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Loboc church reopens 7 years after Bohol quake

Marites Jala was emotional

when she attended Sunday Mass at this town ’ s historic church .

“ The church really looks like the original ,” said the 46-year-old resident of Barangay Villaflor of this municipality in Bohol province , as she gazed upon the majestic ceiling paintings of the San Pedro Apostol Parish Church , popularly known as the Loboc church .

Jala and the people of Loboc patiently waited for the day that they could attend Mass again inside the centuries-old church , which was severely damaged by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol on Oct . 15 , 2013 . ‘ In His time ’ “ When the earthquake happened , the first thought that came into my mind was the state of Bohol ’ s churches . [ While many of them were destroyed ], our faith was not shaken . We know God will rebuild it in His time , and that came true today ,” said a teary-eyed Jala . The Loboc church was formally reopened to the faithful on May 16 , seven years after the strong quake that destroyed churches in Bohol .

The National Museum of the Philippines ( NMP ), which supervised Loboc church ’ s restoration , turned over the church to the Diocese of Tagbilaran , which has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the town . Many of the materials that were retrieved and documented after the earthquake were either reused or restored . Resilience

Tagbilaran Bishop Alberto Uy said the church ’ s restoration signified Filipino resiliency and faith .

“ Now , we can marvel at this heritage asset once more and continue our efforts in preserving our faith and heritage for generations to come ,” said the prelate , as he led the church ’ s dedication .

The centuries-old church , including its bell tower , sustained significant damage during the 2013 earthquake .

The church ’ s condition worsened when , a year later , the church was struck by another natural disaster after the Loboc River overflowed and flooded the town at the height of Typhoon “ Seniang ” ( international name : Jangmi ). It was the worst flood to hit

Loboc in 70 years , officials said .

The restoration process , which started in December 2017 , began with the retrieval of items buried in the rubble .

The NMP constructed a storage facility to temporarily store the recovered artifacts , most of which have been restored including the church ’ s side and main “ retablos ” ( altar pieces ), and its ceiling paintings . Cultural treasure

The church and its connecting convent , which was built in 1734 , is one of the oldest structures in Bohol . In 1998 , the National Historical Institute , now called the National Historical Commission of the Philippines , declared the Loboc church a national historical landmark .

In 2001 , it was declared a national cultural treasure and was the first cultural property of the NMP in Bohol . Restoration of the Loboc church was financed and supervised by the NMP with additional funds from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority .

The NMP is also supervising the ongoing reconstruction of two other heritage churches in Bohol : the Sta . Cruz Parish Church in Maribojoc town and the Nuestra Señora de la Luz Parish Church in Loon town .

Both churches , which were also destroyed during the 2013 earthquake , were likewise declared as national cultural treasures by the NMP . ( By Leo Udtohan - Philippine DaiIy Inquire INQ ) (( Ed ’ s Note : This news is particularly important and heartwarming to Filipino-Australians especially in Sydney as we contributed a lot towards this end when the Loboc Children ’ s Choir came here for a series of concerts .)

PGH reopens doors to COVID-19 patients after fire

The state-owned Philippine General Hospital ( PGH ) recently announced that it would again admit coronavirus cases even after a fire that hit one of its buildings forced the transfer of patients and newborns , and suspension of delicate surgical operations .

“ We will resume accepting COVID-19 patients to [ the ] PGH . So there ’ s not much change , except for the one day that we would need to prepare ,” Dr . Gerardo Gap Legaspi , hospital director , said in a Malacañang-led briefing .

“ We stand committed to our role as a CO- VID-19 referral center ,” he said . No casualties were reported in the recent fire at the eight-story building for paying patients . Legaspi placed damage to property , including medical equipment , at P50 million .

The incident ignited calls for donors to help PGH , which has been serving thousands of indigent patients .

What was greatly affected was PGH ’ s surgical procedures , such as brain and heart surgeries , Legaspi said . “ We have to stop these completely for maybe one or two days ,” he said . Surgery losses Badly hit was the Operating Room Supply and Autoclave ( Orsa ) Room , where surgical instruments are sterilized and supplies are stored . The rest of the operating complex was spared from the blaze but was swept by thick smoke .

A total of five sterilization units were destroyed although the hospital still has other units , Legaspi said . “ This will severely affect us ,” he added .

While Orsa ’ s operations could be back to normal in three to four months , “ we will not wait for this to resume surgeries ,” the PGH director said . He cited collaborations with other hospitals and adjustments within the PGH system for the resumption of regular schedule of surgeries .

The hospital has designated two areas to house sterilizing equipment and plans to purchase new equipment for emergency use to hurdle government procurement procedures . Back to wards Of some 30 newborns evacuated from the hospital due to the thick smoke , Legaspi said 10 were transferred to Sta . Ana Hospital due to their delicate condition while the rest had returned to

the pediatric wards .

President Duterte may help in the repair of PGH by tapping the Presidential Social Fund , according to his spokesperson , Harry Roque . The hospital , Legaspi said , had been getting P25 million a month from Malacañang for its patients .

Roque said the Department of Public Works and Highways would handle the repair of the hospital as its “ top priority .”

Gabriela Rep . Arlene Brosas on Monday said she wanted to realign part of the P1-trillion fund of the Duterte administration ’ s “ Build , Build , Build ” infrastructure program for the PGH repairs . Budget Reallignment

The House assistant minority leader said provisions in the P405.6-billion Bayanihan 3 bill could include budget realignments for PGH . The measure is pending before the House appropriations committee . Another party list lawmaker has urged the Department of Health , Department of Social Welfare and Development , Department of Finance and other government agencies to immediately extend financial , personnel , infrastructure and supply assistance to PGH . In filing House Resolution No . 1767 , Senior Citizens Rep . Rodolfo Ordanes pointed out that the government hospital “ is now in grave need of financial , personnel , infrastructure , equipment , medical supplies , and other kinds of assistance such as industrial fans , oxygen tanks , water , food and face masks to resume operation and fully render its services . ( By : Leila B . Salaverria , Philippine Daily Inquirer / ; ” WITH REPORTS FROM MARICAR CINCO AND

Trillanes disputes Enrile claims on 2012 back-channel talks with China

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has disputed claims thrown by former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile against him over his role as the country ’ s back-channel negotiator between the Philippines and China during the 2012 standoff at Scarborough Shoal .

“ Why did PNoy [ former President Benigno Aquino III ] appoint me as backchannel negotiator ? Because he found me trustworthy

unlike Enrile ,” Trillanes said in a tweet .

“ Wag nyo ibahin ang usapan , wala sa Scarborough ang problema . Nalutas na ni PNoy yun . Wala ng mga barko ng China sa loob nun . Wala ring reclamation dun . Nasa Spratlys ngayon ang problema na ayaw harapin ni [ D ] uterte ,” he added . ( Don ’ t change the topic , the problem is not in Scarborough . It was already solved by PNoy . No more Chinese ships within that area . Also , there is no reclamation there . The problem now is in the Spratlys that Duterte doesn ’ t want to face .)

President Rodrigo Duterte and Enrile , who the former invited as a guest , questioned Trillanes ’ role in negotiations between the two countries

Enrile also said that Trillanes had bypassed Manila ’ s ambassador to China at the time and then Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario in his back-channeling with China .

But Trillanes said Enrile should “ check [ his ] facts ],” noting that then Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady arrived in Beijing as he was wrapping up backchannel meetings . “ Why did I bypass Amb . Brady ? Check your facts Mr . Enrile ,” he said .

“ Amb . [ Sonia ] Brady first went to Beijing in early August or late July when I was wrapping up the backchannel talks . She was never present at any backchannel meeting from May to July ,” Trillanes added .

“ Upon her arrival , at the first instance , I briefed her on the whole talks at the Ph Embassy WITH NO CHINESE PRESENT . That was the only time I met her . After that briefing , I concluded the backchannel talks ,” he further said .

The Scarborough Shoal incident began in April 2012 , when the Philippine Navy tried to apprehend Chinese fishing vessels at the shoal but were blocked by Chinese marine surveillance ships .

This incident was put into light in recent days as President Rodrigo Duterte received criticisms for his recent remarks

on Manila ’ s maritime dispute with Beijing . Duterte , who has been criticized for his warm stance with China , has repeatedly asserted that the Philippines would not go to war with China over the maritime dispute .

Recently , the President said the Philippines would not withdraw its assets from the West Philippine Sea while still insisting he had no intention of quarreling with China because the Philippines owes it a “ debt of gratitude .”

The President also recently downplayed Manila ’ s historic victory in 2016 , when the United

Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague , Netherlands invalidated China ’ s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea , a ruling that Beijing refuses to recognize . ( By : Christia Marie Ramos , INQUIRER . net /)

More college programs eyed soon for limited face-to-face classes

The Commission on Higher Educationrecently bared that engineering and three other programs could be the next in its recommendation for limited in-person learning .

Face-to-face classes albeit limited for those in medical and health allied programs were given the go signal in February . The Duterte administration approved CHED ’ s proposal as it said the training of health personnel should continue amid the CO- VID-19 pandemic .

Chairperson Prospero de Vera III said the additional programs securing approval would still depend if it shows that physical classes were effective in the initial ones .

“ The next batch most probably will be engineering

, information technology , industrial technology and maritime ,” he said . “ These are degree programs where you have a lot of hands on activities that cannot be delivered virtually .” De Vera was

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