Entering the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, one never fails to appreciate the beauty and the massiveness of a musical instrument at the choir loft just right above the foyer near the main entrance. It stands majestically and blends graciously along with the baroque interiors of the cathedral. A liturgical music enthusiast will surely not escape his eyes on this instrument hoping to hear how it produces sound at the singing of the Gloria, the Sanctus, and the Pater Noster.

At first glance, one will think that this instrument was probably imported from Europe or built by foreign hands but believe it or not, this pipe organ is a proud product of Filipino craftmanship. It all started in 1995 when the Archdiocese of Cebu commissioned a 24-year old to build this massive instrument. This guy, together with a partner, started a pipe organ building company in 1994 after receiving a soft loan from the Diocese of Cologne, Germany with the aim of reviving the pipe organ building tradition in the country which was brought to unprecedented heights by an Augustinian-Recollect priest in the 19th century, Fr. Diego Cera Virgen del Carmen (1762-1832), the builder of the famous bamboo pipe organ in Las Piñas.

The pipe organ at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral would be the first big project of this young company. Named in honor of Fr. Diego Cera, the Diego Cera Organbuilders Inc. which is based in Las Piñas, Metro Manila has since built a number of pipe organs for various churches and institutions and has even exported some to Europe. It has also undertaken the restoration of various historical pipe organs in the country including the famous bamboo pipe organ in Las Piñas, the pipe organ in San Agustin Church in Intramuros, and the pipe organs in Loay, Loboc, and Baclayon in Bohol. Presently, they are restoring the pipe organs in Bacong, Negros Oriental and in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental.

At the helm of this company is Cealwyn Tagle, now 38, who received his training from Europe in pipe organ building. His partner, Edgar Montiano, died in 2002. Tagle used to be a member of the Las Piñas Boys Choir from 1981 to 1988. It was after high school when he was sent to Austria to take up organ-building as a technical course. He completed his studies from Helmut Allgauer Orgelbau in 1991 and continued in Germany at the shop of Johannes Klais Orgelbau in Bonn. In 1992, he helped with the work at the construction of the pipe organ at the EDSA Shrine. He went back to Austria in 1992 to do his masteral thesis and attended yearly workshops in Belgium for young organbuilders from 1991 to 1993. With the help of their friends in Austria and a soft loan from the Diocese of Cologne, Germany, Tagle and Montiano established the Diego Cera Organbuilders in March of 1994.

Being the first big project of the company, the pipe organ at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is a masterpiece to behold with. It is unique among others in the country in the sense that it is patterned after the German Baroque style of organ construction and is presently the only one in the country built in such a style. When one looks at it, it would seem like there are two pipe organs, a bigger one which is the main organ, and a smaller one hanging at the edge of the choir loft. The smaller organ hanging at the edge is called Rueckpositiv in Germany. “Rueck” means at the back while “positiv” means a small organ and since the organist sits at the middle of both instruments facing the bigger and main organ, the smaller organ is at his back. The Rueckpositiv can be played separately or together with the main organ in order to reinforce its sound and color.

It took six persons, including Cealwyn Tagle and Edgar Montiano, for the pipe organ at the cathedral to be built. It was first constructed for 10 months at the shop of Diego Cera Organbuilders in Las Piñas and then brought over to Cebu to be assembled for 6 weeks. The case is made of wood from Brazil which is similar to Yakal in properties. The internal parts are made of Tangile and Narra. The metal pipes which were imported from Germany are of 40% tin and 60% lead while the pipes at the façade has a 90% tin content. A motor blower which produces the air in order for the organ to produce sound was imported from Germany. The pipe organ also utilized some of the usable big pedal wood pipes of the previous pipe organ of the cathedral which was already damaged.

According to the Decree on Sacred Liturgy 120 of the Second Vatican Council, “the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem in the Latin Church, for it is the traditional musical instrument the sound which can add a wonderful splendor to the church’s ceremonies and powerfully lift up men’s minds to God and higher things.” Compared with an ordinary electronic organ, a pipe organ carries the human voice better since it is not empowering. The sound of an electronic organ is produced by electricity while that of a pipe organ is produced by air. A pipe organ also makes people feel that they are really in a church and not in any ordinary concert hall listening to loud live bands. Using it adds more dignity and respect to any eucharistic and liturgical celebration.

The challenge lies at the people manning the cathedral to regularly use the pipe organ more often than now. Recently, Cealwyn Tagle came over to Cebu to repair the pipe organ in preparation for the opening of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Cebu on April 28, 2009. If the pipe organ is not used for quite a time, dust may settle and stick to the delicate areas of the pipes which will make it sound out of tune. Using the pipe organ more often will prevent this since air coming out of the pipes will just blow away the dusts that can settle inside. As a mechanical instrument with hundreds of moving parts, such moving parts can get stuck if the organ is not played for quite a time.

Starting on April 28, one can expect heavenly voices together with the gentle sound of the pipe organ singing praises to the divine in thanksgiving for the anniversary of the archdiocese. Thanks to Filipino talent and ingenuity, the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is now more dignified than ever being the seat of the archbishop.