Bad weather slows templete work

CONTINUOUS rains in the past two days forced laborers to postpone welding work on the pyramid-like structure in the Calungsod templete at the South Road Properties (SRP) to avoid the risk of electric shock.

The rains have also slowed down earth compacting in the 700-square meter site of the Nov. 30 Thanksgiving Mass for the newly canonized Visayan martyr Pedro Calungsod.

But Fr. Brian Brigoli of the committee on venue said he was confident, with San Pedro Calungsod’s intercession, that work will be finished on schdule in the first week of November.

“Because of the bad weather, we just spuspended welding work because it’s dangerous for the workers but other work continues,” said Fr. Brigoli, who was one of those who designed the templete, where iron bars forming a spire will serve as a backdrop of the templete where the altar table for the Mass will be placed.

Brigoli, vice chairman of the commission on cultural heritage of the Cebu Archdiocese, was at the Plaza Sugbu of the Cebu City hall yesterday to bless newly acquired government heavy equipment.

The templete is at least 70 percent complete, with only furnishing and ground work done, said Brigoli.

The wooden mass table chair for the officiating priest is being made off site and will be assembled in the templete or small temple.

Brigoli said he worried that the rain would make it difficult to compact the wet soil. The open area is being leveled with the a road grader while they await delivery of more aggregate materials for backfilling.

The orginal 1,200 square meter site was reduced to about 700 square meters due to funding restraints.

“But we will just have to pray for the intercession of San Pedro Calungsod kay anyway this celebration is for him,” said Brigoli.

The Cebu Archdiocese last month appealed for donations of filling materials so the site could be a level area where almost half a million people are expected to gather for the thanksgiving Mass.

Brigoli yesterday said filling materials are no longer a problem because deliveries were coming in. On Wednesday, a representative from a construction firm called him up to ask if they were still receiving donations of filling materials.

SRP was chosen the site of the historic thanksgiving event over other locations like the Mandaue Reclamation Area last June after SM tycoon Hans Sy last June assured that SM would take care of developing the site.

Brigoli said all requests of the committee on venue were accomodated by the finance committee under Msgr. Roberto Alesna and Mariquita Yeung even if the P60 milllion target collection for celebrations in Rome and Cebu for the canonization fell short by a few million.