Restoration of church ruins splits Dingras folk /3

...continuation

Foundation

It was due to the church's utter state of disrepair that some

Dingreqos took the initiative to form an organization and revive

restoration works on the ruins.

In 1993, Dingreqos living abroad thought of a fund-raising

project that would benefit their hometown. That project

revolved around the preservation of the ruins which, they said,

were ''rotting year in, year out.''

Through a foundation called St. Joseph of Dingras, donations

started pouring in. Donors, who trace their roots in Dingras but

now reside in Hawaii, California and New York, contributed.

The foundation generated some P2.7 million. It was set up by

Albert Albano, a native who is also the vice president of F.

Jacinto Group Inc., a steel contractor based in Manila. Albano is

president of the foundation.

''We wanted to do something for the ruins because we have

seen these falling apart in years,'' Albano told the INQUIRER in

a telephone interview from Manila.

Instead of shouldering their professional fees, he said he asked

some of his architect-friends to inspect the site and estimate

restoration cost.

''That was four years ago. We could not immediately raise the

money needed for the restoration since the architects said we

needed at least $1 million,'' he said.

The foundation plans to restore the church and make it

functional to accommodate the growing number of churchgoers.

With just over P2 million, the foundation initially planned to put

up a roof over the ruins to protect these from the elements.

''Once the roof is there, it would be easier to work on the

interior,'' Albano said.

Restoring the abandoned church takes a lot of resources, he

admitted, and that is why they were counting on other people's

help to pursue the project.

''One prominent family had promised to pay the restoration of

the altar according to its old design,'' he said.

Asked to comment on his townmates' accusations that they

have ''destroyed'' a landmark, Albano said all building plans

were strictly in line with the principles of restoration.

He said he sought clearance from the NHI and former Bishop

Edmundo Abaya of the Diocese of Laoag, which has control

and administration over the ruins, before they proceeded with

the restoration works.

Albano said the steel columns were attached in such a way that

these did not touch any part of the building.

''They just put some cement to strengthen old walls. The old

structure is still there. We are not changing it, we are restoring

it,'' he said.

Some Dingreqos, short of condemning the restoration, wrote the

INQUIRER to express their sentiments against the alleged

desecration of the rurog.

Godfrey Dancel, belonging to the Dancel clan who traces its

roots in Dingras, wrote: ''It is indeed a pity that in the course of

their efforts to preserve this precious part of our heritage, a

group of my townmates may have made the wrong decision.''

According to the 1981 edition of the Venice charter or the

International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of

Monuments and Sites, which was adopted by the NHI as

guidelines in any conservation activity, restoration is ''the

technical means of intervention with the aim of maintaining

intact the above heritage and transmitting it to the future in all

its integrity.''

Accordingly, the NHI said: ''Restoration is not carried to return

the work of art to its primitive splendor. It must, on the other

hand, conserve the originality of the object as it appears after so

many years have passed since its completion. Only negative

factors which do not allow the correct interpretation of the

object must be removed.''

Foundation president Albano expressed surprise about his

townmates' accusations, saying they did not bother to talk with

his group.

''We will continue with the project. We have to protect the ruins.

If they can offer any alternative, we are willing to listen,'' he said.

Father Albano said restoring the ruins meant saving whatever

remained of the structure.

''Should we start moving only when nature has already toppled

the ruins to the ground?'' he asked. ''When the battle between

two values such as the tourism aspect and the peoples' need for

a church comes to the fore, the latter has to come first.''