MOLO, Iloilo ─ The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) will turn over the newly restored convent of the Sta. Ana Parish to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro on 8 September 2024, at 11:00 a.m.
NHCP Chair Regalado Trota Jose, Jr. and Archdiocese of Jaro Most Rev. Jose Romeo O. Lazo, D.D. will sign the certificate of transfer and acceptance of the restored Molo Convent. Witnesses to the signing ceremony are NHCP Executive Director Carminda R. Arevalo and Sta. Ana Parish – Molo Team Ministry Priest Moderator Rev. Msgr. Jose Marie Amado S. Delgado, PC, VG.
The NHCP started its restoration and conservation project of the Molo Convent from its design phase from June to August 2022, followed by the conservation phase in January 2023.
The Santa Ana Parish Church in Iloilo, more commonly known as the Molo Church, is one of the iconic churches in the province as it features elements of Gothic architecture. Beside it is the old Ancestral House of Pablo Araneta y Soriano which is now the Convento de Molo. Pablo Araneta formed part of the Ilonggo elite that organized the Comite Conspirador in Molo that sought to mobilize revolutionary forces in the area to overthrow the Spanish in Panay.
The NHCP is the national government agency mandated to promote Philippine history through its museums, research, and publications, and to preserve historical heritage through conservation and the marking of historic sites and structures. (NHCP)
