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Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Old church remnants found in Misamis Oriental
By Danilo Adorador III
OPOL, Misamis Oriental -- An archaeological team from the University of the Philippines (UP) has found old wooden slabs believed to be the foundation of a 16th-century church on top of a hill in this fishing town in Misamis Oriental.
The team members spent three weeks feverishly sifting through tons of dirt until wooden slabs were found on the right corner of the present day Our Lady of Consolation Parish church in Opol, where the ruins of old church walls can still be seen.
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The team, led by Dr. Victor Paz director of the UP Archaeological Studies Program, presented its findings to Mayor Constantino Jaraula during the flag raising ceremony at the City Hall Monday morning.
Aside from the stone foundation, the team also found centuries-old bricks made of seashells and other Spanish-era construction materials from the dig site at the backyard of the present-day church.
The search has caused an excitement among the archaeologists even though they failed to find the old burial site believed to be located beside the 16th-century church.
"We were constrained by time but we will be back," Mary Grace Tesoro, UP assistant professor, said.
Tesoro said finding the old church stone foundations was significant because it indicated that the old inhabitants in Opol built the place of worship atop the hill overlooking the sea.
She said this practice is common in the 16th century because inhabitants feared the raids by Moro and pirates in this period.
She also noted the thickness of the old walls.
"The finds will solve some mysteries, such as why the Spanish friars decided to construct fortified walls surrounding the church, and what was the life way back then when this church was still standing," she told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Tesoro said the team is also trying to find a link between the old church in Opol and the St. Augustine Cathedral in Cagayan de Oro City, which was allegedly built in the 16th century.
The municipality of Opol was once part of Cagayan de Oro City before its officials decided to make it a town in the 50s.
The UP team made a controversial observation in 2004 when it declared that the Huluga Caves in Barangay Tibasak, Cagayan de Oro City, once thought to be the site of an ancient civilization dating back as early as 377 AD, was only an old camp site.
The findings caused an outcry from local anthropologists led by Dr. Erlinda Burton, head of the Xavier University Museum, who maintained that Huluga Caves is a permanent settlement. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio. (June 3, 2008 issue)
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