The three chandeliers, each more than 50 years old, were returned to the National Shrine of St. Joseph after being kept in Badian town for over 20 years. | Photo by Kristin De Dios
CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — Three chandeliers (candelabras), each of which is deemed a vintage item for being aged more than 50 years old, have been returned to the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City, after being kept for over two decades at a church in Badian town.
Reverend Fr. Ian Fel Balankig, a member of the Team of Pastors, told reporters that after several negotiations, the chandeliers were finally brought back home on Friday, October 17.
The priest said the chandeliers had been kept in Badian due to the church’s renovation around 2004, following the devastating fire that struck Mandaue in 2002.
Balankig shared that the effort to bring back the vintage chandeliers was initiated after the reshuffling of priests last August by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu.
He explained that, during the renovation years ago, the chandeliers were taken down for safekeeping, and since the parish in Badian was also constructing its church at the time, they requested to temporarily keep the chandeliers.
Balankig said that, as part of the priests reshuffling last August 2025, a directive was issued for all parishes to conduct an inventory of their respective cultural properties.
“Before I came here, nakadungog nako ani nga chandeliers nga ang mga taga Mandauehanon nangita,” the priest said.
“Ang mga Mandauehanon, they are really hoping nga sa mga previous years nga mabalik ni ilahang chandeliers,” he added.
Balankig said the chandeliers hold deep meaning for Mandaue residents because they represent their faith, identity, and memory as Mandauehanons.
“So, we tried to facilitate their return,” the priest said.
He added that the parish in Badian was aware that the chandeliers originally belonged to Mandaue and understood that there would come a time when they would have to be returned.
Balankig revealed that during the safekeeping of the chandeliers, there was only a verbal agreement among the priests at that time, with no written documentation.
He likened the return of the chandeliers to the effort of retrieving the pulpit panels of Boljoon Church last March 2025.
“Mao sad ang atong gihimo kay dili man ‘ta pwede makakuha og mga butang sa simbahan outside of its original place kay part na sa identity sa mga parokyano,” he stressed.
Balankig said that, upon their arrival at the National Shrine of St. Joseph, many Mandauehanons expressed their desire to bring the chandeliers back.
“We tried to work on it. Good thing, nga atong gi facilitate ug hapsay ra pod ang pagbalik niini,” he said.
The chandeliers, believed to have been crafted in the 1970s, feature a Gothic-inspired design. Although they do not have a specific name, they are fondly referred to as the “Mandaue Chandeliers.”
Their return marks one of the first steps in the shrine’s preparation to become a basilica, said Balankig.
For a church to be elevated to a basilica, there are three requirements: history, devotion, and artistic or architectural beauty, he said.
He said National Shrine of St. Joseph already has the history and devotion. In fact, the image of San Jose here is considered the oldest publicly venerated image of Saint Joseph in the country.
He said the return of the chandeliers fulfills part of the third requirement — the artistic and architectural beauty of the church.
The vintage chandeliers, made of brass, metal, and glass, will undergo minor repairs before the ceremonial lighting today, October 21. Major restoration, including repainting and replacement of the glass parts, will follow.
Balankig said that the half-century-old chandeliers are not just decorations of the shrine but are a visible and tangible sign of the faith of the people of Mandaue.
| Written by Kristin de Dios /RAE
