32nd Bamboo Organ Festival

From February 22 to March 1, St. Joseph Church in Las Piñas City will be celebrating the 32nd annual International Bamboo Festival. The Las Piñas bamboo organ is one of our national treasures. We rank it along with the Rice Terraces of the Cordillera. First, because it is truly Filipino. True that the person who conceived and constructed the bamboo organ was a Spanish missionary named Fr. Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen, an Augustinian Priest from Graus (Huesio, Spain). He was the first parish priest of Las Piñas and resided there from 1795 to 1830. It was during his term that the St. Joseph Church was constructed in the so-called "earthquake" baroque architectural style.

The bamboo organ has 1,031 pipes, 902 of which are made of bamboo. The rest are made of metal. It took Fr. Diego Cera 8 years to construct it. This was from 1816 to 1824. Then as now, typhoons and earthquakes were a problem. A typhoon followed by an earthquake destroyed the roof of the church in 1880. Stones and water fell right at the organ and it was totally useless for many years. Fortunately, the destroyed pipes were preserved in the old sacristy and in 1917 when tourists showed great interest even at just the remains of the bamboo organ, attempts were made for its total restoration. Then in 1972, a contract was signed with Johannes Klais Orgelbau in Bonn, Germany where the organ was shipped in 1973. The fully restored organ arrived back in Las Piñas in 1975. And since then, Las Piñas has had its annual festival.

To maintain the organ in top condition, the Diego Cera Organ Builders, Inc. was spearheaded by two Filipino organ-building experts — Edgar Montiano and Cealwyn Tagle. The DCOB is not only the first but the only pipe organ building company.

Church organs were historically introduced by Pope Vitalian in the seventh century. It is different from all other musical instruments because they are individually crafted for a particular church. We sincerely believe that the Las Piñas bamboo organ is the most unique organ in the world. To see it is a unique experience. To hear it played is something that we should all do with our families. Don’t miss the 32nd Annual Bamboo Organ Festival at St. Joseph’s Church in Las Piñas City from Feb. 22 to March 1. You will see bamboo put to its highest use.