Beauty of century-old ruins: Bohol churches almost 3 years after the quake
BOHOL, Philippines – In the morning of Oct. 15, 2013, a formidable quake struck Central Visayas, killing dozens of people and destroying some of the most iconic structures across the region. Even the century-old churches of Bohol were not spared by Mother Nature’s force.
Around 25 of the historical churches in Bohol were damaged, including Baclayon, Dauis, Dimiao, Loay, Loboc, Loon and Maribojoc, which are the country's National Cultural Treasures (NCT). The incident left everyone asking – what will happen to Bohol’s tourism? But as what Gov. Edgardo Chatto said, "When God closes the door, he opens the windows.”
In the face of adversity and pressure to turn the rubbles into their original form, the governor is certain that the heart of the Visayas region did not and will never lose its charm.
Beautiful, broken relics
Ceilings were brought down, walls were shaken and facades collapsed. The structures that stood way back the Spanish colonization of the island were brought down in a blink of an eye. But it’s not the end for Bohol.
"The first time I was asked by the media. Day one ng earthquake tinatanong ako ano na mangyayari sa tourim ng Bohol eh nasira na yung mga simbahan. Eh ayoko naman na sagutin na negative. Negative na nga yung araw tapos negative pa rin yung sagot. So sabi ko na lang, even in far countries in Europe, the ruins are attractions, so we have it here na din with the ruined churches," recalls the governor in an interview with Philstar.com on June 11, two years and eight months after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the province.
As he mentioned, Baclayon church, which is one of the best preserved Jesuit built churches in the region remained an attraction for tourists.
“People might think wala na kasi damaged na but people still go to Bohol to see the ruins, kasi curious sila eh. Ano na kaya ang nangyari sa Bohol after?” he said.
Made by native forced laborers in 1727, the church was built from coral stones, which they took from the sea, cut into square blocks, and piled onto each other. The structures might have crumbled down but the rich history of the Bohol itself will remain unscathed, and that will always be enough reason to visit the province.
Bouncing back
After the earthquake, the local government made sure to go through everything to bounce back.
“We were down below after the earthquake that’s for sure… But I was very optimistic that we are going to bounce back because tourism is one of the most resilient industries that has been proven through time,” the governor explained.
“The industry was very lucky because our private sector was very strong plus the international community helped us redesign and repackage our tourism promotions,” he said.
According to him, the Bohol was lull for a while not because they lost hope. They were using the time to plan their rebound.
Restoration, unified efforts
There were many churches ruined during the earthquake but those which were identified by the preservations groups will only be restored.
According to the governor, experts in restoration, architecture, community advocacy and fundraising from all over the world flew in Bohol after the quake to create a group that will work hand-in-hand with in collaboration with the Bohol Restoration Group, the local government in Bohol, the National Museum of the Philippines, the National Commission of the Arts, the National Heritage Commission and the Tagbilaran, Leyte Diocese in rebuilding the ruined structures in Bohol.
The experts initially looked at the level of destruction of the structure. Afterwhich, the decision to restore them or replace them with monuments is made.
"Through technology, na-identify yung churches na pwede i-restore, mga baton na kayang i-replace. So they tried to gather all the rocks that can still be gathered. Whatever artifacts that can still be kept na hindi pa totally destroyed. They classified the rocks and checked whether the church can be repaired, can be restored,” explained the governor.
Uncertain timeframe
While restoration of the other churches had commenced, governor said the Maribojoc Church was set aside because the level of damage was extreme. The basic rule in reconstructing the delicate structures, as mentioned by the governor is not to falsify anything, meaning do not introduce something that is not original including the color and the shape.
The governor also added that although the restoration is ongoing, there is no certainty as to when all the churches will be back to their original shape.
“Simultaneous na yung mga churches na ginagawa, but to specific timeframes, hindi ko pa talaga alam kung gaano katagal, gaano kabilis. They give us reports, detailed reports every now and then. Experts are really doing the work.
The good side of the bad
Bohol is not just a home to churches and natural attractions but as well as talented and persevering people. According to the governor, Boholano masons were trained and taught by the experts about how to properly restore damaged structures for a reason.
“Our intention is to make sure that the learnings of restoration are kept with our people because, in a way it develops their own expertise. At the local level, the laborers for example will learn from the experts and harness their skills. The architects will get the expertise, the private sector, everyone who is working and will work on the project,” the governor explained.
“Our dream is to have our own pool of experts in Bohol and it will be for heritage and restoration works,” he said.
The local government is planning to tap on the academe, specifically the Bohol Island State University. In the long run, the government hopes that the university might be able to open courses on heritage preservation.
Bohol, according to the governor, is a big laboratory where you can establish a training that will develop people’s expertise in preservation because it is the only place in the Philippines where there are plenty of ruined churches. In his own words, “the quake has left learnings behind, and the Boholanos will work on that.”
---
Editor's note: The tour to Bohol was hosted by AirAsia to promote tourism in the area. At no stage does the host organization have a say on the stories generated from the coverage, interviews conducted, publication date and story treatment. Content is produced solely by Philstar.com following editorial guidelines.
