Graft-prone DPWH destroying Bohol heritage
By Augusto Villalon
Pride of Place
Editor's Note: Published on page C1 of the February 7, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

ANOTHER old Baclayon house in danger of the DPWH’s wrecking crew

HERITAGE vigilantes from Baclayon (Bohol) send a red-flag SOS that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is bent on demolishing a row of heritage houses to widen the highway that cuts through the town center and passes perilously close to historic Baclayon Church.

This is another episode in the long history of DPWH's disregard of Bohol heritage. They simply refuse to learn their lesson.

In the late 1980s, DPWH built Loboc Bridge, a massive concrete hulk crossing the pristine Loboc River. It would bring progress to sleepy Loboc town, they said.

DPWH got to build a span crossing three-quarters of the river's width and had to make an abrupt stop in midair
because there was no room for the bridge to go down on the opposite bank without colliding into historic Loboc Church.

Public outcry mobilized the Diocese of Tagbilaran, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the
National Historical Institute (NHI) and the National Museum (NM).

At the inquiry conducted by NCCA, DPWH's lame answers revealed a blissful lack of coordination. Demolition was out of the question because of threatened damage to Loboc Church from vibrations, so the incomplete bridge is there to stay providing no progress at all to the town.

Today, the Loboc River cruise is one of Bohol's most popular attractions where guides point out the bridge as a
glaring DPWH blunder.

Last year, DPWH did it again. They insisted on constructing a highway over a series of exceptional, wellpreserved stone bridges along the provincial road originally built during the Spanish colonial period. They consulted the community before finalizing the highway design, but ignored all suggestions to save the bridges.

Regardless of the fact that few heritage bridges of the quality found in Bohol remain in the country, DPWH emphatically stated once again that the community stand to protect the bridges stood in the way of progress. Progress? I cannot imagine anyone in this country to be anti-progress.

The question to ask is, What good is progress at the cost of eliminating Filipino cultural identity? NCCA and NM intervened, but DPWH refused highway rerouting to save the bridges. A poor compromise was crafted to construct mini-flyovers over the stone bridges, which saved them from destruction but removed them from public view by effectively burying them in concrete.

The Baclayon threat shows that DPWH will not give up. Now it insists on running a coastal highway through the
center of the town that wipes out a row of heritage houses before it skirts the foot of historic Baclayon Church. Imagine vehicle vibrations loosening up the fragile stones of the structure. DPWH accuses heritage vigilantes in
Baclayon of being "anti-progress."

In its rush to bury Bohol in concrete, DPWH will eventually obliterate environment and heritage in Bohol, one of
the few provinces in the country that has carefully built upon its environment and culture to become a top tourism destination.

DPWH will wipe out heritage towns to give Bohol good roads, so in the end where will the roads lead to? What is the progress there?

Vigilante response

The response to last week's call for Filipinos to be more watchful of our patrimony has elicited reports from heritage vigilantes all over the country who are actively participating in the preservation of our culture. Among the letters received, one stands out. A young graduate, who has just completed a Spanish government study grant, writes of her stay in Spain: "I wanted people from all over the world to know my country and [to]
discover it. I wanted them to know where I come from because my country is my identity."

She continues: "...this trip is long over, yet what it taught [me] still remains. I continue to yearn for [the] opportunity to help in preserving Philippine culture. I also want people ... not to make the same mistake I made. I don't want them to travel abroad and leave the country without Filipino pride. I want them to know the importance of being proud and happy to be a Filipino."

No to resto

The most violent reaction came from heritage vigilantes opposing the construction of a restaurant on top of Tayabas' Malagonlong Bridge, built out of stone during the Spanish colonial era.

The respondents' consensus was to build a restaurant a respectable distance that provided a view of the heritage bridge, but all concurred that absolutely no construction of any sort on top of the bridge should be allowed. They wanted the bridge protected from structural damage, deterioration, and the threat of fire from cooking equipment.

Many readers remember that the case filed by the Heritage Conservation Society against Intramuros administrator Dominador Ferrer Jr. for a similar offense, construction of restaurant buildings on top of the Intramuros walls, has reached the Supreme Court.

Taal Church

The Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours in Taal (Batangas) is one of the most majestic churches in the country. Designated as a National Shrine, any alterations to the structure must be approved by the NHI.

Last year, an adoration chapel was constructed in one of the church courtyards despite NHI suggestions that the construction threatened the fragile structure of Taal Church. The NHI recommendation that the chapel be installed in one of the empty rooms in the cavernous Taal convento was ignored. Construction proceeded.

The NHI board thereby asked the church administration to demolish all construction but the latter disregarded the order. This is clearly in violation of the NHI mandate that gives it jurisdiction over Taal Church.

Reports from Taal say that the parish priest requires parishioners who attend Mass in the church to sign a petition against the demolition of the chapel.

The controversy with the Taal parish priest is typical in the Philippines, where the church attitude is that theyare not covered by civil laws that protect heritage. Many priests are blind to the fact that churches are an important part of Philippine patrimony.

Therefore priests are custodians of these churches on behalf of the Filipino people, who have every right to demand protection of their church heritage. It is actually an honor for a priest to be a custodian of heritage.

Lessons from vigilantes

These responses show that there is now an increasing interest to learn what is truly Philippine heritage, and that many are committed to assuring that our heritage will survive in one piece so that we will still have something to hand down to future generations.

Another lesson is that protective legislation is no assurance for preserving heritage. Many government agencies,

church authorities, and private individuals cavalierly choose to disregard the laws and ram their own agendas through.

As an example of disregarding heritage laws, remember the controversy over the Lapulapu statue erected in Rizal Park. The erection ignored the NHI ruling that only monuments to Rizal could be constructed in the park that bears his name. How has that issue been resolved?

My own lesson is that the responsibility of our generation is to protect heritage to the point of being able to deliver whatever remains of it to our children, and it is now up to them to take preservation to the next level. And with the interest of the youth in heritage these days, it might be in better hands in the future than it is now.

We still need heritage vigilantes to blow the whistle. Or else we won't have any heritage left for our children, so keep your eyes open.

Remember that the best contact is the Monuments and Sites Committee of the National Commission for Culture
and the Arts info@ncca.gov.ph, fax 5272191. They will either act on your concern or forward your concern to the right party.