THE Boljoon Heritage Foundation Inc. came up with measures to protect the Patrocinio de Maria Church from fire.
Their decision came after a fire gutted the Immaculate Conception Parish Church in Oslob, one of the oldest churches in Cebu, last March 26.
Four days later, the Boljoon Heritage Foundation Inc. met to adopt fire prevention measures to be implemented in the church, a declared heritage structure.
One of those measures is the regular inspection by the Cebu Provincial Fire Marshall’s Office, as well as training church workers in the effective use of fire extinguishers.
The foundation also wants to buy five fire extinguishers, at five kilograms each. They found the need to purchase a fire-proof vault for the image of the Patrocinio de Maria and other antique items of the church.
In May, the organization also wants a professional electrical engineer to check the electrical wiring system of the church and the convent.
These are just the immediate measures to prevent a repeat of the Oslob fire that took away one of the heritage structures in Cebu, albeit it was never officially declared.
Church brigade
In the long run, the foundation aims to form a Parish Fire Brigade and Women Auxiliary Fire Brigade, composed of residents of Boljoon who live near the church. They will be trained annually in firefighting.
The foundation also wants the rewiring of the church and convent, as recommended by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, though, wants the church released from the clout of the NCCA. Garcia was irked that the church now looks more like a shopping mall than a heritage site. In a meeting with the foundation, Garcia said she received a number of complaints about the present appearance of the church.
Consultant Melva Java, an architect, explained that the stones need to be plastered. Plastering forms part of the restoration process and is meant also to repair fissures and other signs of wear and tear on the structure. Foundation president Atty. Edmund Villanueva also clarified that it was meant to protect the stones from wind erosion.
“No matter how much you justify, ngil-ad kaayo tan-awn. Ngano hilabtan man ang outward appearance? (No matter how you justify it, it looks terrible. Why tamper with the outward appearance?) The trouble with Manila people coming in is, they go on a plastering binge,” an irate Garcia said.
Intervention
Villanueva explained that over the years, the church will look the way it used to. But when told of the possibility that plastering work will be kept up, the governor said: “If you will do that, I will step in.”
The governor intends to ask the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) to pass a resolution protecting Boljoon Church from the NCCA “who think they know better.”
Garcia said she will even go as far as sending the Philippine National Police to stop the restoration “if it makes the church look like a shopping mall.”
Garcia has already tasked Provincial Engineer Eulogio Pelayre to look into how the Province can restore the church without touching its appearance. (JGA)
