via MyCebu, 08 May 2024: The National Museum of the Philippines has approved the return of four historic pulpit panels to the Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santisima in Boljoon, Cebu. Removed in the late 1980s and held by the museum, the panels are part of efforts to support Boljoon Church as a National Cultural Treasure and potential UNESCO World Heritage site.
The pulpit panels removed from the heritage church of Boljoon in southern Cebu in the late 1980s that ended up as a donation to the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) will be returned.
Members of the NMP Board of Trustees (BOT) met today, May 8, and discussed the four pulpit panels removed from the Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santisima. They “approved a set of recommendations with the objective of returning the panels” to Boljoon.
The NMP issued this statement after the meeting:
“The Board of Trustees of the National Museum of the Philippines, in its regular meeting held today in Manila, approved a set of recommendations with the objective of returning the Panels to the pulpit of Boljoon Church subject to certain terms which are envisaged to form part of a comprehensive agreement between NMP and the Archdiocese of Cebu in support of the Boljoon Church Complex as a National Cultural Treasure and candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Inscription. The Board also instructed the Director-General to initiate discussions with the Archdiocese of Cebu immediately on the matter.”
Source: National Museum board approves return of pulpit panels to Boljoon – MyCebu.ph: Re/Discover Cebu
