Cebu: Governor Gwendolyn Garcia urged the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) on Monday to collaborate with the Archdiocese of Cebu to restore four missing panels believed to belong to a historic church in southern Cebu, which have been missing since the late 1980s. In a press briefing, Garcia expressed her support for the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in Cebu, emphasizing the need for a clear agreement between the Archdiocese and the NMP to outline the terms for the panels' restoration and eventual return.

According to Philippines News Agency, Fr. Brian Brigoli, chair of the Archdiocesan Commission of the Cultural Heritage of the Church, stated that the NMP should acknowledge "absolute ownership of the Archdiocese of Cebu over the four panels" stolen from the Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santissima in Boljoon. In a letter dated July 25, 2024, Cebu's church officials reiterated their formal request for the NMP to return the panels.

Brigoli suggested that the restoration should occur in Boljoon, proposing the establishment of an on-site restoration laboratory. This approach would also facilitate the transfer of conservation knowledge to locals, training them to properly handle and preserve cultural artifacts. "In undergoing restoration of the four panels in Boljoon, there will be a transfer of knowledge to the locals who will be trained on how to handle properly the conservation (of artifacts)," the priest said.

Garcia highlighted the significance of the Boljoon church, which was designated a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute in 1999 and declared a National Cultural Treasure by the NMP in 2001. It is the only church in Cebu to hold such a distinction.

Discussions about the panels' return have been ongoing, with the NMP Board of Trustees convening on May 8 last year to deliberate on the matter. The four panels went missing sometime in the late 1980s, leading to various theories among locals, including suspicions of looting or selling without the permission of Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal. The whereabouts of the 19th-century panels remained unknown until February last year, when they were displayed at the museum, allegedly having been donated by private donors.