The Diocese of Tagbilaran has announced the completion of restoration work in 21 out of the 25 churches that were damaged by a strong earthquake in 2013.
(NATIONAL MUSEUM BOHOL / MANILA BLLETIN)
Fr. Milan Ted Torralba of the Diocese of Tagbilaran’s Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church said, the repair work for four other churches are expected to be completed next year.
The latest to be completed was the Santo Niño Parish Church in Cortes town, whose restoration work was completed early this year.
“The restoration work of the remaining churches would have been completed this year if not for the coronavirus pandemic. The original plan was to rebuild and restore all the churches by this year in preparation for 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines next year,” Torralba said in a Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines News post.
The 7.2-magnitude tremor struck on Oct. 15, 2013 and damaged 25 churches in the Diocese of Tagbilaran. It also damaged nine churches, which are now all restored, in the Diocese of Talibon in the northern part of Bohol island.
“The pace went slow because of the pandemic so they move the date to next year,” said Fr. Torralba, who is also the executive secretary of the CBCP – Episcopal Commission on Cultural Heritage of the Church.
The Tagbilaran diocese is also celebrating its 80th anniversary in November 2021.
The priest said, restoration work on 11 of the 25 churches were covered by the government’s national calamity-related reconstruction and restoration program as the churches had been classified as national cultural treasures, national historical landmark, and important cultural properties.
The US bishops also helped in the repair of some other churches, especially those not in the list of heritage structures and did not receive government support.
The restored churches are in the towns of Baclayon, Alburquerque, Loay, Dimiao, Dauis, Panglao, Cortes, Valencia, Garcia-Hernandez, Tubigon, Balilihan, Corella, Clarin, Calape, Lila, Sikatuna, Catigbian, Sevilla, Sagbayan, Batuan, andTagbilaran.
Restoration work continues in the other four damaged churches in the towns of Loboc, Maribojoc, Loon, and Antequera.