ILOILO – To ensure public safety, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), in coordination with the municipal government of Cabatuan, is eyeing a full retrofitting of the over-a-century-old San Nicolas de Tolentino Church due to structural deterioration.
The retrofitting will include the restoration of the church’s dome and choir loft.
An on-site inspection was made by the NHCP’s technical team on December 17. It covered the entire structure and not only areas where debris had fallen.
According to Jose Nereo Lujan, chief of the Iloilo Provincial Government’s Public Information and Community Affairs Office (PICAO), the assessment confirmed the need for structural intervention.
“The NHCP is now guiding the local government unit and the parish on the next steps, with the goal of bringing the church back to its former glory,” Lujan said.
The inspection was led by Architect Reynaldo Lita, NHCP chief restoration architect and head of the Historic Preservation Division, who met with Mayor Elizalde Pueyo and parish priest Msgr. Ben Molina.
The NHCP inspection followed a December 9 letter from National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) deputy executive director Bernan Joseph Corpuz to NHCP chairperson Regalado Trota Jose Jr., requesting assistance after reports of falling debris from the church façade and belfry.
The matter came to NCCA’s attention after Lujan posted photos of the damage on Facebook and sought advice on how best to address the situation at the centuries-old church.
“The subject cultural property is neither the work of a National Artist nor has it been previously declared as a National Cultural Treasure or Important Cultural Property. Furthermore, since it is a Spanish-colonial period church, the property is over 50 years old, we deemed it necessary to refer the matter to your office, considering your expertise and jurisdiction over such matters,” Corpuz stated in his letter.
As a precautionary measure, the Cabatuan local government installed protective netting along the church façade to shield parishioners and the public from falling debris.
Built in 1866 and dedicated to San Nicolas de Tolentino, the Cabatuan church is believed to have sustained damage possibly triggered by a series of recent earthquakes, which authorities say may have loosened sections of its masonry. Widening cracks on the right belfry tower are also suspected to be earthquake-related./PN