CEBU, Philippines – The Diocese of Calbayog said in a statement on Monday, April 7, that Bishop Isabelo Abarquez consented to the development of the Pieta Park in Catbalogan City.
Residents called out the development for destroying the plaza and its La Pieta sculpture which was a memorial for the thousands of lives lost during the MV Doña Paz tragedy in 1987, the world’s worst peacetime shipping disaster.
On the night of December 20, 1987, the MV Doña Paz, a Philippine passenger ferry operated by Sulpicio Lines, collided with the oil tanker MT Vector off Mindoro island near Manila, leaving more than 4,300 dead.
The statement signed by Calbayog Diocesan Judicial Vicar Fr. Noel Labendia and with the consent of Bishop Abarquez said that the park had been left to deteriorate due to lack of resources on the part of the church and groups willing to sponsor its upkeep.
The lot area of the Pieta park is owned by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Calbayog, with whoever is the bishop of the diocese as administrator.
In the 1990s, Labendia said, the local government of Catbalogan, through then-mayor Jesus Redaja, entered into an agreement with the bishop of Calbayog to develop the park. Since then, nothing happened of this agreement.
There were also other organizations which expressed their interest to the diocese to develop the park, but all ended up empty.
“Everybody has been calling it a park, but in reality it has become a public urinal, a mini dumpsite, and a favorite hub for ordinary peddlers and toro-toro owners,” the judicial vicar said in the statement.
Labendia said this was why the bishop entered into an agreement with Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures, through franchise holder Gildo Arais, to develop the Pieta Park and maintain its sustainability. The statement said, it was time to develop the property to make it “befitting of a city.”
“Now, why the strong opposition to development? Nadiri kita nga upayon ito dida nga park?…Or bangin diri kamo ungod nga sayod that it has been a real eye sore to everyone,” Labendia said.
(Do we not want to fix the park?…Or maybe you don’t really know that it has been a real eye sore to everyone.)
Unintentional, unauthorized
Jhonil Bajado, historian and head of the Samar State University Museum and Archives, was among the first to call out the demolition of the park, especially the wreckage of the La Pieta sculpture found at the center of the park.
The La Pieta sculpture, according to Bajado, is a replica of Michelangelo’s famous masterpiece which is a sculpture of the Mother Mary carrying the deceased body of Jesus Christ.
“The said sculpture is said to be a replica of La Pieta bought from Italy and was unveiled on August 22, 1995. This has immortalized the memory of the victims in the Doña Paz tragedy,” the historian said in a social media post.
Many residents took to social media to express their dismay over the destruction of the park and its connection to Catbalogan’s history, especially as most victims of the Doña Paz tragedy were from the city.
On Thursday, April 3, the city government, through the Office of the Building Official, issued a Notice of Illegal Construction against civil works in the area, citing the absence of a building permit. Despite this, demolition activities still continued in the morning of Saturday, April 5, according to Catbalogan Mayor Dexter Uy.
Uy said in a statement that they had only learned about the destruction of the La Pieta sculpture later in the afternoon of April 5, and in response, deployed city personnel to stop the civil works at the park.
“The owner admitted knowledge of the lack of permits and acknowledged ordering the demolition, including cutting trees without the appropriate permits,” the mayor added.
Uy shared that the “owner” of the property claimed that the demolition of the park, including the statue, was done with the knowledge of the bishop and judicial vicar, and vowed to submit the necessary documents for permits the following day.
Labendia, in the diocese’s statement, clarified that he was informed that the wreckage was not intended and that the sculpture was already heavily deteriorated due to long exposure to the elements.
“We can tell the developer to replace it. And yes, it will be replaced with much much better material quality. Perhaps we can lobby for a real marble statue for it,” the judicial vicar said.
The mayor said they would coordinate with the City Culture and Arts Council and the Katbaloganon Foundation Incorporated, which spearheaded the original establishment of Pieta Park, to determine next course of action.
Shakey’s apology
In separate statements, Shakey’s Philippines and Arais apologized for the incident that happened at the park.
Shakey’s Philippines described the incident as an “unfortunate situation” involving one of their franchisees.
“We understand the distress this has caused the community and are fully committed to supporting our franchisee — who has expressed profound remorse — in rebuilding the site, implementing immediate corrective measures, and working to regain the community’s trust,” their statement read.
Arais, for his part, expressed deep regret over the distress caused by their actions towards the people of Catbalogan.
“Our intention was to carefully respectfully relocate the sculpture, however, an accident occurred during the process, inadvertently damaging the sculpture, an outcome we deeply regret. While the harm was unintentional, we acknowledge the mistake and take full responsibility for its consequences,” the franchise holder said. – Rappler.com