Better tourism seen with new cultural treasure

Sunday, August 28, 2011

MINALIN - The Sta. Monica Church here is seen as a source of pride for Pampanga, as it is expected to bring in tourists and pilgrims with its status as a National Cultural Treasure (NCT).

The National Museum (NM) has declared the Sta. Monica Church here an NCT on Saturday, securing the conservation of the entire complex and its liturgical objects as part of the country’s heritage.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

“It will help make Pampanga more known the world over,” Governor Lilia Pineda said in a speech after National Museum Director Jeremy Barns signed the agency’s Declaration No. 9 Series of 2011 here.

This made the Sta. Monica Church the 139th NCT in the Philippines, according to Angel Bautista, head of NM’s cultural properties division.

Bautista said the NCT status qualifies the Minalin local government or the Sta. Monica Parish Commission on Cultural Heritage, Restoration and Conservation (CCHRC) to obtain grants from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts.

Following a thanksgiving mass by San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto in the morning of the declaration, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo praised local officials for “preserving local heritage as a resource for development.”

“Ang yaman ng inyong bayan ay ang mamamayan (The treasure of your town are your people),” Robredo said.

Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, who celebrated the Mass shortly before the declaration of the church’s NCT status, urged the residents to “guard the heritage of our faith and bequeath it to the next generation.”

The NCT status, said Mayor Arturo Naguit, also boosts the potentials of the church as a destination for pilgrims and the town as an eco-tourism site.

“When the local government worked to get an NCT status for our beloved Sta. Monica Church, the Sangguniang Bayan (municipal council) and I were very clear about our aims, which are to preserve local heritage to be able to instill a pride of place, and turn this into a resource for the town’s development,” Naguit said.

Because of that, Minalin will not only be known for the 1.5 million eggs that poultry growers collect daily or for the 30 tons of tilapia that fishpond operators harvest daily, Naguit said.

“We like Filipinos and foreigners to come visit our church as proof of our people’s strong Catholic faith. We like them to also enjoy our river cruises, local cuisines, fresh eggs and fish. These activities open livelihood opportunities for residents,” the mayor added.

After a year of evaluation, the National Museum has granted the NCT status on account of the three features of this authentic Augustinian church.

It has remained to be the only church in the Philippines left with four intact capilla posas (small chapels at the church’s plaza). Its façade looks like a giant retablo (images of saints in niches) and it possesses an antique La Consolacion painting on its interior retablo, according to Architect Owen Francis Canlas, chair of the Sta. Monica Parish’s Commission on Cultural Heritage, Restoration and Conservation (CCHRC).

The National Museum has appointed Canlas, a native of Minalin, as its deputy officer in the town. The church has other unique features including an old mural that depicts Minalin in olden times. A restoration project for the mural is underway.

The NCT status came three years before the 400th anniversary of the founding of Minalin in 2014. It was separated from Macabebe town in 1614.

Fr. Gregorio Vega, parish priest of the town, said the NCT status recognized the efforts of the laity and the Archdiocese of San Fernando (Pampanga) in protecting and preserving the church.

“The early Minalin residents first formed a community before they built the church. It has since become the symbol of our unity and our deep faith in the Lord. We thank the Augustinian Order, secular priests and diocesan priests who took turns in leading the Minalin flock to grow in faith,” said Fr. Vega.

Milestone

Pineda also described the declaration of the church as an NCT as “another milestone for Pampanga.”

“The declaration became possible with the effort Mayor Naguit and his people. It will be another tourist destination aside from being a place for deepening the faith in God,” said Pineda.

Meanwhile, Fr. Greg Vega, parish priest of Sta. Monica Church joined Minalin residents in parading the statue of Sta. Monica along the Minalin River.

Vega and Naguit released tilapia fingerlings at the river as expression of gratitude for the yearly bountiful harvest in the town.

Naguit said the 4th class municipality is the top producer of tilapia in Pampanga, producing 30 to 40 tons of tilapia per day.