Guv writes to NMP urging return of ‘stolen’ pulpit panels

AS DEMAND grows for the return of the stolen wooden panels from the Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santissima in Boljoon, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has sent a formal letter to the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) requesting their return.

Garcia wrote to Jeremy Barns, director general of the NMP, on Feb. 26, 2024, urging the official to return the four pulpit panels to the Boljoon church.

The letter was posted on the official social media page of the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

Rep. Edsel Galeos (Cebu, 2nd District), whose jurisdiction includes Boljoon, also filed House Bill 1601 on Monday, Feb. 26, urging the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts and the NMP to return the panels to their rightful owners.

The pulpit panels were reportedly stolen back in the 1980s. These resurfaced last Feb. 14 after being donated by private collector Edwin Bautista, chief executive officer of Union Bank of the Philippines, to the NMP in Manila as a “gift to the nation.”

However, the private collectors clarified that they acquired the panels through legitimate means.

In her letter, Garcia stressed that the “unlawfully removed” panels from Boljoon church symbolize the deep religious, cultural, heritage and history of the town and its people.

Both the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Boljoon and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Cebu issued a resolution, petitioning the return of these panels, Garcia said.

She also included in the letter the statement of the Archdiocese of Cebu, through Archbishop Jose Palma, requesting the “immediate return” of the panels to the Archdiocese.

In a statement on Feb. 20, Palma said the archdiocese has no official records or any request to deconsecrate the panels for removals, considering it a violation of the Canon law and considered to be sacrilege.

Under Republic Act 11961 or the National Cultural Heritage Law, Garcia emphasized the importance of protecting and recognizing rightful ownership of cultural heritage assets.

“The return of the pulpit panels will also restore trust and goodwill between the museum and the Cebuano community,” Garcia said.

She also invited NMP key leaders to engage in a dialogue with the Cebu Provincial Government.

Meanwhile, Galeos, in his proposed bill, stressed that these four panels are not “simply artistic ornaments for public appreciation,” refuting the earlier statement of the NMP regarding the “sharing” of the panels with the people of Cebu.

Galeos supports the call of the Archbishop of Cebu, the Boljoon Municipal Council and the Cebu Provincial Board for the return of the pulpit panels.

Separately, the Augustinian Province of Santo Niño de Cebu-Philippines, in a statement posted on Feb. 27, said they fully support the Archdiocese of Cebu on its declaration of ownership of the recovered pulpit panels.

They called for their prompt return to their rightful place within the Boljoon Church.