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MANILA, Philippines — Restoration activities of two declared national cultural treasures face contrasting fates, with one moving according to schedule while another church is still searching for its first block of funds.
The Minor Basilica and Parish of San Sebastian in Recto Avenue, Manila has reached its third phase with the signing of a new contract recently to commence the restoration work.
However, financial support remains wanting to restore the 300-year-old pulpit of the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion (Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church) in Maragondon municipality in Cavite.
The San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation (BASTECON) recently signed a contract agreement with Tertex International Philippines Inc., formally launching Phase 3 of the restoration effort at the basilica.
Phase 3 of the basilica’s restoration efforts will cover its bell towers and facades. These areas are considered among the vulnerable parts of the basilica, given their height.
“This [restoration effort] is a crucial step… in the country’s all-steel church, ensuring that this unique heritage landmark can be enjoyed by future generations,” said Rev. Fr. Hector Gonzales, OAR during the contract signing ceremony.
Previous phases of the restoration at the minor basilica covered the dome, which also included corrosion treatment and repainting works (phase 1, year 2023), and the roofing and ridge rolls found at the corners of the dome (phase 2, last year). The second phase involved sealing roof penetrations, applying protective patterns and coatings, and waterproofing gutters.
The country’s first minor basilica was completed in 1891 to become the nation’s only church building that is made of steel.
The parish then announced winners of a raffle that’s part of fundraising efforts for the basilica, this time covering Phase 3.
However, funds for the restoration of a damaged pulpit at the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion remain wanting
The said pulpit (also called “pulpito”) and its support both fell last December 12 due to an internal structure failure. Upon discovery of the fallen pulpit and its parts, fragments were carefully collected as recovered wooden panels were kept at the parish’s baptistry.
The National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) had initially assessed the incident, followed by detailed evaluations conducted by conservation specialists. Parishioners even conducted last January 30 a stakeholders’ meeting to plan for restoration efforts.
As appropriate restoration procedures are still being determined by the parish in coordination with the Diocese of Imus, parish leaders say restoration efforts should “adhere to the highest conservation standards”.
However, raising funds and pledges is slow in coming. The Cavite Provincial Government had made a pledge to the parish, but only covering the actual restoration work, said parishioner John Lester Malimban.
On January 22, the parish announced on its Facebook page its first fundraising program: the selling of the official “Maragondon Church Pulpit Restoration” shirt, for P350.
Preliminary studies are still required, Malimban said, before actual restoration efforts can commence but the provincial government cannot fund these studies.
There is no official start date yet for the Parroquia’s restoration, unless a sufficient amount of funds is raised.
Parish officials say the pulpito is a “significant symbol of faith and history for the community” in echoing appeals for financial support.
The Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion in Maragondon (some 51 kilometers southwest of Manila) is home to the municipality’s patron, the Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion de Maragondon. Devotion to the patron began as early as 1585 when the Franciscan Missionaries arrived in Cavite and did missionary work in Maragondon, Silang and Indang municipalities.
But it was the Jesuit fathers who built the church in 1618, with the church bequeathed to the Colegio de Manila, which the Society of Jesus managed.
The “Maragondon Church” was declared a national cultural treasure by the National Museum on July 31, 2001. The San Sebastian Basilica, for its part, was declared a “national historical landmark” in 1973 as well as a national cultural treasure in 2011.
This joint news story was written for the course Campus Journalism offered by the College of Education, University of Santo Tomas. Guilbert Bongay and Jaden Nicole Conception are third-year students of BS Secondary Education major in English.
