The Hann Foundation Inc.(HFI) is supporting the renovation of the earthquake-damaged Holy Rosary Parish (HRP) in Angeles City (Photo by Tonette T. Orejas)
CLARK FREEPORT — The Hann Foundation Inc. (HFI) gave P5 million to the Holy Rosary Parish (HRP) in Angeles City to complete the restoration works in the historical church that had been damaged by a 6.1-magnitude earthquake on April 22, 2019.
The HFI, which consolidates the charity endeavors of Widus, Hann Casino, Clark Marriot, and Swissotel in Clark, committed the funding support by signing an agreement with HRP last week.
Ana Christi Galura, Hann Resorts assistant vice president for human resources, and Hilana Timbol-Roman, HRP parish pastoral council head, signed the agreement.
The grant will be used to renovate the Chapel of Devotion, baptistry, confessional, and the Narthex Gallery of Saints, according to Isiah Jerico Carreon, the architect in charge of the HRP project.
READ: Quake-ravaged church needs P100M to rebuild
Built from 1877 to 1896, the Holy Rosary Parish—also called Pisamban Maragul (Big Church)—was marked as the site of the first anniversary of the 1898 declaration of Philippine independence from Spain and for being an Important Cultural Property.
Among the 24 churches locked down by Archbishop Florentino Lavarias to assess safety, the Archdiocesan Committee on Church Heritage (ACCH) prioritized the Metropolitan Cathedral and seven Spanish-colonial-era churches, including the HRP.
Scheduled for restoration in February 2019, the April earthquake weakened the HRP further, according to parish priest Fr. Noli Fernandez.
READ: Magnitude 6.1 earthquake shakes parts of Luzon
“It is now structurally safe,” said Carreon, citing the expertise rendered by the Escuella Taller since 2020.
The inner and outer walls up to the twin towers were stripped of concrete and replaced with a lime mixture to allow the Porac stones to breathe. Around 30 lapida (tombstones) were found on a wall behind the main altar.
Cracks as big as fists were filled with Porac stones while the fake columns in the interiors were reinforced. The major works needed P150 million, Roman said, without citing the current cost pooled from local fundraising projects, including selling alcohol during the pandemic.
Church restoration projects undertaken after the 2019 earthquake in Pampanga did not receive state funding despite a 2008 agreement between the Holy See and the Philippine government on the cultural heritage of the Catholic Church and Republic Act No. 10066 (National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009).
Galura, explaining the help to the HRP, said, “It’s about the communities we serve. It’s about heritage in the city we live in.”
The restored church will be dedicated on Dec. 7, the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception. INQ
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