(A YEAR AFTER #VisayasQuake) Efforts continue to restore damaged churches in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines -  Parish Secretary Ramil Medrano was in the church kitchen preparing breakfast when he heard loud thumps coming from the roof.It did not take him very long to realize it was an earthquake that was shaking the Our Lady of the Pillar Parish in Sibonga town.

Fortunately for him and the others who were at the church that day on October 15 last year, the structure was strong enough to withstand the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit Central Visayas, bringing down to rubble several heritage churches in Bohol where the epicenter was traced.

Seismologists have likened the intensity of the quake to 32 atomic bomb explosions.

When the tremors subsided, minor cracks both in the interior and exterior portions of the Our Lady of the Pillar Parish were found, particularly on the belfries, pilasters and windows.

Its renowned ceiling painting by Raymundo Francia was spared.

Medrano attributes the added strength of the church to the restoration works undertaken by the local heritage commission prior to the quake.

In 2012, in aprojectworthP2 million, seven beams were put up to strengthen the altar and the church’s façade was also restored. The belfry underwent restoration work five years before that in 2007.

The church, which houses a heritage convent, became a parish in 1830.

It was constructed using coral stones and inspired by the Neo-Gothic architecture in 1866.

 Father Mike Hisoler recalls that there were days when they had to celebrate mass outside the church for fear that the subsequent aftershocks, which eventually numbered thousands, would affect the cracks and weaken the structure.

In fact, for two days after the quake, parishioners were not allowed to enter the church while it was being inspected.

Considering, too, that the town was gearing up for the annual feast every first Friday of November, retrofitting had to be hastened with the local heritage commission leading the solicitation of funds.

Hisoler says financial assistance from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) in the rehabilitation efforts was also a big. The projected budget for the retrofitting procedure was estimated at least P5 million and up to P10 million.

 Hisoler, who was installed as parish priest only in February 2014 says two altarpieces were installed at both wings of the altar. Each altarpiece costs P150,000. He says the parish also plans to restore the man altarpiece, which may cost them P1 million.

The Church of Saint Michael Archangel, which is also located in Samboan, incurred by minor damage with its buttresses and walls showing signs of stress. Its belfry was also found to have leaned away a few inches from the church itself.

Four towns away from Sibonga, in Boljoon, the Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio also suffered the brunt of the earthquake with one of its column giving in.

Raymund Cayme, officer-in-charge of the Boljoon Heritage Foundation Inc., also believed that the tension cables installed at the church in 2008 prevented the structure from collapsing. He said the limestone that was used to replace the coral stone also helped strengthen the foundation.

 “Kakita gyud ko nga pwerteng kusoga sa linog. Kun wa na-restore ni sauna, bungkag gyud ang simbahan (I saw how strong the earthquake was. If the church did not undergo restoration before it hit, it would have collapsed),” he said.

Meanwhile, second column of the Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio Church in Boljoon gave in during the quake. Patches of white cement were immediately applied to the damage.

The parish church in Carcar City also sustained minor on several arches between the main nave and aisles, as found by a fact-finding inspection conducted by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation and Boljoon Studies Center.

 The decorative ornaments of some pillars and one of the two belfries of the St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish have cracked but its structural joints remained intact.

MOST DAMAGED

Outside of Cebu City, the San Guillermo de Aquitaña Parish in Dalaguete town was found to have incurred the most damage.

 At the San Guillermo de Aquitaña Parish, coral stones and rubble fell from the apex of the back wall of the church to the sacristy. Occupants of the convent had to be relocated temporarily following the quake. Several cracks could be noticed all throughout the church, at the convent, and at the bell tower.

 The church was built in 1802 and was completed in 1825. The convent was built in 1832 while the belfry was finished in 1860.

 The Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development and Cultural Emergency Response has donated 35 000 Euros for the repair and restoration works.

 Engineer Donald Lara of the San Guillermo Parish heritage committee said they have already received the check amounting to 17,500 Euros, 10 percent of which will cover administrative costs for the archdiocese team that will supervise the implementation of the project.

 Last August, the Department of the Interior and Local Government also turned over P1 million to the municipality as part of the Bohol earthquake assistance fund.

 Lara said P650,000 of the amount was allotted for the reconstruction of the municipal building while P450,000 was spent for the restoration of the church.

 The municipal engineer admitted rehabilitating is a tedious job considering the severity of destruction. He said the restoration project is targeted to be done by December this year, considering that parishioners have requested to have the Misa de Gallo at the church. Repair works began in November last year.

 He said they have asked permission and assistance from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines to undertake restoration activities.

 “We cannot afford to wait for NHCP. We had to do our initiative. They came here along with experts and consultations. We based our project in accordance to the recommendations of NHCP and to the basic principles of restoration works,” he said.

 Lara attained a professional diploma on heritage conservation from the University of San Carlos as one of the first scholars of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

 The Provincial Government in Cebu has declared repairing the heritage churches in the province as a priority.

Governor Hilario Davide III and Vice GovernorAgnes Magpale personally inspected the churches shortly after the earthquake last year.

NHCP has named the churches in Argao, Dalaguete and Boljoon as National Historical Landmarks. It has also given the church of Sibonga a historical marker while the Boljoon church was recognized as a National Cultural Treasure of the National Museum.

BASILICA

One of the most devastated in Cebu City is no less than the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, a bastion of Christianity in the Philippines.

The church’s rector, Fr. Jonas Mejares, could still recall how he ran out of the church after the belfry collapsed. The area where the debris fell is usually where candle vendors and devotees stand by.

“I ran outside and asked the guards if someone was underneath the rubble. I had to ask many times because that spot normally had people. It was a miracle, indeed,” Mejares said.

For a time, the church had to be closed to parishioners when structural engineers checked its stability.

Masses had to be celebrated at the pilgrim center right outside the structure.

Apart from the bell tower, minor cracks were also noted inside the church and at the arches that surround the Basilica complex.

“We are currently in the pre-reconstruction phase; this means that fallen stones, including the larger blocks, have already been transferred to a secured location. The grounds are already clear and conducive for the mobilization of equipment and materials for the reconstruction work. Also, with the help of a contractor, we were able to successfully execute the shoring and scaffolding of the belfry, keeping in mind the unique conditions and special considerations. We are now ready to remove the remaining debris inside the belfry,” reads the statement of the Augustinian fathers.

Aside from the basilica, the structure sheltering the historic Magellans’ Cross nearby was also damaged and remained off limits for weeks. The structure has undergone shoring, retrofitting, repointing and dowelling, also under the supervision of the Augustinian fathers in coordination with NHC.

 The other churches in Cebu City damaged partially by the quake include the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and the Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish in Pardo.

IT TAKES TIME

Fr. Harold Rentoria has appealed for continued understanding from devotees, saying that restoration work cannot be completed overnight.

 Rentoria chairs both the Commission on Cultural Heritage of the Augustianian fathers and at the Commission on Cultural Heritage of the National Cultural Commission for the Arts (NCCA).

 “We have to be very careful because our aim is to restore these historical structures. We don’t want to rush things and end up destroying them. There has to be scientific ways and procedures on how to do this. And this takes time,” he says.

In fact, almost a year after that strong quake, experts are still at the pre-restoration stage as thorough studies are being undertaken by various government and private institutions.

“We are still at the phase of the restoration. This includes the detailed engineering studies, soil boring test, scanning. Each agency involved is given by the national government funding and the authority to oversee the restoration in cooperation with parish officials,” the Augustinian father explains.

The Commission on Cultural Heritage of the Augustianian fathers is involved in the restoration of the damaged belfry of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño as the Augustinians manage the physical emblem of Philippine Christianity while the Commission on Cultural Heritage coordinates with the National Museum, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and the National Historical Institute (NHI), among others.

The pre-restoration phase is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

EXPERTS GATHER

Next month, experts will gather in Cebu and Bohol to discuss results of studies conducted for the church up for restoration.

The pooling of restoration authorities from the fields of history, architecture, engineering and heritage preservation will be on November 17 in Cebu. Considering that more structures were affected in Bohol, the gathering there will last for three days from November 18 to 20.

The experts, at least 40 expected, will discuss thoroughly the processes and methodologies of restoration.

Rentoria said both local and foreign experts will be invited so that a master plan of all restoration works will be in place by December.

By January, site restoration plans are set to be formed and reconstruction will start by the first quarter of 2015.

“The aim of the conference is also for us to come up with Philippine standards on restoration because we don’t have this yet. So that in the future, we already know what to do. And also, we will document the inputs from all the experts especially the international ones so what we won’t need to fly them in should a similar situation arise,” Rentoria said. — /JMO (FREEMAN)