Skip to main content

Stakeholders meet for the PhP50M Santa Barbara Church Restoration


Organized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), a stakeholders meeting was held inside the century old kumbento of the Santa Barbara Parish Church in preparation for the a PhP50 million restoration works of the church and convent. The project is set to be finished by June 2015, in time for the national celebration of the Philippine Independence Day to be held in Santa Barbara and to be attended by President Aquino.
The meeting was attended by NHCP's Executive Director Ludovico Badoy and his team of architects and engineers who were responsible for the detailed engineering survey a few months back and who will oversee the restoration works within the next year and a half. 
Ret. Mon. Tuvilla, Mayor Superficial and Director Badoy
Local stakeholders in attendance were led by Santa Barbara Mayor Dennis Superficial and municipal officers on engineering, tourism, finance and other aspects. The church was represented by Ret. Rev. Monsignor Juanito Tuvilla and private stakeholders were also on attendance during the meeting.


The project will be in three phases and is set to be bidded out next month, awarded to a contractor by November and actual works could start as early as December. The budget will be coming NHCP which pledged PhP20million (Php18million as starting fund as PhP2m was used for the detailed engineering survey a few months back), PhP10M from Senator Frankling Drilon, PhP 10M from Cong. Gorriceta and PhP10M from Gov. Artheur Defensor.
First phase will included the facade restoration of both the church and convent plus the roof of the church. The second will be the reinforcement of the church walls and the interiors. The final phase will be restoration of the convents interiors as well as aesthetics inside out of the church complex. 
Future plans include transformation of the convent into a premium bed and breakfast or a museum; the provision of a ceiling for the church which includes a "remake"  of the painting of the four evangelists on the ceiling of the former dome.

More details on this newsclip and check our Facebook page for more photos.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Santa Barbara Centennial Museum

The Santa Barbara Centennial Museum was built in 1998 as part of the Centennial Freedom Trail Site Project of the Philippine Centennial Commission. The museum houses antiques, artifacts and photos that tell the story of Santa Barbara’s historical heritage. The museum has two wings: the left wing is the historical wing while the right wing has been designated as the changing museum. In the historical wing is Gen. Martin Teofilo Delgado’s Exhibit. The items on exhibit here are: Gen. Martin Teofilo Delgado’s Exhibit – the greatest revolutionary hero of the Visayas, and the first Filipino Governor of Iloilo under the American regime. 1. GMTD’s bed 2. GMTD’s backbone – spared by the Delgado clan for display to the museum with document of permission 3. Documents written in Spanish attesting of him as the first Filipino Governor of Iloilo 4. Photos of him with his family 5. Frames explaining the Cry of Santa Barbara and his biography 6. Revolutionary insignia o...

Our Lady of the Smile in Jibao-an, Santa Barbara

In time for the Lenten Season, a new attraction has emerged in Santa Barbara particularly in Brgy. Jibao-an near its boundary with the town of Pavia.  Called as the Our Lady of the Smile, the statue sits on top of a man made mound called the Hill of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Located in a former ricefield, the "hill" is about 2-3 storeys high with snaking paths going all the way up. The winding path is dotted with the Stations of the Cross for simple pilgrimage along the way making devotees and tourists as well experience Via Crucis all year round. At first it may seem so near but as you follow the path, you feel like treading the path Jesus took along the road to Calvary. But it only takes around 15-20 minutes to complete the whole trek, even under the scorching heat of the sun. A brisk walk or a few jogs would make it even faster. The hill is photogenic from almost all angles but the best spot is marked with a selfie or posing deck which captures th...

The Catmon tree

The living symbol of Santa Barbara is the only Catmon Tree growing in the entire town. Before the town was renamed after the saint, it used to be called catmon , as this variety of trees were landmarks in the route up Central Panay. Katmon (Family: Dilleniaceae , Synonyms: Dilenia speciosa , other names: Bihis, kulammbug, palali ) has thick foliage and distinctly big white flowers that eventually becomes round fruits. The fruit is sour but refreshing - my tastebuds likened the taste to kamias with hints of green apple and like the pomelo it becomes sweet at some certain points.  The only surviving in the whole town which was previously named after it is right next to the police station - safely guarding it like a treasure. After all it is the only living symbol of  the town of Santa Barbara. Read more.