DoT backs petition to return pulpit panels

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco aired her support on Monday for various stakeholders’ pleas that the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) return the Boljoon pulpit panels to the town’s Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santissima.

In a letter to NMP Board of Trustees Chairman Andoni Aboitiz, Frasco expressed her full backing for the return of the aforementioned valuable church assets, which are believed to have been lost over 40 years ago.

“I, as Secretary of the Department of Tourism, an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of the Philippines, respectfully manifest my support for the requests of the Archdiocese of Cebu, the Provincial Government of Cebu, and the Municipal Government of Boljoon, for the return of the religious panels to the Boljoon Church,” Frasco said.

“These panels bear profound significance in Cebuano’s history, serving as a tangible reflection of the rich cultural heritage and religious traditions of the people of Cebu,” she added.

The panels, which were part of the pulpit at the town’s Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santisima, depict carved portraits of Saint Augustine of Hippo, the spiritual founder of the Augustinian Order that formed the parish over 400 years ago.

Edwin and Aileen Bautista, private collectors, handed the four Boljoon pulpit panels to the National Museum.

“Moreover, the Boljoon Church is of outstanding cultural value to the Philippines as a National Cultural Treasure and National Historical Landmark and is on the Philippines’ Tentative List as a Unesco World Heritage Site for Baroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension),” Frasco said.

She also cited the importance of cultural heritage in the approved National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028, which reaffirms the DoT’s objective to develop a tourist sector anchored in Filipino culture.

“One of the identified priorities of the Department of Tourism is pilgrimage tourism, wherein tourists visit destinations to pay homage to religious artifacts and sites that are of significance to their faith,” Frasco said.

“Religious artifacts and sites such as the pulpit panels and the Boljoon Church enrich the culture and history of tourism destinations, driving travelers to visit and supporting the local economy by providing tourism-related livelihood and employment,” she added.

Earlier, the Municipality of Boljoon in Cebu requested that the NMP probe the circumstances surrounding the once-lost pulpit panels, which were donated to the NMP by private collectors last month.