2004, August
September 8, 2009
A plan to replace the age-old wooden trusses of St. William’s Cathedral in Laoag was opposed by conservationists. The plan, promoted by Msgr. Jacinto Jose with the support of Bishop Ernesto Salgado, called for the replacement of the wooden trusses, (which were declared to be in a perilous state of decay) with steel beams. Conservationists countered that the compatibility of steel with stone and mortar had not yet been tested. The complex woodwork, an engineering feat in its day, was nevertheless taken down without the benefit of scientific documentation.
