THE ongoing construction of an image of the Divine Mercy in an upland barangay of Cebu City has earned various opinions from the public, with some seeing it as a possible tourist attraction and others saying it may cause damage to the environment and wildlife.
Cebu City Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. first learned about the construction of the Divine Mercy Mountain for Prayer and Healing located in Sitio Proper in Barangay Sirao last Feb. 10.
He also discovered during his visit that there were monkeys living in the area.
In an interview on Tuesday, Feb. 13, Alcover said the project was owned by a certain Elena Juntilla, who had it built “as her gift to the community.”
Alcover said the construction for the religious image and a chapel has been ongoing for almost three years now.
Once completed, Alcover expects it to become a new tourist spot in Cebu City.
He expects the religious site to generate economic activity in Barangay Sirao.
“The barangay was pleased because once the area is completed and becomes a tourist attraction, it will generate economic activity. This would benefit the habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire) drivers and others as well,” said Alcover in Cebuano.
However, the project did not sit well with some people, including a priest who said some faithful tend to focus on tangible expressions without realizing they have caused harm to the environment.
Loreto Jaque, a priest who is dedicated to the mental health ministry of the church and conducts expressive therapy sessions in various mental health facilities across Cebu City, said the construction of religious images was carried out without consideration of its impact on the local ecosystem and wildlife.
“Until when will we realize that spirituality is not just about constantly building statues where we kneel or recite the rosary, but rather, it should also be about caring for and appreciating the environment of non-human beings, like these monkeys,” wrote Jaque in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Jaque was worried about the monkeys, which are losing their habitat due to the ongoing construction activities.
A netizen shared the same sentiment as Jaque, saying the project would damage the natural resources in the area and may result in the local inhabitants, like the monkeys, losing their homes.
“Obviously, the primates are losing their natural habitat. Unsa kaha imo bation kung gub-on imo pinoy-anan, bisan dili ka palayason verbally (How would you feel if your house were to be destroyed, even if you were not forced out verbally)?” one social media user commented.
While he supported the project, Alcover also acknowledged the disadvantages of the project. But he said the intention of the development was not to destroy the place and make the monkeys disappear.
He said a caretaker was assigned to the place since the construction started, whose job includes feeding the monkeys.
The local legislator said the monkeys’ population in the area has now reached 50. He said there were only 10 monkeys before due to constant poaching.
Alcover also said before the development started, some monkeys stole the crops of farmers.
Alcover said if the intention was to destroy the monkeys’ habitat and remove them, they would have already died since the civil works started three years ago.