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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DOT: 5 historic Cebu churches suffer major damage from quake

DOT: 5 historic Cebu churches suffer major damage from quake

Published Oct 7, 2025 02:41 pm

At A Glance

  • Magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit Cebu on September 30.
  • Five historic churches, including the Archdiocesan Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer, sustained major damage.
  • DOT and TIEZA deployed teams; heritage agencies coordinate restoration.
  • 1,206 tourism workers displaced; relief and livelihood support underway.
  • Key Cebu City tourist sites closed for structural inspections.
Archdiocesan Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer in Bogo City, Cebu (Photo: DOT)
Archdiocesan Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer in Bogo City, Cebu (Photo: DOT)
The magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit Cebu on Sept. 30 severely damaged five historic churches in the province, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported.
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco  said the damage put to serious risk the province’s centuries-old religious and cultural heritage. 
Frasco said rapid assessment teams from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) have been deployed to evaluate the damage.
Coordination with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and other heritage agencies is ongoing to restore the affected sites.
The damaged churches include the Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta. Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan (1858), Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Church in Bantayan (1863), San Isidro Labrador Church in Tabogon (1954), San Juan Nepomuceno Parish in San Remegio (1864), and the Archdiocesan Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer in Bogo City (1858, partially reconstructed after World War II).
Most of the destruction was reported in Bogo City and the towns of Daanbantayan, Medellin, Tabogon, and San Remegio.
President Marcos, accompanied by Frasco and TIEZA officials, inspected the Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer in Bogo City on October 2, near the quake’s epicenter.
The DOT-Central Visayas office also reported closures of five key tourist sites in Cebu City, including Museo Sugbo, National Museum of the Philippines – Cebu, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Casa Gorordo, and The Kabilin Center, pending structural integrity assessments.
Frasco said 1,206 tourism workers were displaced by the tremor.
“We have prioritized affected tourism workers for immediate relief through DSWD, as well as cash assistance and alternative livelihood programs in the weeks ahead,” she added.
Cebu, known as the cradle of Christianity in Asia, welcomed 5,077,727 tourists in 2024, underscoring the urgency to restore its heritage churches to preserve cultural identity and sustain tourism-driven livelihoods.

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Cebu earthquake historic churches DOT TIEZA
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