Philippines: Heritage shrines and parish churches badly damaged by 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Cebu

The devastation caused by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the northeastern part of Cebu province can be seen in the plight of victims who fled in the middle of the night, as well as in collapsed houses, buildings, roads, and bridges. The Department of Public Works has placed the damage to infrastructure at two billion pesos.

The number of fatalities has reached nearly 70, a figure expected to rise as rescuers continue to dig through debris from collapsed houses believed to have buried people alive as they slept. Rescue, relief, and recovery operations are being undertaken by government and private institutions, with professional nurses, student volunteers, and even contestants of a beauty pageant pooling their efforts to help.

Newly installed Cebu Archbishop Alberto “Abet” Uy immediately went to the northern city of Bogo, the earthquake’s epicenter. The city of 90,000 bore the brunt of the calamity. Photos posted on his social media account showed Archbishop Uy consoling victims and meeting with parish priests. Deaths in Bogo alone are placed at 30, with many more injured. The archbishop is expected to visit other towns and cities affected by the quake.

Less than 24 hours after the tremor, Rev. Fr. Brian Brigoli, chairman of the Cebu Archdiocese Commission for Cultural Heritage, began rapid assessments of archdiocesan shrines and parish churches.

His first stop was in Daanbantayan, Cebu’s northernmost town, where the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima partially collapsed. Fr. Brigoli instructed the parish priest and lay leaders to cordon off the area, install physical barriers, and switch off circuit breakers. In the meantime, Masses and other services will be celebrated outdoors in makeshift altars or suitable spaces until the churches are deemed safe.

He issued the same instructions to parish priests and lay people in the San Juan Nepomuceno parish church in San Remigio, the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Vincent Ferrer in Bogo City.  He was scheduled to visit the Odlot parish church in Bogo’s interior village dedicated to the Santo Niño.  The giant Sto. Nino, on top of the church, was no more after it fell off.

Fr. Brigoli told Cebu media that the tremors continued a day after the earthquake, and this will impact the timeline of retrieval operations. He intends to begin retrieval operations once the aftershocks stop. 

Today, he is set to visit the Saints Peter and Paul Parish church in Bantayan Island.  The facade of the parish church crumbled at the force of the earthquake and became viral after parishioners recorded and posted the video on social media. Fallen debris can be seen, prompting parish priests to cordon off the area.

Also included in his itinerary is the St. Martin de Porres parish church in Tabogon town and the San Sebastian parish church in Borbon.

According to Fr. Brigoli, the National Commission for Culture and Arts NCCA and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines NCCP called to help in mobilization efforts.  He is scheduled to discuss rapid assessment with these cultural bodies to determine the extent of damage, intervention, and restoration plans for the damaged churches.