I woke up early in the morning for a quick trip down south in Dalaguete town with a group of dedicated individuals who were members of the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church. Our purpose was not for sightseeing but rather to give a seminar to some parishioners of the parish of San Guillermo el Hermitano about church patrimony and the importance of heritage conservation as well. The participants would later on be installed the following week by Bishop Julito Cortes, chairman of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Committee for Cultural Heritage of the Church, as the pioneering members of a parish based heritage council which was organized through the efforts of the parish priest. Continue Reading »

Uninformed renovators are the greatest enemies of heritage conservation. True, we modernize to keep pace with the times but not at the expense of our heritage and culture. There will always be a compromise and I believe that the past and the future will always go hand in hand together.

Here are some archival photos of two churches in Cebu that fell victim to the modernizing efforts of those who were supposed to be entrusted to take care of them. Continue Reading »

Above: A gold earring, one of the artifacts found in the recent archaeological diggings in Boljoon, Cebu. This is the first time in the history of Philippine archaeology that a gold earring was found in a burial. Continue Reading »

A presentation by Mr. Jobers Bersales regarding the recent archaeological diggings at the Boljoon church plaza will be conducted at the Cathedral Museum of Cebu on June 6, 2008. This isn’t open to the public however and is only by invitation. Continue Reading »

The “Gabii sa Kabilin” or Night of Heritage held last May 30 was a success. Hundreds of people drove into the five participating museums that opened from 6 pm to 12 midnight. Several tartanillas were also stationed at each museum carrying people to/from the different participating museums. Continue Reading »