The Intramuros Administration has a lot of explaining to do after it was discovered that it had stockpiled of 5,552 artworks, artifacts and antiques since 2011.
The Commission on Audit chided the IA, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism, for keeping 74 percent of the total 7,554 collections at store rooms, instead of exhibiting them for public viewing.
An audit report said only 1,997 of the collections had been displayed for the public to see.
“Various museum antiques, artifacts and collections were not displayed/exhibited and just kept idle in the storage rooms of the agency since June 30, 2011 in view of the absence of exhibit areas/places; thereby, defeating the purpose of collection and preserving artifacts in order to promote deeper appreciation of Philippine culture,” the findings read.
Some 2,440 artworks were kept in storage at the Casa Manila Museum on Real Street, Intramuros.
At least 3,112 pieces of artwork, meanwhile, were kept at the Intramuros Administration's offices based at the Palacio del Gobernador building.
“The collections were not displayed or exhibited… thereby defeating the purpose of collecting and preserving artifacts in order to promote deeper appreciation of Philippine Culture,” the Commission said.
It called for an urgent intervention by restoration experts to save 5,557 works of art, antiques, archeological finds and other historical pieces dating back to the Spanish colonial period at the turn of the 16th century.
Despite the plan to transfer the 5,557 artworks, artifacts and antiques to the Museo de Intramuros upon its completion for public exhibit, CoA expressed alarm that the historical items could rot due to the absence of sufficient storage rooms and restoration materials.
“Although these items were maintained and stored in different locations, they are still subject to further deterioration because of non-conducive storage, fluctuating temperature, humidity, dirt, insects and the like,” CoA said.
“Verification and inquiry also revealed that conservation measures being performed were limited only to the examination of the condition of an artifact, maintenance, storage, and fumigation of documentary materials.”
According to CoA, there were only six staff with two of them holding regular appointment at the Cultural Properties Conservation Division of the Intramuros Administration.
Its two most important positions—a curator and a historic sites development officer—remained vacant.
The Cultural Properties Conservation Division is responsible to undertake restoration and maintenance, documentation and archeological excavation, and curatorial and conservation works on the Intramuros Administration's collections.
“Conservation measures being performed were limited only to the examination of the condition of an artifact, maintenance, storage, and fumigation of documentary materials. Management was not able to conduct full conservation and curatorial activities for the museum collections, antiques and artifacts,” CoA's report read.
In addition, CoA said the Intramuros Administration had increased its operating expenses from P108.562 million in 2016 to P114.152 million in 2017.
The audit report also showed the administration was not able to implement for the P410-million planned resettlement of informal settler families along the historical site of Intramuros.
CoA said the unused budget must be given back to the Bureau of Treasury.
The Intramuros Administration should evaluate the informal settlers for creditworthiness in loan application, approve and submit the list of beneficiaries for housing projects under the Social Housing Finance Corp., and determine the suitability of the relocation area and the qualification of housing developers to join the bidding.
“Said functions require technical expertise and experience on finance and related field of lending and housing development which IA does not have,” CoA said.
Also, the CoA assailed the Intramuros Administration's delay to its P18-million branding campaign project entitled "Promise and Possibilities in Intramuros."
“The IA’s branding campaign project entitled 'Promise and Possibilities in Intramuros' with total budget of P18 million sourced from the fund transfer of Department of Tourism in CY 2016 remained unimplemented, with only P450,112.19 or 2.5 percent of the budget utilized as at year-end, due to the late preparation of the revised project components, design and concept of materials to be produced, and required documents for procurement process,” its audit report read.