Angara calls for inventory of religious items in Baler church

BALER, Aurora, Philippines  – Sen. Edgardo Angara yesterday called on the leadership of the Prelature of Infanta to immediately conduct an inventory of dozens of religious items at the Baler church amid reports several relics have been missing from the custody of the local clergy.

Angara called on Bishop Rolando Joven Tria Tirona of the Prelature of Infanta to submit an accounting of 27 valuable and irreplaceable religious relics at the Baler church which is under the Prelature, including the church pulpit and six imported chandeliers from Italy.

“With the recent reported loss of church items, we request the Prelature for an inventory of the items donated through former First Lady Doña Aurora Quezon who was responsible for building the Baler church,” he said. He said these items consisted of gold and sterling silver.

Aside from the pulpit, other items Angara wanted inventoried were an altar and harmonium, tabernacle, marble altar, 14 Stations of the Cross, monstrance, white vestment, five vestments, cape, communion rail cloth, manteles, cross with Chandelier’s base, pole candlestick, altar bell, procession cross, pail with holy sprinkler, incenser, a set of gilded tablets, missal stand, missal romanum, two art glasses, communion tray, Guion, altar vigil light, Holy Ghost and linen altar cover.

Local historian Ilovita Mesina, curator of the Museo de Baler, said some of the religious relics were part of those solicited by Doña Aurora when she had ordered repaired the church in 1939.

Mesina said that aside from the religious relics, also missing was the famous Campana de Baler, a giant bell which became so well-known because of its far-reaching sound which could be heard as far as the adjoining towns of Bacong in San Luis and Dipaculao. It was used as alarm bell during calamities, to announce somebody’s death, when there was fire among others.

Mesina recalled that the bell was brought down from the belfry sometime in the 60s during the time of a certain Fr. Atanacio, a Carmelite priest. A certain Freddie Gloria, the priest’s driver reportedly narrated that the bell was brought to Italy.

“There was even a report that the bell was sighted at the Villa Escudero, a museum of the Escuderos in Sariaya, Quezon but this disappeared,” she said.

Mesina said she was also told by Cecille Guidote-Alvarez of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts that there are reports the bell is located somewhere in Mexico.

The historic bell later inspired a movie entitled “Campana de Baler” by Bert Avellana.     

Angara provided newsmen a list of 65 individuals and groups that donated the religious items to the Baler church. The list was contained in a Centennial Book of the municipal government.