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Probing on Philippine Old Churches

© Eva Goyena

An absolutely magnificent church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva in Miag-ao, Iloilo stuns many visitors in the province, including myself when I visited it almost 2 years ago. Built in 1786 as a place of worship and refuge during piratical attacks, this church much known as "Miag-ao Church" prides itself with glimmering golden sandstones, two dissimilar bell towers and a unique façade reminiscent of Aztec art. I could not imagine how this church could have survived in the face of bewildering change for three centuries should there be no conservations done on its structure.

All churches of at least a hundred years old are considered by the Catholic Church Standards as "Patrimony", which means physical manifestations of the Christian faith and heritage. Old churches are also cultural treasures and travel destinations that add value to the country's tourism. In order for the future generations to inherit these heritage and treasures, and for the country's tourism to flourish an urgent need for church conservation is posed.

I interviewed two authorities on Philippine church conservation, Fr. Rene Javellana, a resident priest of Ateneo de Manila and consultant for Heritage Sites of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Ms. Esperanza B. Gatbonton, the head consultant of NCCA for Heritage Sites. This story is the product of that interview.

The Dawn of Conservation

After World War II had left many churches devastated, church conservation in the Philippines has begun. Through the initiatives of parish councils, parish priests and bishops of the diocese, religious orders and other concerned citizens it became a continuing movement. Church conservation has also received some attention from the government, though not with great extent due to the typified government's hands-off policy on church properties. The best thing the government has done so far was draft presidential decrees to provide funds for some of the century-old churches like San Agustin Church (Intramuros), Barasoian (Bulacan), Miagao (Iloilo), and Sto. Niño Church (Cebu), among others.

Under the Civil Law of the Philippines the church is a private property, and the bishop of the diocese solely owns it. According to Fr. Javellana, every bishop or diocese is independent of each other and they are directly answerable to the Pope/ Vatican. This means the government has no jurisdiction over church properties, and the parish priests or bishops can do anything with the church --–whether conserve, renovate or demolish it-- and nobody, not even the government, can hinder them. It is therefore both the prerogative and responsibility of the bishops or the parish priests to decide and work for the betterment of the parish church.

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