‘PANANDANG PAMANA’. Shown from left to right are Diocese of Malolos Bishop Dennis C. Villarojo, Raquel D. Flores, officer-in-charge of the Cultural Properties Regulation Division of the National Museum of the Philippines, Bulakan Mayor Vergel Meneses and Bulacan Governor Daniel R. Fernando as they unveil the "Panandang Pamana" of the Church of Nuestra Senyora de la Asuncion in Bulakan town on Sunday, October 27, 2019. The ceremony was held two years after the public declaration of the said church complex as an Important Cultural Property. (Photo courtesy of PIA-Bulacan)
BULAKAN, Bulacan -- The National Museum of the Philippines officially inaugurated and unveiled the "Panandang Pamana" or Important Cultural Property marker at the Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Church in this town on Sunday.
The milestone occurred two years after the public declaration of the said church complex as an Important Cultural Property.
According to Raquel D. Flores, officer-in-charge of the Cultural Properties Regulation Division of the National Museum of the Philippines, this declaration means that the national museum can provide appropriate funding for ongoing preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of the church.
"It is part of the mandate of the National Museum of the Philippines in accordance with Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act," Flores said.
According to Joey Rodrigo, municipal tourism officer here, the church structure suffered major cracks during the earthquake last April 23.
"The bell, in front of it or its façade and the back of the retablo or the main altar, where the cracks were seen, are specifically arranged here," Rodrigo said.
The Bulacan municipal engineering office declared, however, that the conduct of religious activities inside the church are still safe.
Flores said the National Museum of the Philippines will now begin studying the church's structure to determine how much funding will be allocated for its extensive restoration and rehabilitation that will include retrofitting or laying of the foundation.
According to church officials, an initial PHP18 million will be spent on the initial rehabilitation of the Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion.
Meanwhile, based on Museum Declaration 15-2016 of the National Museum of the Philippines issued by its director Jeremy R. Barns, preservation of church stones and pillars has been the primary consideration for declaring an Important Cultural Property.
Completed in August 1578, the Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Church has a neo-Byzantine Romanesque type of architecture. It was rebuilt in 1889 after being destroyed by fire. (PNA)
