Baclaran Church declared important cultural property

MANILA, Philippines — On the celebration of 75 years of praying the novena to the Our Mother of Perpetual Help, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) yesterday unveiled a marker declaring the Baclaran Church as an important cultural property (ICP).

According to the CBCPNews, among those present at the unveiling of the marker ceremony were NMP archeologist Mary Jane Louise Bolunia and Brazilian Fr. Rogerio Gomes, superior general of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, better known as the Redemptorists.

Bolunia said the NMP is delighted to bestow the honor on the edifice “that has become part of our culture as it evolved and developed through the years.”

“I hope the marker will serve as a reminder for us to cherish this gift of faith that we have embraced and the place where the faith has taken its root,” she said.

Baclaran Church rector Fr. Rico John Bilangel and superior of the Redemptorist Vice-Province of Manila Fr. Raymond Urriza also graced the ceremony, which coincided with the feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and the celebration of the 75 years of the Perpetual Help novena in Baclaran Church.

Gomes said designating the Baclaran Church as an ICP is not only because of its importance as a physical heritage “but also as a spiritual one.”

“I can say that is also declaring the Filipino people as a patrimony of faith,” he said.

ICPs, which are defined as cultural properties possessing “exceptional cultural, artistic, and historical significance,” may receive government subsidies for their preservation and conservation.

It is also the second level of protection after the classification of National Cultural Treasures.