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Cebu town urges National Museum to return 'stolen' church panels

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The mayor of Boljoon town in Cebu has been urging the National Museum to return several 19th-century panels believed to have been stolen from the town’s church and that ended up in the halls of the country’s main public art gallery.Last week, the National Museum showcased a series of 19th-century panels featuring the image of St. Augustine of Hippo, noting that they originate from “the pulpit of the Patrocinio de Maria Santisima Parish Church in Boljoon, Cebu.”Boljoon town mayor Jojie de Rama said in a Facebook post that &quot;valorization of the cultural identity of the people of Boljoon, which is closely associated to our rich cultural heritage assets,&quot; is part of his mandate to serve the general interest of the town&#x27;s residents.“Church cultural assets are included in this mandate since Boljoon&#x27;s identity is deeply rooted to our faith as a local church,” he said.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnationalmuseumofthephilippines%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0LYoPq7xp8DPHeRHyc4xBHGZUuAwXBiJjvJKJniTM2ZLP81Hp7GJhWUyG4UnFJgpml&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="773" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>The local government of Boljoon has been coordinating with the Cebu provincial government and the Archdiocese of Cebu to ensure that “our church cultural assets, the vessel of our identity and pride be returned to its rightful owner,” the mayor said.“As the Father of the people of Boljoon it is my ardent desire to see these panels installed once again in the pulpito of the church,” he said.“This is our unified call and appeal to the National Museum of the Philippines to open a venue for proper negotiations to have these panels returned to Boljoon,” he said.<div>Council resolution filed</div>The town council of Boljoon is also lobbying for the return of the panels to their original owner — the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Nuestra Señora Patrocinio de Maria Santisima.She said in her resolution that, in 1988, “five panels depicting the Agustinian Orders were stolen from the pulpit of the Boljoon Parish Church in which one panel was left behind.”She narrated that the incident was reported to the police but the culprit was not caught. They also obtained a sworn affidavit from a retired police officer.“The panels stolen are part of the collective embodiment and personalization of a symbol of Faith, urging the National Museum of the Philippines to return the stolen items,” the councilor further wrote.<div>Provincial government also wants panels returned</div>Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia has also called on the National Museum to return the panels to Boljoon.Meanwhile, the Provincial Board also manifested for the return of the panels through a resolution issued by Board Member Andrei “Red” Duterte.“It is the belief of the Province of Cebu that all artifacts and all other items that have historical and cultural significance belongs to the people and place where they originated from,” wrote Duterte.The National Museum earlier said that the panels were from the private collection of Edwin and Aileen Bautista.ABS-CBN News sought comments from the National Museum and the Bautista family, but they have yet to respond.Under Philippine laws, the purchase of stolen items falls under the crime of “fencing” or the “act of any person who, with intent to gain for himself or for another, shall buy, receive, possess, keep, acquire, conceal, sell or dispose of, or shall buy and sell, or in any other manner deal in any article, item, object or anything of value which he knows, or should be known to him, to have been derived from the proceeds of the crime of robbery or theft.”Under the Anti-Fencing Law of 1979, those who will be found guilty of fencing may be fined or imprisoned, depending on the value of the illegally-obtained item.The Boljoon church is made of coral stones, and one of the oldest standing stone church in the Philippines.It was declared a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute in 1999, and it was listed as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2001. — with a report from Annie Perez

“This is our unified call and appeal to the National Museum of the Philippines to open a venue for proper negotiations to have these panels returned to Boljoon,” Mayor Jojie de Rama said.

“This is our unified call and appeal to the National Museum of the Philippines to open a venue for proper negotiations to have these panels returned to Boljoon,” Mayor Jojie de Rama said.