Following its recent declaration as an “important cultural property” (ICP), Senator Jinggoy Estrada has filed a bill seeking to have the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, also known as Baclaran Church, and its surroundings declared a heritage site and tourist destination.
In filing Senate Bill 2278, the lawmaker, who is a known Baclaran devotee, pointed out that Wednesdays are acknowledged as ‘Baclaran Day’ by many Filipino Catholic families, and visited by as much as 150,000 devotees from all walks of life, every week.
He said Baclaran Church has become deeply embedded in the spiritual life of Filipinos and is an important part of the rich tradition of Catholic Filipinos, especially those residing in Metro Manila and nearby areas.
“The Redemptorist Church, also known as the National Shrine, is undeniably one of the most popular churches in the Philippines and is considered one of the largest Marian churches in the country, attracting a multitude of devotees as well as tourists,” Estrada said.
St. John Paul II attended mass at the Baclaran Church on Feb. 17, 1981 when he was still the leader of the Catholic Church. He also briefly visited the shrine in February 1973 when he was still Kraków Archbishop Karol Józef Cardinal Wojtyla on his way to Australia.
As a declared heritage site and tourist destination, the Department of Tourism (DOT), in coordination with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the local government of Parañaque, and other relevant agencies, will develop a tourism development plan for the site.
The plan will include the construction, installation, and maintenance of suitable facilities and infrastructure to enhance the overall features of the surroundings of Baclaran Church, while also ensuring accessibility and the security of tourists.
This declaration aims to institutionalize a policy that will preserve its historical and sociocultural importance, ensuring the accessibility, convenience, and security of its numerous visitors through the construction, installation, and maintenance of appropriate facilities and infrastructure in the area,” Estrada said in his explanatory note.
The funding for the implementation of the tourism development plan will be included in the budget of the local government of Parañaque. Additionally, the DOT will provide technical assistance in tourism capacity building and include Baclaran Church in its national and regional promotion programs.
Since Baclaran Church has been declared as an ICP by the National Museum of the Philippines last June 23, the 65-year-old shrine designed in modern Romanesque architecture by Cesar Concio and Jesse Bontoc, may receive government subsidies for its preservation and conservation. (PNA)