 per person).
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