The Las Piñas Bamboo Organ, in the Parish Church of St. Joseph in Las Piñas City, Philippines, is a 19th church organ made almost entirely from bamboo: only the trumpet stops are made from metal (From: Wikipedia).
Fr. Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen, a priest of the Augustinian Recollects, is credited as the builder of both the church and the organ. A native of Spain, he served as parish priest in Las Piñas and history books portray him as a gifted man-natural scientist, chemist, architect, community leader, organist and organ builder.
Del Carmen previously built organs in Manila area with some organ stops made of bamboo, probably for both practical and aesthetic reasons since bamboo is abundant in the Philippines and is a durable building material, used to construct manifold items ranging from walls, flooring to kitchen implements, among many others,
The present organ, the church and the surrounding buildings have been restored to their 19th century state by architect Francisco Mañosa. The church is popular among foreign and local visitors and is a favourite venue for Christmas mass and classical music concerts.
Mabuhay ang Las Piñas Bamboo Organ!
