THE National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) has declared the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, or the Baclaran Church in Parañaque City, as an Important Cultural Property (ICP), or one of the country’s most valuable cultural treasures.
“The NMP is delighted to bestow honor on the church edifice that has become part of our culture as it evolved and developed through the years,” said NMP archeologist Dr. Mary Jane Louise Bolunia during the unveiling of the marker on late Tuesday.
“I hope the marker will serve as a reminder for us to cherish this gift of faith that we have embraced and the place where the faith has taken its root,” Bolunia also said.
An Important Cultural Property is “a cultural property that possesses exceptional cultural, artistic and/or historical significance.”
It comes next to the highest designation of National Cultural Treasure, which refers to “a unique cultural property found locally, possessing outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and/or scientific value, which is highly significant and important to the country and nation.”
ICPs are entitled to government funding for their protection, conservation, and restoration.
They are also given priority protection in times of armed conflict and natural disasters.
Baclaran Church Rector Fr. Rico John Bilangel said the designation of Baclaran Church as an ICP is not only a recognition of its importance as a physical heritage but also as a spiritual one.
“I can say that it is also declaring the Filipino people as a patrimony of faith,” said Bilangel as quoted by the official news agency of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
