After much blood, sweat and tears, so to speak, our book, Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu will be launched formally today, 26 November 09, 1830H at the Cathedral Museum of Cebu. It is by invitation only.

During my revisit at the Oslob church, I was surprised that the unfinished cuartel was already cleaned up and light fixtures were already placed for spectacular lighting at night.

But what about these pink marble slabs used to patch up some gaps?

Nineteen months after the fire in Oslob Church, the second in its history, I visited the church again during a south Cebu trip and from what I have found, there is still so much to do.

Dan Rivers of CNN was on his way to Cagayan province chasing a typhoon and along the way, as they passed San Pablo, the Isabela/Tuguegarao (Cagayan) border town, they saw this once magnificent church ruins.

This is a wonderful short feature.

The first Dominicans to arrive in the Philippines in 1581 but it was only in 1587 that the first batch of religious arrived and established the Province of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines. The Order has evangelized in Pangasinan, Bataan, Cagayan Valley and the island groups of Babuyan and Batanes. To their credit, they have built many of the beautiful churches in the Philippines.

The town of Bogo is located near the northern end of Cebu Island and is a major economic hub in this part of the province. While the original church built by the Seculars is no longer standing at the main plaza (the present one was built after the war at an elevated area), there is one surprising find at the cemetery.

The Jesuits were members of the Compaña de Jesus or Society of Jesus and was founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1534. They arrived in the Philippines in 1581 and are known champions of education and the counter reformation.

The Seculars in the Philippines have been in the country since 1565 but never formed a sizeable community compared with the regular clergy. Distrusted by the Spanish friars and in government during that time, their entwined histories with the Recollects and the Jesuits led to the Revolution against Spain in 1898.

To their credit, they have built beautiful churches across the country that still stands today.

Their legacy can be found scattered around the islands from Luzon to Mindanao and in remote regions and localities in the Philippines.

The first Augustinian Recollects arrived in Cebu in 1606 and later on sailed to Manila where they established their convent in Bagumbayan. From that time to the close of the 19th century, they have evangelized and established many of the frontier areas and their histories, are very much intertwined with the Jesuits, the Seculars and the political upheavals of the 19th century played a big role in the emerging nationalism in the Philippines culminating in the Philippine Revolution of 1898.

This book is on churches and other religious edifices built in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial regime, 1565-1898. The forms, materials and construction techniques of these edifices will be discussed, along with their furnishings such as religious statuary, paintings and vessels.

Rene Javellana, SJ’s Fortres of Empire book is perhaps the best reference, so far, to introduce the reader to the fortifications in the country. These are oft forgotten aspect of Philippine heritage and the dark history that it represents. It is not too large and is full of beautful colored pictures of structures, details as well as places. Archival imagesas well as artist’s rendering and isometric drawings of some forts and watchtowers are included.

Thanx to Jobers Bersales, some Cebu archival images (scans) from the Ahlborn Collection was made available to me. Part of the collection are black and white images of Oslob Church, the mortuary chapel and the kumbento.

From the collection of archival photos of the San Agustin Museum courtesy of Fr. Pedro Galende, three old photos of the beautiful Cabatuan cemetery are featured here. Above, is the capilla or chapel sans the vegetation that now blocked the view from the entrance. This chapel has the most stylized skull and crossbone bas relief in the country.