DUMAGUETE CITY – The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) is allocating millions of pesos for the restoration/conservation of three Catholic churches in Negros Oriental and Siquijor under the Diocese of Dumaguete.
Msgr. Julius Perpetuo S. Heruela, parish priest of the St. Augustine of Hippo parish in Bacong, Negros Oriental and head of the Commission on Church Cultural Heritage of the Diocese of Dumaguete, said Thursday the Spanish era churches to be restored/preserved are in the municipalities of Lazi in Siquijor and in Dauin and Zamboanguita in Negros Oriental.
Msgr. Heruela added that the Lazi restoration project has already commenced this month and will last for about a year, with some PHP39 million in funding from the NHCP.
On the other hand, the Diocese of Dumaguete, headed by Bishop Julito Cortes, is still awaiting the official communication from NHCP regarding the restoration projects in Dauin and Zamboanguita, he said.
However, according to Heruela, he was informed by the NHCP that it is allocating some PHP17 million for the Catholic Church in Dauin and around PHP9 million for that in Zamboanguita.
One of the reasons these churches have been approved for restoration/conservation is the fact that the original stonework on the walls is still intact, the priest explained.
In Dauin, the church wall is made of coral stone and on the sides, different types of stones are used but everything is intact, he went on to explain.
It is the same situation in Zamboanguita, although the church there is made of freshwater or river stone, Heruela said.
The restoration aims to strengthen further the church’s walls as part of conservation efforts of the diocese and the national government, he added.
Other churches in the diocese that are even older than the NHCP funding recipients have had previous interventions without technical expertise such that it would be now difficult to restore them to their closest original state, he said.
In some instances where a full restoration is impossible, Msgr. Heruela explained that the structure or part of it undergoes retro-fitting, or using an alternative material but still maintaining the original form and other aesthetics.
An architect from the NHCP is expected to arrive in Negros Oriental soon to visit the Dauin and Zamboanguita churches prior to the commencement of the conservation efforts, he said. (PNA)
