By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

GUAM activists and advocates of historic site preservation are protesting the construction of a museum at the Cathedral-Basilica site in Hagatna, but a Church official defended the project, saying that proper procedures were followed before the excavation work commenced.
“We do have a proper building permit from the Department of Public Works, and the construction project was supported by a legal opinion from the Attorney General’s Office,” Monsignor James Benavente, rector of the cathedral, said.
The contractor, Inland Builders, is undertaking the basilica’s two-story museum project on a property which, according to the Historic Preservation Office and Nasion Chamoru, was an ancient burial site.
The project is expected to be completed by August.
Benavente said HPO director Lynda Aguon tried to shut the project down. “Only DPW can shut down the project, but DPW found no reason to shut it down,” Benavente said. 
A phone call to Aguon had not been returned as of press time.
Benavente lashed back at the HPO officials and Nasion Chamoru for “trying to muster the emotions of the people by saying that the Church is proceeding with this project unjustly. That is not true,” he added.
Debbie Quinata, maga’ haga of Nasion Chamoru, said the project site was believed to be an ancient burial ground.
“How did the Church manage to bypass the requirement for an archeological study? How did they get an exemption? They are proceeding with a permit from DPW, but the normal procedures are not followed,” Quinata said.
Rosanna Barcinas, program coordinator for the Guam Preservation Trust, said parks officials were “shocked by the Church’s behavior by blatantly ignoring an enforcing agency.”
Barcinas said the Preservation Trust, a nonprofit group mandated with the restoration of historic structures on island, asked the basilica to provide information on whatever modifications may be done at the site.
“The Preservation Trust invested in the restoration of the cathedral in 1998 and part of that investment was a Covenant Agreement, in which the Church promised to maintain the structure of the cathedral, and to keep us informed of any upgrades, additions and revisions,” Barcinas said.
The Cathedral-Basilica is on the list of the National Registry of Historic Sites.
Joe Quinata, chief program coordinator for the Trust, said the Church didn’t respond to GPT’s request, and went ahead with the project instead.
“We just needed to know if they were making any changes to the structure—just for our records. That’s part of the 1998 agreement.  I don’t know why we didn’t get a response from the Church. Maybe they are not making any alterations,” Quinata said.
Being the keeper of a historic site, Barcinas said, the Church has a moral responsibility to let the people of Guam know about its plans for the location.
“Monsignor Benavente himself was the one who initiated the effort to have the cathedral placed on the registry,” she added.
Benavente, for his part, said the Church “would not in any way circumvent the law. We want to protect ourselves, that’s why we requested the AGO’s opinion. We are proceeding with the project unless the AGO reverses its opinion.”
Benavente said neither DPW nor the AGO could stop the project based on archeological speculations.
“They cannot deny the Church a building permit based on speculation that we might find something in there,” he said.
“I find it ironic too that HPO is accusing the Church of not respecting historical artifacts, when we are building a museum for the purpose of preserving artifacts,” Benavente said, adding that the Church would be the last to desecrate a burial site.
“I am a priest. I have regard for human remains. I am a Chamorro and I have high regard for the rights of the Chamorros and our ancient remains,” he said.
Benavente also denied allegations that the Church has banned parks and historic preservation officials from the project site.
“Under the law, in order to come into a private property, one must obtain permission from property owners, for safety precautions. But they never asked for permission to come to our site,” Benavente said.