REP. JOEL CHUA
Third District of Manila (Northern Manila Districts
of Binondo, Quiapo, San Nicolas, and Santa Cruz)
Lawyer and Urban Poor Advocate
Vice-Chair, Committee on Metro Manila Dev’t
Member, Committee on Housing and Urban Dev’t
For interviews, contact 09177292437
BREAKING NEWS: SAVE THE CRUMBLING, CORRODING SAN SEBASTIAN CHURCH IN MANILA
SAN SEBASTIAN CHURCH CAN BE SAVED THROUGH REHAB LED BY PRIVATE SECTOR, WITH FOREIGN ASSISTANCE, AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORT AND FACILITATIO
Manila (Third District) Rep. Joel R. Chua, in a privilege speech, has asked national government agencies to support and facilitate private sector-led rehabilitation of the San Sebastian Minor Basilica in the capital city, “but with foreign assistance and some national government supporting and supportive roles.”
“I understand, realize, and accept that this undertaking I am appealing for needs massive funding, multi-year effort, much detailed engineering, and highly-specialized technical expertise,” Congressman Chua said.
“Ang Basilika Menor ng San Sebastian ay yaman ng sambayanang Pilipino kaya’t kailangan natin itong isalba mula sa tiyak na pagkawasak. With urgency, I now ask for the concerned agencies of the national government to band together to rehabilitate the San Sebastian Church,” Rep. Chua has said.
The agencies Chua identified to team up for the San Sebastian Church are the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, the Department of Tourism to work with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the National Museum, the Commission on Higher Education, the Department of Science and Technology, and the NEDA Public-Private Partnership Center on the rehabilitation of the San Sebastian Church.
Rep. Chua asked these government agencies to “collaborate and coordinate with the San Sebastian Church, the San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation, the San Sebastian College Alumni Association, the Order of Augustinian Recollects, and the Archdiocese of Manila.”
The congressman raised the possibility of foreign assistance from the international aid agencies of the European Union, the Government of Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, the Vatican, and other countries in Europe which have the technical expertise on rehabilitation of centuries-old churches and art, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
“Let the rehabilitation of San Sebastian Church be private sector-led, supported by foreign assistance, but with the concerned government agencies behind them or with the provision of technical expertise, technical assistance, and grant funding,” Chua said.
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“This way, the rehabilitation program will not be a massive drain on public funds and will not divert any funds for high-priority purposes, especially those for the poor and the middle class,” the lawmaker said.
Chua acknowledged his appeal for the San Sebastian Church “does come at a time of great economic hardships the Filipino people are recovering from. For a country saddled with roughly one-third of its population in poverty and another one-third of the middle class, who could easily slip into poverty as they face intense difficulty making ends meet.”
“But there is that upper one-third of the people who are among the wealthy and upper middle class—among whom there are sectors who can spare resources for the rehabilitation of San Sebastian Church. Public support can come from them and resonate among them. Some more public support could also grow from among the Manila community within the immediate area around San Sebastian Church,” Chua noted.
“This appeal for San Sebastian Church involves near-term, medium-term, and long-term timelines and components. The near-term component involves much fewer funds than those which will take much longer to implement; therefore, the immediate impact on national government funds would not be massive.
2016 STUDY IDENTIFIED VULNERABLE SPOTS OF CHURCH
Congressman Chua cited a 2016 advanced structural engineering study by Portuguese Engineer Rui Tiago Pinto dos Santos Beleza de Seabra funded by the European Commission.
The De Seabra study stated the different tests conducted on the church to check for the effect of gravitational and seismic loading. These tests included using ground penetrating radar to match soil conditions, steel beams below the floor, and drainage lines. Temperature and humidity checks were also done because these factors affect corrosion. Inclinometers were used to check for any movement to the entire church structure.
De Seabra's study discovered vulnerable spots in the structure of the San Sebastian Church after modeling analyses on gravitational, and seismic load factors were done. These vulnerable spots where failure or collapse could happen are:
1. at the beam connection with the lateral posts;
2. at the middle span of the rafters, with excessive tensile stresses;
3. at the central arch also presented extreme compressive and tensile stresses.
4. at the tie beam;
5. at the connection between the truss and the columns, where the “mechanism formation” would start at the base and the beam connections; and
6. at the lower beam of the roof, a decrease on the stresses, due to the span reduction, where a global failure mechanism was obtained.
The De Seabra study recommends the following:
1. a detailed inspection of all structural elements including damage detection and evaluation;
2. It also said the choir floor should be also studied, and their structural elements should be characterized;
3. The thickness of the vaults should be determined, since its thickness might affect the lateral stiffness of the structure, and depending on the thickness, its inclusion on the numerical model should be evaluated;
4. The study also said an inspection to the dome should also be carried out, aiming at verifying their geometry properties; and
5. Finally, a global model of the church should be prepared and calibrated, aiming to evaluate the global seismic performance of the church and identifying the most vulnerable elements.
Chua also cited the San Sebastian Conservation and Development Foundation which noted some of the serious incidents in recent years:
• 2008 - a large piece of metal fell from a high point underneath the dome and damaged the priest presider's chair. This accident occurred during the middle of a mass.
• 2009 - Early reports of metal elements detaching from the main structure were written. Some of these elements are found on the ceiling (rib vaulting) and also the columns (flat bars and fluting)
• 2014 - A crocket from one of the pinnacles of the structure prompted the installation of safety nets in the pinnacles.
• 2016 - A crocket fell from one of the pinnacles of the structure and injured a mass-goer.
• 2018 - Water cascaded from one of the basilica walls in the middle of a wedding ceremony. (END)
BACKGROUND: A HISTORICAL LANDMARK, CULTURAL TREASURE
The San Sebastian Church is actually not a mere church but a minor basilica built according to the Gothic architecture style. By virtue of Presidential Decree 260 on August 1, 1973, then President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared the San Sebastian Minor Basilica a National Historical Landmark.
The all-metal San Sebastian Basilica was inaugurated in 1891. All metal parts were shipped from Belgium. The minor basilica was declared a National Cultural Treasure through Republic Act 10066 in 2010. In 1998 and 2010, San Sebastian Basilica was included in the World Monuments Fund's list of most endangered monuments in the world.
For Manila residents and transients in these areas, San Sebastian Church is a daily part of life. Their hearts ache when they see the cracks and corrosion on their beloved minor basilica's pillars, beams, and trusses. The deterioration of the San Sebastian Minor Basilica continues to this day. The church is still standing because of the high quality of its original design and the strength of materials, but a church as tough as the San Sebastian Minor Basilica is no longer as strong as it was centuries since the 19th Century. We hope the private and public sectors, catalyzed by the 19th Congress, can find the ways, means, and resolve to save the San Sebastian Minor Basilica and preserve it for future Filipinos.
San Sebastian Church is almost always a part of the Visita Iglesia tradition during Holy Week which Filipino Catholics observe faithfully every year. Visitors and churchgoers are in awe of the church structure and the artworks on its walls and ceilings.
Most of the churchgoers who walk to the San Sebastian Church come from the immediate neighborhood street blocks whose defining road is by Recto Avenue starting from the intersection with Mendiola to the intersection with Morayta Street. The churchgoers come from either side of that section of Recto Avenue. Walking and trike or pedicab-riding churchgoers can come from as far as the vicinity of National Teachers College along Concepcion Aguila Street, Cancer Street, and F. Hidalgo Street. Sometimes, some students and faculty of the nearby Centro Escolar University and Technological Institute of the Philippines walk all the way or ride trikes and pedicabs to San Sebastian Church.
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