Below is my speech that I prepared and will deliver during the launching ceremony in behalf of the photographers of the book, Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

The first time I gazed up the façade of Bantayan Church, I was speechless, wide-eyed and unusually ecstatic. This beautiful edifice exuded vernacular beauty tempered to its current form through centuries of trial and error, conspiracy of the elements, and, under the guidance of the Spanish priest, executed and built by the hands, hardy spirit and religious fervor of our ancestors. The result, an exuberant expression of faith and artistry, one of the most beautiful churches in the country. And it is found here in the province of Cebu.

This book, Balaanong Bahandi, Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu has been a wonderful journey especially for us photographers. When you see the images in the book, please bear in mind three things:

1)      First, we are true blue Cebuanos, born and nurtured under the same Cebu sun. The principal photographers, Lorens Gibb Lapinid, who covered the southeast hails from Carcar. Mark Andrew Jorolan, who covered the southwest is from Badian and yours truly, who covered the northeast and northwest including the islands of Camotes and Bantayan, is from Talisay City.

2)      Second, we are photographers. We know our craft, see the beauty in the simplest of things and rise to the challenge to solve problems just to come up with beautiful images.

3)      Third, and I think the most important, we are heritage advocates. We see these old structures as markers of our identity, our souls as Cebuanos and as Filipinos. Through our images, we want us to be proud of what we have and, if needed, to provoke to act at its desecration.

These photographs are indeed distillations of our being, our passion and our advocacy.

The past year of tracing the meandering roads and highways of Cebu, stopping at each town and church and coming face to face with priceless ecclesiastical treasures have been a humbling experience. Except for flight, we have rode on every public transport possible: fastcraft, wooden hulled boats and motorized bancas. Buses, jeepneys, taxis, tricycles, traysikads and habalhabals. We’ve fanned out in all directions braving rain, heat and the occasional temperamental parish priests.

Making these images wasn’t simple. We have to climb rickety stairs just to reach bells often covered in muck and dung. Time our visits for the best light possible: mornings for churches facing east, afternoons for those facing west and, with common sense, for those facing in all other directions. We have to wait for cars and people to clear the front of churches; negotiate with priests to remove banners, buntings and oversized tents; be cordial with the sacristan as we give directions to open their lights and turn off a few. When the weather’s not in the mood, we have to call out to the heavens or come back another day. After all photography is done, countless hours infront of the computer follows. But we’re not complaining.

We have been witnesses to the beauty of this province, marveled at her rugged countryside and admired her hardy and ever persevering people whose faith is clearly expressed in these religious structures. While there is promise in the heritage front, we have also come to realize the naked and bold truth: There is still much to do.

A few years from now, some of these churches or parts of it will be altered. Priceless icons will still fall prey into the hands of robbers. We will still continue to lose important artifacts due to neglect and apathy. To this, we photographers and people of the book implore you: Let’s be vigilant. Tell people about the importance of these treasures. Let’s go out and visit these places so that we can clearly say that we care about this rich heritage and preserve these for future generations.

As I continued to gaze up the façade of Bantayan Church and wrapped up with ecstasy, ga hulat na lang ko nga mangawas ang mga anghel sa kalangitan ug duyugan ang akong paglantaw. I also came to this realization: kaanindot diay sa atong balaanong bahandi.

Daghang Salamat.

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26 November 2009