The Parish church of Malate, otherwise known as Remedios Church, which is dedicated to the Nuestra Señora de Remedios, says it is opposed to the planned reclamation of Manila Bay because of the environmental threats the project poses.
The reclamation will also go against the declaration by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) of Manila Bay as a National Historical Landmark, says parish priest Fr. Leo Distor, a Columban priest.
“We continue educating our parishioners about (the environmental effects) of reclamation,” says Fr. Distor.
He says the Columbans, who administer the parish, have the Care for the Earth ministry.
Fr. Distor adds that the parish works with the Save Our Sunset (SOS) movement and Sen. Cynthia Villar to stop the reclamation.
It was Manila City Hall under then Mayor Alfredo Lim that passed an ordinance allowing the reclamation of the bay area, which is says to benefit a casino developer.
Earlier, Pasay City Hall had also passed an ordinance allowing further reclamation of the already reclaimed area in its jurisdiction, apparently also to benefit a casino developer.
Both reclamation projects surprisingly were given clearance by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Recently a big conglomerate has also proposed reclamation to build a new international airport.
Malate Church, environmentalists, and heritage advocates are wary of the environmental impact the project. They say the reclamation would affect the sight line of the historic bay.
In 2012, NHCP declared the Manila Bay waterfront, from Del Pan Bridge to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, a National Historical Landmark,
Restoration
Meanwhile, heritage advocates and experts recently gathered to help the Columban fathers decide on how best to proceed with the restoration of the façade of Malate Church in Manila.
The façade project is part of the five-year program initiated by the Columbans in 2011 to restore the entire church after a study in 2009 determined its state of deterioration.
The study was commissioned by the Catholic religious order itself; it identified five areas needing attention. These are surface material losses, which include pulverization and disintegration, surface scaling, biological and woody growths, water seepage, and detached adobe components or falling debris.
Initial conservation work on the church walls was done in 2011 by a team from Escuela Taller Intramuros under the guidance of architect Mico Manalo. The skills-development school, funded by the Philippine and Spanish governments, officially took over the project the following year.
The church’s north wall as well as the walls of the apse and transept have been restored and plastered with lime-based palitada while restoration on the south wall is going on.
Great responsibility
“When it comes to the façade, we have to do it right, to do it properly,” says Fr. John Leydon, head of the Malate Church restoration project.
“We knew that it involved a lot of interdisciplinary discussions from architecture to engineering to historical, archaeological, to chemical, then policy and guidelines on restoration,” he adds.
Speaking at the roundtable discussion for the conservation of the façade at the church’s Remedios Jubilee Mission Center, Fr. Leydon says it is the Malate community’s responsibility to take care of the church.
“The spirit of the Filipino is somehow captured and encapsulated in the historical monuments and, therefore, we all here in Malate feel a great responsibility to treat historical monuments that we administer with utmost reverence and respect,” he says.
He adds that other churches might also benefit from the conservation work on Malate.
“It is good to think that it might be of use to other people who have the responsibility for historical churches, and they may benefit and learn something from the process that we have here,” he says.
Numerous problems
Results from the study of the façade in 2012 identified a number of problems such as cracks, defective joints, disaggregation of the stones, soiling and biological growth.
The wear and tear the church had suffered was traced to the materials used to build it, plus the environment where it is located—beside a busy street and facing the sea.
Escuela Taller, according to one of its architects, Jeffrey Cobilla, is seeking the help of experts on how to approach the conservation and restoration of the façade. He says the team is coming up with a medium-term goal for the church.
Initial conservation work was done on the façade.
“We started cleaning as a trial on the lower left side of the façade to test if simple cleaning by water and brush would be successful,” Cobilla says.
Conservation procedures being suggested include masonry consolidation, further research on the mortar used, and grouting, a process of stabilizing the sandy subsoil where the church sits.
Consultation with the parishioners on the approach will be done. The final process will then be determined.
A publication that will serve as a guide for other churches seeking to conserve their structures has also been suggested.
Referring to the 2012 report of David Mason, head of the Escuela Taller documentation team for the Malate Church façade, Cobilla says a conservation plan is needed for the church.
“We have to draw a conservation plan that identifies key heritage features and values, establish a set of management policies that are responsible, achievable, and sustainable,” he says.
The conservation plan, says Mason, serves as a decision-making tool in which priorities, opportunities and constraints are clearly set out.
Augustinian legacy
The church of Malate began as an Augustinian friar building in 1588. In 1624, the statue of Our Lady of Remedies, its titular patroness, arrived from Spain.
Between 1645 and 1864, the church suffered damage or destruction by fire and earthquakes. It was rebuilt a number of times during this period.
In the next 35 years from 1864, the reconstruction and renovation of the church continued, including raising its façade and roof.
Secular priests took over at the end of Spanish colonization, but in 1912 they were replaced by the Redemptorists, who however shortly left the church for Baclaran in 1929.
The same year, the Missionary Society of Saint Columban made Malate Church their base in developing missions in the country.
During World War II, five Columban priests were killed by Japanese troops. The church was reduced to ruins. It was reconstructed after the war.
The church is a declared Historical Site with a 1937 marker installed by The Historical Research and Markers Committee, forerunner of the NHCP.