COA finds bad strokes in Botong mural restoration job

THE ten-panel masterpiece adorning Manila City Hall’s Bulwagang Gat Antonio Villegas, prior to its restoration in 2013. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

A HALF-CENTURY-OLD masterpiece of National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco depicting the history of the City of Manila has been “abandoned” in a restricted section of the National Museum for the last two years following a questionable P19.9 million art restoration contract, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).

“Filipino Struggles through History” the 10-panel mural painted in 1964 by the most famous artist from Angono, Rizal, used to be displayed at the Manila City Hall’s Bulwagang Gat Antonio Villegas.

In 2013, it was turned over by the city government to the National Museum for restoration after it showed signs of deterioration.

COA, however, claimed that the restoration work started on April 16, 2013, and appeared to have been stopped after several weeks.

In a 2015 report released only recently, COA said its auditors found the mural in a restricted area on the museum’s third floor, “abandoned by painting conservators hired by Laurel Design and Construction and left unattended by the assigned National Museum art conservators.”

COA questioned the P19.9 million restoration contract awarded to Laurel, saying the firm was a general construction contractor with no known expertise in art conservation. It also claimed that the contractor employed five of the National Museum’s own art restorers to do the work.

“However, the art conservators have put an end to the restoration activities effective April 30, 2014. This is evidenced by records of attendance found at the National Museum Gallery for calendar years 2013 and 2014,” COA reported.

“Due to the award of the contract of restoration to a seemingly inadequate art restorer and the suspension of the restoration works, the purpose of preserving the art work… was not achieved,” it added.

COA took the National Museum to task for “consent(ing) to the hiring of Laurel despite the latter’s apparent inadequacy to handle the work.”

The commission ordered the National Museum to coordinate with the City of Manila and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority―an arm of the tourism department which provided the restoration budget―“to investigate what caused the suspension of the restoration works that resulted in the abandonment of the mural inside the National Museum Gallery since April 30, 2014.”

COA also ordered museum officials to “initiate appropriate proceedings” against those involved in the mural restoration project “for possible double compensation and conflict of interest.”

It noted that in its formal reply dated April 21 this year, the National Museum management said that its own art conservators did not restore the painting while denying that the restoration work had been suspended.

Museum officials said that “the main phase of the work of art was completed in 2015.” All that remained was the mural’s “transfer to and installation in a permanent location to be approved by all concerned parties,” they added.

COA stood by its findings.