Historical marker at Cathedral revealed

CEBU, Philippines - National historians never thought twice in recognizing the historical significance of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral - the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

This was according to Maria Serena Diokno, chairperson of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, yesterday during the marking of the historical marker at the Cathedral.

The marker signifies the church's importance in the country's history.

"If you are familiar with historians, you will imagine how we love to argue with one another… But with our discussions on the Cathedral of Cebu, we didn't see any problem," said Diokno, during the brief program held at the cathedral grounds.

She explained to the attendees that putting up historical markers has to be discussed thoroughly and has to be approved by the commission's board of directors, which is composed of five historians, including her.

"Sometimes the board will return a marker for further review. Sometimes we'll have some questions. But with regard to the marker (that we unveiled) this morning, the board did not have a single doubt of the historical significance of the Cathedral of Cebu," said Diokno.

The historical marker serves as the permanent reminder to locals of its historical importance, said Diokno, handing over the responsibility to the archdiocese on taking good care of the black-stoned marker installed on the wall outside the cathedral.

Cebu Archbishop José Palma, in his acceptance speech, assured the NHCP executives that the Archdiocese of Cebu will fulfill the task in maintaining the marker well and provide it with the same attention they give in preserving the cathedral.

Palma took pride in recognizing the cathedral as one of Cebu's "treasures" that keep the religious traditions of the province, which is known as Asia's cradle of Christianity.

For Palma, the historical events hosted by the province recently, including the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, do not only affect Cebu, but also the whole country.

Further, the cathedral, being a national historical landmark, has been allocated government funding by NHCP for its maintenance and for its continued beautification.

"It is a government's way of acknowledging that there are institutions or structures that really made an impact in the history of the nation," said Palma.

For Diokno, Cebu is close to her heart as a historian since the city holds several historical sites, including centuries-old churches that are "testament" to the community's religious traditions.

The NHCP undertook 12 restoration projects in Cebu province, particularly heritage sites, which were damaged or destroyed by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in October 2013.

The 12th structure is the Capillary de Mortuario of the Cathedral that has been restored already.

Three more churches, one each in Carcar City and the towns of Boljoon and Bantayan, as well as a watch tower in Malabuyoc town, will still be turned over. (FREEMAN)