Philippines hunt for 'blood ivory' statues blocked at Cebu shrine

Philippine authorities looking for religious statues made from "blood ivory" were prevented from entering a church where the banned items were allegedly kept, a government investigator claimed yesterday.

A joint team from the Justice Department's investigation bureau and the Environment Department were denied entry to the Shrine of the Black Nazarene in the central island of Cebu when they visited on Friday, a member said.

Security guards at the shrine, set up by a priest allegedly linked to the illegal smuggling of ivory, told investigators they would have to speak to the priest's lawyers first, said Eddie Llamedo, an Environment Department spokesman.

He conceded the team did not have a search warrant and would have to obtain the proper legal papers, possibly giving suspects time to conceal any ivory items.

Asked about the incident, Cebu archdiocese spokesman Monsignor Achilles Dakay said "the lawyers are taking care of that. We will be cooperating (with authorities) but we have church lawyers".

The shrine is maintained by Monsignor Cristobal Garcia, a priest named in a National Geographic article as giving advice on how to smuggle ivory and naming carvers who would turn it into statues.