400-year-old church to be declared NCT

MINALIN, Pampanga — The almost 400-year-old Sta. Monica Church here, built during the Spanish era and one of the oldest Catholic churches in Luzon, is set to be declared as a National Cultural Treasure (NCT) by the National Museum.

Mayor Arturo Naguit is now busy preparing for the historic event. “The National Museum deemed the Sta. Monica Parish as an NCT for three reasons.

Its façade features a unique giant retablo influenced by Christian, Buddhist, Hinduist and animistic cultures.

Secondly, it is the only Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines having four capillaposas that remain intact to these days,” Naguit said. - MNM