From Taal to Laoag, heritage issues rages
By Augusto Villalon
Pride of Place
Editor's Note: Published on page C3 of the August 30, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

HERITAGE conservation has been a give-and-take affair so far. The Jai Alai building in Manila was one of the major losses. But it was a turning point. Its loss made many Filipinos aware of their endangered heritage.

Behind each heritage disaster in the country that gets front-page report is a success story that goes unreported. Public awareness of what is happening to our heritage is central to the campaign. So this is an update to inform the public of what is happening, positively or negatively, in the heritage sector.

Heritage schoolhouse restoration. The program provides funds for the Department of Education to restore a heritage schoolhouse per region. The restored buildings primarily add much-needed classrooms while allowing teachers and students to reconnect with the unique history of one of the oldest government agencies in nation-building.

DepEd commissioned the Heritage Conservation Society to provide the historical research, architectural, engineering and construction management for the restoration.

The Rizal Elementary School (built 1907) in Bacolod was completely restored and inaugurated last June. The Baguio Central School (1909) will be restored in November. The Pampanga High School in San Fernando (1908) and the Legarda Elementary School in Manila (designed by the renowned architect Andres Luna de San Pedro in 1922) are to be completely restored in 2005.

Student awareness is part of the program. HCS consultants trained history, architecture, and engineering students, as well as writers and photographers, to participate in the conservation. Participating schools are La Consolacion College in Bacolod, the University of the Philippines (Diliman) and Saint Louis University in Baguio, and the University of Santo Tomas for the Pampanga High School.

Illegal construction at the St. Martin of Tours Basilica, Taal, Batangas. The late parish priest of Taal, Batangas, ordered the construction of a perpetual adoration chapel in one of the light wells in the courtyard adjoining the Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours, a monument under the jurisdiction of the National Historical Institute. The construction continued despite his untimely death.

The NHI convened a panel of experts who concluded on Aug. 10 that the construction violated PD1505 and was illegal.

The builders obtained no written permission from NHI previous to the construction. The panel recommended that the new structure "should be demolished and all traces of it on the ground should be removed."

It further pointed out that "aside from conserving buildings of historical significance, it is also necessary to conserve spaces within and around the buildings as originally designed. Such spaces enhance the visual impact of the building and the quality of the environment."

However, CHARM, an NGO of Taalenos who see to the preservation of their town, has offered to construct a new adoration chapel that follows the recommendation of the NHI panel at a place to be agreed upon by the NHI and the parish.

Restoration of the Pangasinan capitol in Lingayen. The Pangasinan provincial government commissioned conservation architect Rene Luis Mata to restore its elegant Beaux Arts style Capitol building (1917). One wing has been completed, showing the painstakingly detailed restoration. Renovation of the rest of the building is in progress.

Plans are now being prepared to restore Maramba Boulevard to its original design. It was designed during the American era as a wide parkway to lead from the center of Lingayen to the seaside capitol.

Preparation of Dagupan heritage conservation plan. The Dagupan City Council voted for the preparation of the "Urban Heritage Conservation and Management Program for Dagupan City." When the plan is completed, Dagupan will be among the few cities in the country that will have an action plan that identifies its architectural heritage sites and defines procedures for their preservation.

Replacement of the roof at St. William the Hermit Church, Laoag City. The deterioration of the roof of the Saint William the Hermit Church (originally built in 1700, restored after earthquake damage in 1843) requires immediate action since the leaks are damaging the wooden trusses and it is felt to be a threat to public safety. Local architects and engineers recommend replacing the roof trusses with steel. That is the central issue.

On the conservation side, the original structural ensemble of walls and posts of adobe and lime that support the wooden trusses is a homogeneous structure, one where all the materials are in equilibrium and compatible with each other. That it has lasted since 1843 proves the old design's strength and stability.

Replacing the old wooden trusses with steel trusses, admittedly the most expedient solution, disturbs the 150-year-old structural equilibrium. The original wall thickness sufficiently supported the weight of the old wood trusses and roof. It may not be able to support the added weight of steel. The connection of steel to adobe walls also is a structural problem that may damage the original walls.

The introduction of steel to the homogeneous adobe-and-wood structure is as incompatible as performing a surgical operation to tie human bones together with ordinary construction wire cut by a pair of pliers. The human body's rejection of the wire would be as violent as the reaction of the old walls to the steel trusses. We may not see it immediately, but steel would ultimately damage the old structure.

A detailed inspection of the wooden trusses will determine their existing condition and classify what can be retained and/or replaced among them. It may be found that not too many wooden trusses may need replacement and that an available specie of wood can be sourced as replacement that is compatible with the original hardwood trusses. In that way the homogeneity of the structure can be preserved.

One cause of misunderstanding in the Laoag issue is the lack of consultation with a qualified conservation architect. There's a difference in focus between a regular architect and one trained in conservation, a difference comparable to that of an obstetrician and an ophthalmologist, both registered MD's but with different specializations.

Before installing steel trusses to the ultimate ruin of the church, a dialogue among all those involved with qualified conservationists and the Commission on Church Heritage of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines can hopefully set an approach that assures the safety of the parishioners, while properly conserving the church structure. This will also set an example to other parish priests that the conservation of church heritage is serious business.

E-mail your feedback to afvillalon@hotmail.com