Philippines: National Museum’s decision shakes legal battle over stolen Boljoon Panels

The case of the stolen wooden relief panels that used to hang in the pulpit of the Philippines Cebu Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santisima in a local town is now considered settled.

This step arrived after top executives of the Cebu Province and National Museum of the Philippines met on February 24 to discuss the terms of the return of the religious artifacts to the archdiocesan shrine in Boljoon town.

To recall, the four wooden relief panels have been missing for more than four decades, but on Valentine's Day last year, the artifacts surfaced in a ceremony organized by the National Museum of the Philippines. Billed as “A Gift to the Nation,” the program saw the turnover of the missing antique artifacts to the National Museum by private collectors Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Bautista.

After pictures of the ceremony were posted on the NMP Facebook page, many Cebuanos were quick to recognize that the antique panels, which bore the carved images of St. Augustine of Hippo, Thomas of Villanueva, Ambrose of Milan, and Gregory the Great, are the very same 19th-century panels missing since the late 80s. Shocked and disgusted, Cebuanos called for the return of the wooden panels.

Amid the flurry of concerned reactions, Cebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma wrote NMP Director General Jeremy Barns four days after the news broke out to assert Cebu Archdiocese’s ownership of the panels and requested their immediate return.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia also urged the NMP to return the panels, a stance backed by a resolution unanimously passed by the provincial legislative body.

Archbishop Palma and Governor Garcia called for a constructive dialogue with NMP officials as a way out of the standoff, but NMP stood firm, saying the ancient artifacts were legally obtained from spouses Edwin & Aileen Bautista.

To ease the growing controversy, NMP Director General Jeremy Barnes advanced the idea of a “dynamic ownership” where Cebuanos can have public access in terms of viewing the panels while the NMP retains legal ownership. 

However, Garcia was adamant in her stance. Referencing the general welfare clause of the Philippines Local Government Code, she demanded the immediate return of the Boljoon panels; otherwise, the province would sue Barnes, including private collectors Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Bautista. In her case, Palma granted a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) to the lady governor, enabling her to bring the necessary charges.

By the middle of January 2025, Capitol lawyers were getting ready to charge Barnes with breaking a lot of laws. These included the Anti-Fencing Law of 1979, Sections 3(e) and (f) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

In response, Mr. Barnes wrote to Garcia, promising to return the stolen panels either in two months or in March 2025.

The prospect of a courtroom drama that promised to anatomize how religious artifacts are stolen and sold in the black market by crime syndicates and shady art dealers was upended.

The return of the stolen panels was finalized last Monday during a meeting between Governor Garcia and Jeremy Barnes with Capitol and archdiocesan lawyers in attendance.

“I wanted to convey to Governor Gwen Garcia that we apologize. She may have been upset over some of the developments, but we want to give them back to the Archdiocese of Cebu," a contrite NMP Director General Barnes told Capitol reporters.

At the end of the meeting, lawyer Fr. Dan de Los Angeles announced that the NMP officials would bring back the religious artifacts to Cebu City on March 13, 2025. The Archdiocesan Museum will overnight host the panels and sign pertinent documents.

The following day (March 14), a motorcade will escort the sacred artifacts back to the Archdiocesan shrine of the Patrocinio de Maria Santisima in Boljoon for public viewing until March 18.

"We will secure and cover the panels for two days before restoring them in the pulpit. The long-lost panels will be formally unveiled on March 21, 2025," said Angeles.

Palma will have a pontifical mass to celebrate the return of the wooden panels to Boljoon. It will be a doubly significant event for the archbishop, who will mark his 75th birthday on March 19.

Under canon law, the mandatory retirement age for bishops is 75.