Unshakable faith

Scores of occasions, I have been in Bohol either for cultural undertakings or taking a vacation in a pristine peninsula. 

As an itinerant cultural advocate, going to Anda via Tagbilaran City, I make sure not to allow a nap to take away from blissful sighting of white shorelines, heritage sites and century-old churches.

Bohol is known for its national cultural treasures like old stone churches that marked the great Boholano hospitality and industry. A historical account that can be traced in 1565 when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi went south and had a blood compact in Bohol with Filipino datus led by Sikatuna. The local royals and their visitors became such good friends; the latter were subsequently allowed to build Catholic churches in the region. This explains why so many churches were concentrated in this part of the country.

In stillness, churches witnessed the hundreds of native laborers who were forced to do the work. These artisans hauled coral stones from the sea, then skillfully cut them into square blocks, lifted the work using bamboo to move the stones into position, and piled them like bricks. Churches have likewise become a witness to significant religious festivities and rituals such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings and burial Masses. All these are very much part of every family and every community anchored on strong Catholicism. 

But last October 15, 2013, the very structures that I highly praised have been pulverized by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. As reported, nine churches were totally damaged and more were badly hit.

In particular, the Church of San Pedro Apostol in Loboc -famous for being the second oldest church in Bohol- sustained major damage to its main structure, three-story convent and bell tower. In Cebu and for centuries, the Basilica Minore del Sto Niño that stood the test of time, a symbol of the gigantic faith of the Cebuanos has not been spared from the earthquake's wrath.

Accordingly, as early as the 1970s, the church authorities have undertaken rehabilitation work through the years. Buttresses were even built. It's just that the earthquake was very strong. And that rehabilitation may not resolve the issue of a strong foundation.

Though their pillars are so huge and primarily made of stones-but with no metal to support them, they can easily crumble. Experts say that heavy stone and masonry structures have no capacity to resist the lateral forces that an earthquake imposes on them. All old masonry churches need to be seismically retrofitted with lateral bracing systems to effectively resist and survive future earthquakes. Structural architects and engineers stressed the idea of strengthening the structures where metals could be embedded, but the outer could still look the same, hiding what's being placed inside. It somehow symbolizes that inside the believers, it is more on the renewal and strengthening of faith. Renewing one's faith could be a persistent challenge as we are confronted with importunate temptations and people who are devoid of real intentions and kindness, using "professionalism" to mask their intents. 

Churches should be looked at far beyond from being a physical structure - to the very soul of the community, the living witness of the past. It is the past's link and reminder of the great hospitality, struggles and devotion for the understanding and appreciation of the present and future generations. 

Photos and video coverage of damaged churches are ubiquitous in the news. At the center of these are images of saints and relics. Common even in makeshift tents, in open spaces, in front of the churches' rubble are improvised altars with religious statuettes - an apparent sign of the people's immeasurable piety. That amid the catastrophe, there is still a rope of faith that they can hang on to.  

The earthquake brought out the resolute faith of the Boholanos and Cebuanos. Though it has tremendously shaken the churches and collapsed them into rubble, but not their faith. The very faith, the force that brings them to rise from the ruins of hopelessness.