NHCP unveils marker for centuries-old church in Samar

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar, Nov. 26  – The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) unveiled on Sunday the marker for the 233-year-old Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral here.

Gracing the event were NHCP Chairman Rene Escalante, Calbayog Bishop Isabelo Abarquez, Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino, and Samar first district Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento.

The church will now be included in the list of the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property with the installation of the marker.

With the marker, the government has now the power and right to help or provide funds in the preservation and protection of the church, according to Escalante.

“We see this structure now not as the house of God but a national treasure, that becomes part of the history. The National Historical Commission is here to help if there are problems encounters in this structure,” Escalante said.

He cited as example the assistance given by the national government to the churches in Bohol and Cebu provinces damaged by a strong earthquake in 2013.

The government set aside more than PHP1 billion for the rehabilitation of 10 historical churches that were damaged by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Bohol and Cebu provinces on Oct. 15, 2013.

Escalante also said since the structure is now included at the Philippine Registry of Cultural Properties, the Department of Tourism (DOT) will now include it in the list of historical structures that they have to promote.

Bishop Abarquez, in his message, described the installation of the marker as a significant day for the Diocese of Calbayog.

“This is our contribution to the city’s 70th charter anniversary that could help in promoting tourism and to the development of the city. This is to remind the people that the city’s improvement is a blessing of God,” he said.

The church official noted that the Calbayog Cathedral is called as the mother of all dioceses in Eastern Visayas, being the first Cathedral to be established in the Samar and Leyte areas.

Prior to becoming a diocese, Calbayog was first a "visita" of Capul Island in the 1700s. In 1785, Calbayog was raised to parish status, almost two decades after the Jesuits left. In 1788, it had its first Franciscan pastor, Fray Benito del Carmen.

It was on April 10, 1910 by a decree of Saint Pope Pius X, when Calbayog was declared as Diocese after Samar and Leyte were separated from Cebu. (RTA/PNA)