5 heritage churches suffer damage in Cebu earthquake – DOT

At least five heritage churches have been damaged by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked Cebu province on September 30, according to the Department of Tourism-Central Visayas Regional Office. 

These are the Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta. Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan; Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church in Bantayan; San Isidro Labrador Church in Tabogan; San Juan Nepomuceno Parish in San Remigio; and the Archdiocesan Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer in Bogo City. 

The churches, which were all built in the 19th century and mostly made of coral stone, are a reflection of Cebu province's rich religious and cultural heritage. 

The sites had sustained structural and cosmetic damage, based on the results of a rapid assessment conducted by the Archdiocese of Cebu alongside the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). 

The assessment on the heritage churches was conducted after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. ordered the rehabilitation and restoration of heritage sites affected by the strong tremor. 

The DOT had reported that the earthquake also damaged other churches in Cebu, including the Capelinha de Fatima Replica in San Remigio, San Ignacio de Loyola Church in Medellin, Holy Family of Nazareth Parish in Bogo City, Saint Ignatius de Loyola Parish in Medellin, St. Labrador Church in Tabogon, and Saint Martin de Porres Church in Tabogon.

Groups from Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) are now set to conduct inspections of the sites with the NCCA, according to DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco. 

"“We have already deployed teams from TIEZA, our attached agency, to do a rapid assessment and inspection, and we are endorsing as well, to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the other relevant heritage agencies, so that together, we can ensure the restoration and rehabilitation of these symbols and living edifices of our faith and culture, and they can rise again,” she said in a press release. 

Per Frasco, the Cebu earthquake also displaced approximately 1,206 tourism workers in the province. 

Meanwhile, the DOT-Central Visayas Office reported that five tourist sites in Cebu City remain closed to the public indefinitely "due to structural integrity assessment." These are The Kabilin Center, Museo Sugbo, National Museum of the Philippines – Cebu, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, and Casa Gorordo. 

A 6.9-magnitude earthquake occurred in Cebu in the evening of September 30. A total of 8,298 aftershocks have since been recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) as of Tuesday morning. 

The strong quake had affected a total of 611,624 people or 165,988 families, and damaged a total of 39,806 houses in Central Visayas, reported the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Tuesday.

The Office of Civil Defense also said on Monday that the reported death toll in the Cebu earthquake has now reached 72. 

—CDC, GMA Integrated News