Two years after 2013 quake, historic Bohol churches still in ruins

When a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Bohol province in 2013, it not only destroyed several historic churches there, it also turned the fond memories of long-time residents like Aling Nene into dust.

"Dito ako bininyagan, dito ako nag-First Communion," said Aling Nene in Victoria Tulad's special report on "24 Oras" Thursday. "May sentimental value kami dito."

She was referring to the Sta. Cruz  Church in Maribojoc, one of the historic churches badly damaged by the earthquake that the government has yet to fully restore.

According to the report, two years after the powerful earthquake, the National Museum and the Natural Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) have yet to come up with a master plan to restore the damaged churches.

"We are still gathering all the results of the data engineering studies to come up with a master plan," Angel Bautista, National Museum assistant director, said.

Aside from the church in Maribojoc, other churches in Bohol that are under the care of the National Museum are the heritage churches in Cortes, Loboc and Loon.

According to Fr. Ruel Ramon Tumangday, parish priest of Church of Our Lay of Light in Loon, some residents have proposed the de-listing of the church as a cultural heritage so they could initiate its restoration.



Meanwhile, the report said the restoration of the heritage churches in Dauis, Baclayon and Loay, which is under the supervision of the NHCP, started just last month.

According to Prof. Marianito Luspo, former chairperson of the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage Council, pressure on these institutions to reconstruct the churches may tempt the government agencies to take shortcuts.

"Because of the delay, now they are pressured to hurry up. And they might be tempted to do shortcuts," he said.

Fr. Val Pinlac of the Tagbiliran diocese Rehabilitation and Rebuilding Project added that opposing views between the agencies also hampered the process of restoring the churches.

"If we only have a common vision, it would be easier to work together. The turfing thing—that's yours, this is mine—we might just be wasting our energy and time," he said.

In order for restoration efforts to be successful without compromising the churches' historicity, Fr. Milan Ted Torralba said there should be a balance between modern technology and old methods.

"Yung mga purist, old technology, ganun gagamitin natin, old materials. Kabila naman ng purists, gamitin natin yung modern technology. We can harmonize that with the old technology," Torralba, a member of the Tagbiliran diocese for the Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, said.

Though the NHCP refused to make a statement, but during a stakeholders' meeting last month, the agency said it is "well qualified to undertake restoration projects."

"The staff of both divisions are well qualified to undertake restoration projects; most of them have had training abroad in traditional stone masonry... The NHCP, moreover, has had a long history of restoration projects dating back to the 1970's," it said in the report of the meeting. — Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News