The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church (ECCHC) 12th Biennial National Convention of Church Heritage Workers was held online via Zoom from May 16 to 18, 2022 after its postponement from the previous year due to the strict COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Hosted by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila (RCAM), the assembly was titled, “Church Heritage: Beyond the Q’s (Quarantine and Quincentenary).” The RCAM provided an overview of the archdiocesan church heritage conservation programs with presentations from RCAM Archivist Fr. Albert Cecilio A. Flores, Quiapo Church Engineer Bernard Q. Lasala, and RCAM Conservator Ms. Ma. Lourdes Po. The conference covered four subthemes that were competently tackled by clergy and lay speakers. On Church Heritage Recovery Programs, the speakers and their topics were Fr. Augusto Jesus B. Angeles III, who gave a presentation titled “Restoration of Vinzons Church”; Fr. Jonathan Calleja, who delivered a lecture titled “Restoration Effort on Churches of Albay after Typhoon Rolly”; and Fr. Mark Vincent D. Salang, who shared a discussion titled “Response to Churches of Southern Leyte after Typhoon Odette.” On Church Organizing and Programming, the speakers and their projects were Mr. Marlou O. Castillo, who presented the “San Jose Archives Project”; Fr. Paul Nicklaus C. Woo, who talked about the “Heritage Programs of Caloocan Diocese”; and Fr. Jonas A. Awayan, who discussed the “Conservation Management Plan of Jasaan Church.”
For Church Heritage Research and Documentation, the speakers were Dr. Cheek Fadriquela, who gave a presentation on the “Pronto Socorro Extensive Research”; and Br. Mervin G. Lomague, O.P., who shared a discussion on the “Dominican Church Heritage Charter.” Lastly, for Church Heritage Contestation, the speakers were Ms. Marianne Claire V. Vitug, who presented the “San Sebastian Basilica Contestation”; and Mr. Francis Ong who talked about the “Return of the Santo Nino de Malitbog.” The CBCP-ECCHC is chaired by His Eminence Bishop Julito B. Cortes, D.D., with Fr. Milan Ted D. Torralba as the Secretary-General. USTGS-CCCPET has served as the Secretariat since 1999 with Assoc. Prof. Eric B. Zerrudo, Ph.D. as National Coordinator, and Ms. Beverly M. Bautista as Technical Assistant.
