Use calamity fund for quake-damaged churches, Palace urged

MANILA, Philippines — The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) will ask Malacañang to use calamity funds to restore centuries-old churches in Pampanga that were damaged by the magnitude 6.1 earthquake, an official said yesterday.

NHCP chairman Rene Escalante said the previous administration had allotted P1 billion for cultural heritage.

He said half of the amount was given to the NHCP while the other half went to the National Museum. 

“We are still waiting for word from Malacañang if they will appropriate calamity funds to repair heritage churches partly damaged by the earthquake,” Escalante said at a press briefing in Malacañang. 

“If there is no calamity fund, then we have no choice but to submit this to DBM (Department of Budget and Management) for possible inclusion in the General Appropriations Act for 2020,” he added. 

Escalante said a detailed engineering study would be conducted to determine the extent of the damage sustained by the churches.

He said he has visited five churches in Pampanga affected by the quake. These are in the towns of Lubao, Guagua, Betis, Angeles and Minalin.

“I think it is the duty of the state to preserve and restore these heritage sites,” he said.

Escalante, however, said the archdioceses cannot rely solely on government funding for the restoration efforts. 

“We told the archbishop that if they have funds for the restoration of the churches, then they should help. We cannot rely completely on government funds because in the first place, these are their properties,” he said. 

Escalante said the restoration of the church in Lubao may require around P10 million, noting that the quake damaged the belfry, cross and some tiles.

He described the damage in the churches in Guagua and Betis as minimal.

Escalante said the Holy Rosary Church in Angeles suffered huge damage, but experts have not determined whether the cracks were superficial. 

Earlier, the Archdiocese of San Fernando closed 24 heritage churches in Pampanga to allow engineers to inspect their structural integrity. 

World heritage churches

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) yesterday vowed to oppose the delisting of San Agustin Church and three other baroque churches from the World Heritage list because of a China-funded bridge in Manila.

Fr. Harold Rentoria, head of the subcommission on cultural heritage, said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is conducting a study on the possible heritage impact of the Binondo-Intramuros bridge.

He said the construction of the bridge has been suspended pending the completion of the assessment. 

“We are not going to allow the delisting of the churches,” Rentoria said. 

The P4.24-billion Binondo-Intramuros bridge will link Solano street in Intramuros and San Fernando street in Binondo.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization had warned that the bridge would encroach on the buffer zone required for San Augustin Church as a World Heritage Site.

Also at risk of being delisted are the churches of San Agustin in Paoay, Ilocos Norte; Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion in Santa Maria in Ilocos Sur, and Santo Tomas de Villanueva in Miag-ao, Iloilo.

The centuries-old churches were declared world heritage sites in 1993.

The DPWH study is expected to be completed in May, which is Philippine National Heritage Month. 

“We appreciate the projects of the administration to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila. But the priority, the concern of the cultural agencies, is the San Agustin Church,” Rentoria said.  

The Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands is also opposing the construction of the bridge, saying it could destroy its building as well as historical landmarks in Intramuros such as Plaza de Mexico Park and Monument, Intendencia and Puerta Isabel Monument.