The controversial stolen pulpit panels are set to be returned to Boljoon Church.
What happened to the controversial stolen pulpit panels from the Boljoon Church? It seems that they are finally returning to their original location!
According to a Philippine News Agency article in January, the panels are set to be returned in March, as announced by Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. (2025)
Garcia claims that the National Museum of the Philippines-Cebu (NMP-Cebu) had promised to return said panels to the Patrocinio de Maria Santisima in southern Cebu.
The development came days after Garcia threatened to sue the NMP and its director Jeremy Barns for keeping the panels despite the Cebu Capitol, the municipality of Boljoon, and the Archdiocese of Cebu repeatedly requesting their return.
According to a news article on CDN Digital, the delay was due to the restoration to its original state. The process started in October last year and was originally slated to finish in 12 months. (2024)
Additionally, the museum planned to improve the church itself, especially because of its status as a National Cultural Treasure.
However, Garcia called out the NMP for restoring the panels in Manila without consulting the experts and historians in Cebu.
The return was officially confirmed in a Sunstar Cebu article, showing Barns and Garcia at a meeting discussing the controversial relics. According to Barns, the NMP Board of Trustees has officially removed the panels from the museum’s collection. (2025)
The panels will be transported to the Cebu Archdiocesan Museum at the Cebu Cathedral on March 13th. They will be brought to Boljoon Church through a motorcade the following day.
There will be a public viewing at the church until March 18th. The panels will then be installed back on the church’s pulpits, where they will be covered with veils.
The official unveiling will be done during a pontifical mass to be led by Archbishop Jose Palma.
BACKGROUND
Last year, the NMP revealed that four pulpit panels from the Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santisima were to be included in the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Allegedly, these panels were donated to the museum by Union Bank President Edwin Bautista and his wife Eileen, deeming it a “Gift to the Nation”.
These pulpits depicted Saint Augustine of Hippo, who is known for his conversion from a life of excess full of parties and vices. His canonization led to his declaration as the patron saint of brewers.
The reveal received backlash as historians mentioned that these were possibly the missing panels that were stolen from the church in the 1980s. A town resolution confirmed the incident, pointing out that it could be the result of looting.
Reports have also mentioned that the panels could have possibly been sold on the black market.
The Archdiocese of Cebu requested that the panels be returned to the church as soon as possible, with Governor Garcia and Boljoon Mayor Jojie Derama in support.
BOLJOON CHURCH AS A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Boljoon Church is being considered as a World Heritage Site under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Notably, Boljoon Church was previously listed as a tentative extension to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Baroque Churches of the Philippines in 2006. It is one of the oldest Spanish-era churches in the country, first built in 1783 and retaining its mostly stone structure.
It also houses the canonically-crowned 425-year-old image of Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio de Maria. Authorized by Pope Francis in 2022, the coronation recognizes an image’s importance to the Catholic Church.
An article on Sugbo News mentioned that the provincial government will be creating a task force to make sure the church matches the requirements needed to achieve the declaration. (2025)
*****
The mystery of the stolen panels seems to have been officially resolved. This is a big victory not just for the Catholic Church, but also for the island’s tourism industry, as it maintains one of its most important heritage sites, the Boljoon Church.
This is a story highlighting the importance of religious relics not just in tourism, but for the preservation of historical documents as well. This will definitely help in ensuring the church’s position to be considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
REFERENCES:
Saavedra, John Rey. 2025. “Historic Boljoon church panels set for Cebu return in March.” Philippine News Agency.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1242039
Erram, Morexette Marie. 2024. “National Museum assures return of Boljoon panels.” CDN Digital.
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/592232/national-museum-assures-return-of-boljoon-panels
Padronia, Earl Kim. 2025. “National Museum to return Boljoon panels.” Sunstar Cebu.
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/national-museum-to-return-boljoon-panels
JMT. 2025. “BOLJOON CHURCH NOMINATED FOR UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE; GOV TO CREATE TASKFORCE.” Sugbo News.
https://www.cebu.gov.ph/sugbonews/story.php?id=932
