Archdiocese of Cebu tells Sibonga parish church to take down LED board

LOOK: A LED board placed in front of the Our Lady of the Pillar Parish in Sibonga, southern Cebu has caught the attention not only of netizens but also historians and officials of the Archdiocese of Cebu. The Cebu Archdiocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church has asked the church’s parish priest to take down the electronic signage to preserve its heritage. | Photo courtesy of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Roman Catholic church here has instructed the parish priests of a centuries-old church to take down a light emitting diode (LED) board mounted on its front door.

The Archdiocese of Cebu has expressed concerns about putting a LED board at the entrance of the Our Lady of the Pillar Parish church in Sibonga town, southern Cebu.

As a result, its Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church asked its parish priests to remove the LED installation to preserve its historic and heritage value.

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“We are disheartened that these LED lights to the church structure, though perhaps well-intentioned, are incompatible with its heritage and historic character,” the Commission wrote in a statement released on Sunday, May 26.

Based on photos shared by the Archdiocese, a red-colored LED signage bearing the name ‘Our Lady of Pillar Parish’ has been placed in the middle of its meters-tall, wooden doors.

According to the Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, the installation of the LED board also did not undergo consultation and approval from their body.

“(The Commission) is mandated by the Archdiocese of Cebu to superintend in the care and protection of its church patrimony, especially regarding historic and heritage churches, rectories and other properties and their adjunct structures and their holdings therein,” they said.

Since the church is a National Historical Landmark, any additions or alterations that impact its historical value must also secure clearance from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the Commission added.

Meanwhile, they also reminded all parish churches, especially those identified by the government as heritage structures, to respect their historic and heritage character with utmost care.

“(They must ensure) that these are not disrespected nor defaced by ill-advised alterations and additions,” they added.

The Commission further said they are willing to offer their expertise to parish priests planning to do renovation or redesign in their respective churches.

“This much we owe it to them who served God in the most trying of circumstances in order to spread the Gospel in this part of the world,” they said.

The Our Lady of the Pillar, or also referred as the Nuesta Señor del Pilar Church, is just one of the many heritage churches scattered throughout Cebu, where Christianity in the Philippines first flourished.

It was constructed in 1690 as a vista for priests based in neighboring Carcar City then in 1830, it became a parish church named the Our Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza. In 2010, the NHCP declared it as a National Historical Landmark.

Sibonga is a 3rd class municipality located approximately 51 kilometers southeast of Cebu City. /clorenciana