Bohol churches’ restoration continues

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — The National Museum field office in Bohol has announced that the post-earthquake efforts in restoring the damaged centuries-old churches are still going on.

The NM said that, under its pre-restoration phase, each works on 3-dimensional scanning, detailed engineering studies and storage conservation was 100 percent completed.

Other activities such as shoring is now 98 percent done; documentary and retrieval inventory, 95 percent each; and construction of recovered objects and preparatory master plan, 45 percent completed each.

Master plans for restoration, under NM’s Package 1, were for the watchtowers of Inang-angan in Loon town; Punta Cruz in Maribojoc; those in Balilihan and Panglao towns, and at the Capitol, which was turned over to the NM by  the provincial government.

Under Package 2 were for the centuries-old churches in Dimiao and Alburquerque towns, while Package 3 will be for the Guiuan Church in Eastern Samar destroyed by super typhoon Yolanda’ in Nov. 8, 2013; and Package 4 for the churches in Cortes, Loboc, Maribojoc and Loon towns, and the watchtower in Loay.

The undertakings however encountered problems, such as limited number of experts and the need to apply for conservation actions on recovered objects, said the NM.

The agency also said efforts on clearing the debris were still going on and the number of liturgical objects or elements of immovable cultural property have been recovered already from these damaged churches, which have been declared as national cultural treasures.

Other tasks being done and expected to be worked out included coordination with stakeholders, prevention of illicit trafficking of cultural properties, capability building and meeting or consultation with the religious sector and the community, the NM added. —Ric V. Obedencio (FREEMAN)