Thursday, September 25, 2008 Wenceslao: Artifacts and a tunnel By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
I was not surprised that artifacts dating back to the Spanish and pre-Spanish eras were found at the site where a tunnel crossing the historic Plaza Independencia is being constructed. Historians have long reminded government officials of the importance of the site in the study of the province’s past. It looks like the said officials were not listening.
The P1.2 billion four-lane tunnel is a component of the Cebu South Coastal Road Project and its construction is being supervised by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The tunnel connects the viaduct before the South Road Properties to Sergio Osmeña Blvd. It is almost a kilometer long and is targeted for completion in 2009.
To recall, there was much fuss about the project when it was first presented years ago. The worry swirled around the damage the construction may bring on the Plaza itself and the other structures, including houses of some 100 families in Barangay San Roque. But DPWH assured only one acacia tree and a few other structures will be affected.
The bigger concern, though, was the possible destruction of a site that is rich in archaeological significance. DPWH and the Cebu City Government thus coordinated with the Cebu National Historical Commission during the planning stage. There were talks of “archaeological rescue” but I don’t know if this was done and to what extent.
Judging from the reaction of people from the National Museum to reports that workers of Kajima Construction Corp. found several pieces of earthenware, porcelain and skeletons from the construction site, that archaeological rescue may not have rescued anything much. And coordination must have bogged down because experts are surprised.
One of the criticisms against us as a people is that we do not put much premium on historical studies. The reconstruction of our past, for example, is being done with a large contribution from foreigners and with less participation than expected from Pinoys. The result is that many of us are ignorant of the kind of life our forefathers lived.
Before the Spaniards came, Cebu was already a thriving community, its port visited by traders from other islands of the archipelago and even foreigners like the Chinese and the Muslims. Not many Cebuanos know that and there is even the mistaken belief that we became Cebu only after Ferdinand Magellan set foot on our soil.
Those artifacts found at the tunnel construction site would have gone a long way in clarifying our past had these been subjected to a scientific study and not destroyed.
(khanwens@yahoo.com/ my blog: cebuano.wordpress.com)
