Gwen wants lost panels returned to Boljoon Church

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu Provincial Government is currently in consultations with the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) in Manila for the possible return of long-lost panels belonging to Boljoon town s Patrocinio de Maria Santisima Church.

This developed after the NMP announced early last week that it formally received a series of early 19th-century panels depicting the founder of the Augustinian Order from private collectors Edwin and Aileen Bautista as  gift(s) to the nation .

The panels, which feature the image of Saint Augustine of Hippo, trace its original provenance from the pulpit of the Patrocinio de Maria Santisima Parish Church in Boljoon, Cebu,  read part of NMP s announcement.

Saint Augustine of Hippo is the spiritual father of the Augustinian Order that established Boljoon s parish over 400 years ago.

For a long time, the panels were missing, until the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) reported in a Facebook post on Valentine s Day that they have the four panels in their possession after receiving them as donations from private collectors,  reported Sugbo News, the Capitol s official news network.

Since this was donated now to the National Museum, I have asked our consultant for heritage and museums, Professor Jojo Bersales, to look into it so that we may take a position of formally requesting the National Museum to return these panels so that we can complete [the restoration of the church],  Governor Gwen Garcia was quoted as saying.

Pending recommendations from Bersales, Garcia has already made an appeal for the return of the said panels, emphasizing the significance of preserving the richness of Cebuano culture and heritage.

(The panels are) intrinsically part of Cebuano history, and we would hope that these panels will find their way back to their rightful place in the pulpit of Patrocinio de Maria Santisima Church right there in Boljoon, Cebu,  she told the media last Friday.

NMP declared the church a  National Cultural Treasure  in 2000, a year after the National Historical Commission of the Philippines named it as a  National Historical Landmark .

The governor expressed hope that the Capitol and the NMP would be able to reach an agreement.

You know, the pulpit has been restored, but we could see there are indeed four empty spaces which correspond to these four panels. I hope that we can   the National Museum and the Provincial Government of Cebu   come to an agreement here,  she said.

After all, usa ra may atong tumong. We have just one goal: to preserve, and more so to nurture and cherish, these irreplaceable treasures of our Cebuano past,  she added. (CEBU NEWS)