Carbon dating for returned pulpit panels postponed

Local

THE planned carbon dating of the four recently returned pulpit panels at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santisima has been postponed due to contamination from restoration materials, experts confirmed.

Gabriel Caballero, director and principal consultant of Calahe, explained that the application of varnish and beeswax during conservation work had affected the panels, making it difficult to obtain an uncontaminated wood sample for testing.

Dr. Jobers Bersales, a historian involved in the dating process, said a 10-milligram sample was initially set to be extracted to determine the panels’ exact age.

However, the presence of modern wax and varnish required a more careful approach.

“We have to extract wood that is not exposed to these materials,” Bersales said, adding that “modern carbon dating only needs a small sample, but contamination could affect the accuracy of results.”

The samples are planned to be sent to Beta Analytic Laboratory in Florida, a leading facility for radiocarbon dating, with each test estimated to cost $675.

However, before extraction proceeds, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) has advised seeking clearance from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to ensure proper handling of the panels.

The four panels, featuring carvings of St. Alypius, St. Thomas of Villanova, St. Augustine of Hippo, and St. Possidius, were missing for over four decades before resurfacing at the NMP in February 2024.

Their return to Boljoon on March 14 was met with celebration, but one of the original six pulpit panels remains unaccounted for.

Boljoon Mayor Jojie Derama has called on the community to safeguard the panels, emphasizing that 29 closed-circuit television cameras have been installed around the church and plaza for security.

The reinstallation of the panels is scheduled for March 19, followed by a pontifical mass and official turnover ceremony on March 21, to be presided over by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.

The pulpit panels of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santisima are believed to have been crafted during the Spanish colonial period, featuring intricate carvings of saints associated with the Augustinian Order.

The six-panel pulpit was an important liturgical structure within the Boljoon Church, a declared National Cultural Treasure.

Sometime in the late 1980s, four of the six panels went missing under unclear circumstances. Theories suggest they were either stolen or sold without authorization from the Archdiocese of Cebu.

For decades, their whereabouts remained unknown until they surfaced at the National Museum of the Philippines in February 2024, part of a collection donated by private collectors Edwin and Aileen Bautista.

Upon discovering their existence, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia pushed for the immediate return of the panels, arguing that they were part of Cebu’s cultural heritage.

With the assistance of the provincial government, the Archdiocese of Cebu negotiated with the NMP for their repatriation, culminating in their formal turnover on March 13, 2025.(MyTVCebu)