March 29, 2024

Music from real pipe organs will be heard again in the hallowed halls of the Baguio Cathedral as the pipe organs last used more than 30 years ago has been restored.

Last week, the Baguio Cathedral Pipe Organ Restoration Foundation, Inc., in partnership with Diego Cera Organ Builders, Inc., brought back the pipe organs to Baguio seven years after it was brought to the latter’s office in Las Piñas for restoration.

The 1,437 pipes weighing five tons will be assembled at the Cathedral for fine tuning before the public could listen to music from the pipe organs once again.

Through the initiative of the CICM missionaries, the Baguio Cathedral began using the pipe organ since the 1960s.

Its use was discontinued after the 1990 earthquake when the temblor caused substantial damage on the pipes albeit these were still functional. Wear and tear also affected the quality of sound emanating from the pipes. 

Because of its value in the history of the Baguio Cathedral, the Diocese of Baguio decided to have the pipes restored by no less than the Diego Cera Organ Builders Inc. of Las Piñas – the company recognized for its expertise in restoring pipe organs installed at churches built during the colonial period in the Philippines. 

In Northern Luzon, only the Baguio Cathedral has a pipe organ with parts from Europe.

The pipe organs are estimated to be functional for another 40 years, following restoration.

Recently, the cathedral has also been refurbished after it has been chosen as one of the 500 pilgrim churches in celebration of the quincentennial anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines.

The Baguio Cathedral is one of few structures in the city that survived the carpet bombing in 1945. – Rimaliza A. Opiña