Lives, livelihoods, heritage, and culture lost in the latest natural disaster to have hit the country
In the past years, we’ve seen cultural institutions and the government work together in prolonging the lives and legacy of heritage structures in different parts of the Philippines. And we are now seeing the fruits of their efforts with the reopening of the Manila Metropolitan Theater as the latest inclusion in the list together with the Maribojoc Church and Our Lady of Light Parish in Bohol.
Sadly, many of the cultural sites in the Visayas and Mindanao region have also become casualties of the forceful winds and floods brought by the recent onslaught of Typhoon Odette. El Reportero, a Facebook page dedicated to all things heritage structures and historic sites, has listed a number of cultural spaces affected by the typhoon, including the newly refurbished Maribojoc Church in Bohol.
Netizens are also sharing photos on social media about the damages cultural properties got in the past week. Fr. Brian Bigoli posted images of the Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu, which is seen to have destroyed roof and debris above Holy Garbs in glass cases. Another is the Church of Tubigon in Bohol, a newly restored site after the 2013 earthquake, which is now devastated with a broken dome, as seen in the snaps of Bishop Abet Uy.
Currently, the National Museum of the Philippines and the National Historical Commission are among the institutions that lead restoration projects in the country, with the help of a number of partner organizations. While typhoons and earthquakes are natural phenomena and can be predicted, no one can be fully prepared in securing these heritage sites during their roll. But learning from recent typhoon rampages and past earthquake hits, everyone has a role to play and many things are needed to be considered in keeping these structures from being just pile rubble. A good calamity fund, for example, might be a great start for future actions to preserve life and livelihood, heritage and culture,