By Christina Hermoso
Diocese of Boac Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit led the recent signing and unveiling of the marker of the National Museum of the Philippines that officially declared the historic Boac Cathedral in Marinduque as an Important Cultural Property (ICP).
Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit of Boac (center) (CBCP / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
The event coincided with the centennial celebration of the establishment of Marinduque as a province which will be celebrated from Feb. 16 to 23.
An Important Cultural Property of the Philippines is a cultural property which has been singled out from among the innumerable cultural properties as possessing "exceptional cultural, artistic, and /or historical significance" to the Philippines. It is the second level of protection after the classification of National Cultural Treasures.
The list of cultural properties are declared by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the National Museum of the Philippines
Maralit said, the declaration of the Boac Cathedral as an ICP “is an immense blessing to Marinduque as the cathedral has always been a center piece of faith in the province.”
“It is a testimony to the resilience of the faith of the people after the series of unfortunate events in the province including earthquakes, strong typhoons, and war. The Americans even used the cathedral as a barracks…but it survived, through the grace of God, it survived all those years,” Maralit said over Church-run Radio Veritas.
“The richness of the faith of the people of Marinduque also continues to deepen and grow over the years with generations of the faithful serving as witnesses to the steadfastness of the Boac Cathedral,” he added.
“Now that it is an Important Cultural Property, it shows that culturally, Marinduqueñod can be proud of how their faith stood the test of time. It was a culture brought in by the Spaniards, taken in by the Marinduqueños, and enriched by the Marinduqueños. It is a testimony of the richness and the treasures that is within the Catholic faith and the Catholic Church in Marinduque,” Maralit said.
The National Museum of the Philippines declared the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, more popularly known as the Boac Cathedral as an Important Cultural Property (ICP) on December 2018, in addition to the more than 40 structures and churches that had been declared as National Cultural Treasures (NCT) and ICP. The Boac Cathedral was constructed in 1792.