If worse comes to worst, the Church of San Pedro Apostol in Loboc, Bohol, heavily damaged by last Tuesday’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake, can no longer be rebuilt and rehabilitated and will be left as it is, the ruins of a once-magnificent structure whose more than a quarter-of-a-century of existence has been cut short by the wrath of nature.
Although a “heritage task force” sent by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to Bohol is still assessing the damage on Loboc and the other churches, heritage experts said they’re looking at the worst-case scenario.
The second oldest church in Bohol, the Loboc structure saw its façade topple, its ceil ing collapse, and half its bell tower crash.
“The sight devastated the heritage experts,” said a member of the NCCA team. “It was a black day for Church cultural patrimony.”
One member of the team said the Loboc church might be considered for “adaptive reuse.”
“Adaptive reuse” is what has happened to the ruins of Cagsaua Church in Daraga, Albay. Built in 1724 by the Franciscan friars, it was buried in 1814 during the powerful eruption of Mayon Volcano. All but the tall bell tower remained after the church was buried in lahar and pyroclastic flows.
Today the tower still stands. Not anymore a religious shrine, Cagsaua has become a prime tourist destination. It has become a great example of “adaptive reuse,” the use for eco-cultural tourism purposes of old heritage structures.
Cultural treasures
Last Tuesday, NCCA officials held an emergency meeting after the massive earthquake struck Central Visayas that morning. The meeting was presided by NCCA Commissioner Regalado Trota Jose.
A number of the churches in Bohol and Cebu were centuries-old churches and National Cultural Treasures. In a statement, the NCCA pledged “to rescue, and later rehabilitate, the damaged heritage structures.”
“A majority of these structures have been declared National Cultural Treasures, National Historical Landmarks, and Important Cultural Properties, all of which are protected by the Heritage Law,” the statement said.
The inspection of the churches is being done by the mandated agencies—the NCCA, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and National Museum.
As of press time Saturday, the task force had completed its survey of damaged heritage structures in Bohol. It was set to leave for Cebu yesterday to continue its inspection.
According to Commissioner Trota Jose, among the damaged churches are six National Cultural Treasures (NCT)-Loboc, Baclayon, Loon, Dauis, Maribojoc and Dimiao.
Two churches set to be declared NCT’s by the National Museum prior to the earthquake have been severely damaged—Loay and Cortes.
Trota Jose added that not only churches were damaged but also Spanish-era watchtowers that had been declared NCT’s-Punta Cruz (“damaged”); Panglao (“roof fell in”); and Balihan (“totally collapsed”).
Moreover, some structures in Bohol that had been declared Important Cultural Properties were also damaged—the church of Alburquerque and the Tagbilaran capitol.
Loboc, Baclayon
The Loboc structure that suffered was the 1734 church built by the Jesuits, the original missionaries of the place in the early 1600s. When the Jesuits were expelled in the mid-18th century, the Augustinian Recollects took over, and they erected the bell tower and the Neoclassical portico that covered the Baroque façade of the church.
Among the distinct features of the church are a museum called Museo de Loboc, where old images of saints and historic artifacts are stored; a pipe organ installed around 1820 (the Recolletos were also the builders of the world-famous bamboo organ in St. Joseph Church in Las Pinas, Metro Manila); and an interior adorned with masterful carvings, especially in the retablo, and ancient reliefs.
Another church damaged by the earthquake is Baclayon Church, formally known as the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. It was built by the Jesuits in 1727 using coral stones. When the Recollects took over, they added the massive design to the façade.
Before the tragic disaster that left the church and belfry a massive rubble, Baclayon was considered the best-preserved Jesuit-and Recolleto-built structure in Bohol. It had a museum that housed an ivory statue of the Crucified Christ; relics of St. Ignatius of Loyola; old vestments; archival documents, such as books covered with carabao skin and librettos written in Latin; and paintings of Liberato Gatchalian in 1859.
Kasilak, Loon
The biggest and one of the oldest churches in Bohol, popularly known as Kasilak Church, has also been severely damaged. The Church of Our Lady of Light in Loon (“Kasilak” means “light” in Bohol), made with coral stones by the Recollects in the 1850s, had been well-known for its symmetrical façade before the historic earthquake completely pulverized it.
It will be remembered for its architecture, featuring a blending of Baroque and Neoclassical designs: from an imposing façade—characteristic of Baroque churches—embellished with columns decorated with acanthus carvings, to an altar reminiscent of Neoclassicism with its intricate bas-reliefs.
The Church of the Holy Trinity in Loay had been known for the trompe l’oeil paintings with biblical references on its ceiling. The ceiling collapsed during the earthquake.
The church, erected by the Recollects in 1822, had also housed a pipe organ made in 1841 and restored by the Diego Cera Organ Builders Inc. in 1999. Its adjacent bell tower, built in 1865, still stands.
In Dauis on Panglao Island, the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, built in the 1920s, was almost destroyed, with only the belfry left standing. Its architecture was Byzantine-Romanesque and it had colorful frescoes by artist Ray Francia on its ceiling.
Also damaged was Maribojoc’s Santa Cruz Parish Church. Built by the Recollects in 1852, it had five Gothic retablo, designed with Mudejar stars. Its location had been described in archival documents as a “swampy land.” Its ceiling had also been painted by Francia.
Also on the list of affected historic churches in Bohol is San Nicolas Church in Dimiao, which was declared an NCT only in 2011. Built in the 19th century, it featured several Neoclassical retablo and a 19th-century pipe organ.
It also had an ermita where an ancient walled cemetery could be found. In this burial site, skeletons had been buried facing east and the remains showed a peculiar tradition of tooth-filing.
Cebu churches
In Cebu, the church of Boljoon is an NCT while the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino and Metropolitan Cathedral in Cebu City have markers placed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, said Trota Jose.
The Santo Niño, which will mark next year the 50th anniversary of its elevation to a basilica by Papal Bull, saw its belfry crashing to the ground. It is the first church and monastery in the country, when the Augustinians arrived with Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the returning Spaniards in Cebu in 1565, marking the start both the Christianization and Spanish colonization of the Philippines.
The Augustinians continue to govern the basilica.
Pope Paul VI elevated it to a Basilica Minore in 1965.
“It is sad that while we are preparing for the 50th anniversary of the church as a Basilica Minore, this natural calamity happened,” said Fr. Harold Rentoria, OSA, a former NCCA commissioner and now the vice president for academic affairs of the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City.
The basilica has been closed until experts declare it’s safe, Rentoria said.
Adjacent to the basilica, the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, the seat of Archbishop Jose Palma, the next Filipino cardinal, also sustained cracks on its walls, which caused it to be closed.
After World War II, only the belfry, façade and walls survived. In the ’50s, it was rebuilt according to the design of architect Jose Ma. Zaragoza, also the builder of the beautiful Santo Domingo Church, declared an NCT, in Quezon City.
The cathedral has been nominated for elevation into a minor basilica in honor of St. Vitalis, whose feast day coincides with the day in which the image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu was recovered by Legazpi.
The second-oldest church in Cebu, built by the Augustinians in 1865, also had manifestations of damage. St. Catherine’s Church in Carcar was erected following Byzantine architecture, and established with a Greco-Roman altar. Its bell towers were minaret-shaped, resembling a design borrowed from the typical Muslim mosques.
Patrocinio de Santa Maria Church in Boljoon, the only NCT in Cebu, has been reported damaged as well. The pseudo-Baroque-Rocco-styled church is known for its original terra-cotta tiles, aside from the local artistic touches on the retablo and pulpit. The structure was built around 1780s by the Augustinians.
Careful measures
According to Mico Manalo, director of Escuela Taller, the Spanish-funded agency that assists in the conservation of the heritage churches and other antique structures from the Spanish era, a definitive assessment of the damages and the integrity of the structures is needed before any action can be taken.
“As for the moment, everything is still being assessed and no concrete plan put forth,” Manalo said.
Escuella Taller has been tapped by the Augustinian friars to facilitate measures to be taken to rehabilitate the Cebu’s Basilica.
Meanwhile, Trota Jose, also the archivist of the University of Santo Tomas, where he teaches in the graduate program on Cultural Heritage Studies, stressed the importance of rescuing the heritage sites.
“The churches are part of the lives of the Filipinos,” said Jose. “That is where we offer prayers, where generations have been baptized. They are a part of our collective memory.”