ILOILO CITY – The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to stop the construction of a façade at the premises of a heritage church in Anini-y, Antique.
Dr. Rene Escalante, chairman of the NHCP, has issued a cease-and-desist order to the DPWH Antique District Engineering Office to stop any activities at the premises of the Anini-y Church.
“This is desecrating the spacious and magnificent façade of the church,” Escalante told Engr. Joselito Antonio of DPWH-Antique in a Feb. 9, 2021 letter.
The concern reached NHCP after university professor and heritage advocate Marie Joy Rosal recently visited Anini-y Church with friends and saw a façade for a new structure being built across the church’s front yard.
“I was excited to show my friends Anini-y Church, the last Augustinian church to be built when the (Philippine) revolution erupted. Moreover, this coral stone church with its wide grassy front yard and the ancient acacia on the side made this site serenely beautiful. Nothing prepared me for this surprising construction!” Rosal said in a Facebook post.
“There was no tarp signage announcing what this was. A chat with a concerned parishioner revealed that this is not parish-initiated,” Rosal added.
In the letter, Escalante emphasized that Anini-y Church has an NHCP marker while its premises are considered as part of National Historical Sites.
“Any untoward alteration or modification that might affect the historical and structural integrity of this church must be coordinated first with the proper national cultural agencies,” Escalante added.
Escalante reminded Antonio there is a standing agreement between the DPWH and cultural agencies to coordinate even at the proposed level of development in any historical sites across the country.