Stolen ivory image of Child Jesus returned for P167,000

THE IVORY image of the Child Jesus of the Virgen de la Correa after it was returned to a church in the Betis district in Guagua town, Pampanga province. Thieves removed the image’s body, leaving only its head, hands and feet. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Using leads provided by “santo” (images of saints) collectors in Metro Manila, an art restorer has recovered parts of a centuries-old ivory image of the Child Jesus that was stolen from a church in Pampanga province on Dec. 30 last year.

In a bid to retrieve the image, Tom Joven said he communicated with his contacts among santo collectors and heritage advocates to get information if the image was being sold or offered to them.

He followed the leads, which took him to Metro Manila until he established contact with the person holding the image.

A plastic bag, which later turned out to contain only the head, hands and feet of the image, was delivered to his house in Bacolor town, Pampanga province, on Jan. 6 after he paid P167,000.

Joven said the thieves removed the wooden body “to erase the identity of the image.” “I went out of my way to help because I know this is a priceless legacy of the Augustinians,” he said.

Joven, president of the Parish Pastoral Council of San Guillermo Parish in Bacolor, said he reported the recovery to Pampanga Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Virgilio David and Msgr. Eugene Reyes, curator of the archdiocesan museum.

To verify the authenticity of the image, Joven said he showed the parts to the former caretaker, Consuelo Pecson, and Myrna Bituin, an official of St. James the Apostle Heritage Foundation.

The image used to accompany the image of the Virgen de la Correa at St. James Parish in the old Betis district of Guagua town, southwest of this Pampanga capital.

The two images were among the entries in the 1790 inventory of the property of the church founded by the Augustinian Order in 1572, parish records showed.

The image of the Child Jesus was last seen between 3 and 4 p.m. on Dec. 30, the feast of St. James the Apostle, when the two images were placed on their “carro” (carriage) for a procession.

In a statement, David thanked Joven as he also denounced the theft and trafficking of church treasures.

David called on parishes to conduct an inventory of church property, install security measures and enjoin the laity to be more vigilant in protecting church heritage.

Joven offered to restore the image and turn it over to church authorities in time for the celebration of the feast of Sto. Niño on Jan. 19.

With the help of antique collectors and heritage workers in 2009, Joven also recovered an antique image of St. John the Apostle stolen from the cathedral of Tayabas City, Quezon province.