Gov. Gwen Garcia was informed on Thursday, Jan. 16, that the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) will return the four stolen panels of Boljoon in March this year.
This comes only after the Governor’s announcement that charges will be filed against NMP Director-General Jeremy Barns for continuing to possess the panels despite repeated demands for their return by the Archdiocese of Cebu, the Cebu Provincial Government, and the Municipal Government of Boljoon.
The 19th century pulpit panels were stolen from the Patrocinio de Maria Parish in Boljoon in the 1980s, only to resurface in an exhibit by the NMP in February 2024.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia have maintained identical positions: the panels, rightly belonging to the Archdiocese of Cebu and the patrimony of all Cebuanos, could not be the subject of valid donation by Spouses Edwin and Eileen Bautista to NMP since these were not acquired legally.
The NMP never denied that the panels originated from Boljoon, but has been stubborn in its continued possession of the antique panels, even to the point of defying the will of Archbishop Palma that a memorandum of agreement be signed by the parties before any restoration works could be done on them. | Sugbo News