Ordinarily a quiet town, Loboc in the island province of Bohol was stirred from its slumber one odd day 20-some years ago when a construction crew from the DPWH in Manila arrived to construct a modern steel and concrete bridge over the Loboc River.
Construction went smoothly for several months until the day it dawned on the townspeople that the bridge was headed straight for the town’s centuries–old church. Was it possible that the DPWH intended to tear down their beautiful parish church? What a preposterous thought!
Did not the architects survey the area when laying their plans? Or did they presume they could simply demolish the church — it was "luma na" (old) after all.
Built in 1602 by the Jesuits, St. Peter’s Church in Loboc, was turned over to the Augustinians in the 18th Century, and ultimately handed over to the local diocese.
St. Peter’s Church houses the Loboc museum and is home to the now famed "Loboc Children’s Choir."
And so it was that the people in this quiet little town raised a howl of protest. With the help of NGOs and local government officials, the protest soon reached Malacañang and the church, with its beautiful altars and hand painted ceilings, was spared from the wrecker’s ball.
Today, the uncompleted bridge stands not so much as a monument to a blunder as it does to the townsfolk’s determination to preserve treasures of their cultural heritage. The structure, stopped just across the road from the church, has in a way become a tourist attraction, an object of curiosity, that probably is photographed as much as Bohol’s chocolate hills.
How many towns today are like Lomboc? Every time a new highway, bridge, or political monument is built, how much of our cultural heritage has been sacrificed?
Have central planners reviewed their projects, thoroughly exploring alternatives, particularly less destructive ones? More importantly, have they actually surveyed the sites and consulted with townspeople whose lives would be affected?
The people of Loboc set a brave example at a time when we were less than a democracy, so it should be that today we carry on that legacy: Peaceful, determined protests to any less than well thought out projects that needlessly sacrifice the treasures of a rich heritage. (Alex Timbol)
