Council mulls declaring Mass site as landmark
A proposal to declare the South Road Properties (SRP) site where the thanksgiving Mass will be held after the canonization of Pedro Calungsod as a historical site was met with questions early last week.
“Is the city (government) willing to have it declared? This is our property,” said Vice Mayor Augustus Joy Young.
The resolution was proposed by Councilor Edgar Labella in last Wednesday’s City Council session.
Labella recommended that the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) declare the SRP venue for the national thanksgiving Mass as a historical site.
None of the councilors objected but Pe questioned the propriety of issuing the declaration ahead of the actual event. The council referred the resolution to the CHAC.
“What is the purpose of making the declaration when no history has happened yet? I object on the note that we are putting the carriage ahead of the horse,” Pe said.
Councilor Margot Osmeña, a CHAC member, said while the commission was authorized to issue a declaration, the city government should determine the size of the area covered.
“How many square feet do we need or will it just be the area where the monument is located?” she asked, adding they should study the implications of the declaration.
Young said once an area is declared a historical site, a monument will be set there.
He said he was concerned about how this would affect the use of SRP lots.
A committee created by the Cebu Archdiocese is spearheading preparations for the Mass in the SRP which will be closed to vehicles with no passes on Nov. 30, a Friday.
A parking area near the venue for the Mass can accommodate 10,000 vehicles.
Public buses, however, will be allowed to enter the SRP to transport people from Cebu City to the venue.
The Archdiocese plans to build a templete or little temple in the area where the Mass will be celebrated, and hopes it will be preserved as a landmark.
The templete will feature a triangular cover at the center, and a palm design rising with a cross on top.
A media briefing on the Mass and other related canonization activities will be held this Tuesday, Aug. 14.
The templete is built on 1,200 square meters of reclaimed land where church officials expect 800,000 to 1 million to gather for the celebration.
Fr. Brian Brigoli said the templete’s centerpiece will serve as the sanctuary where the altar table will be placed.
Beside it would be space that can accommodate 300 bishops.
At the back of the sanctuary is another area where sacred vessels and other materials used in the liturgy will be placed.
Brigoli said a pyramid-like structure will be built at the center of the sanctuary to symbolize Calungsod’s “transcendence of faith.”
At the top would be the cross.
“The cross is the crowning glory of why Blessed Pedro offered his life for Christ,” he said.With Ryan Nunez Wenceslao, Palompon Institute of Technology intern
