Pagsulay

Pagsulay” – a trial or test of faith – is the title of the latest coffee table book published by the University of San Carlos, this time together with Holy Name University, its sister university based in Tagbilaran City.

Its subtitle, “Churches of Bohol Before and After the Earthquake of 2013” is self-explanatory. The book will be launched at 5 o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, 25 August, at the Activity Center with Ayala Center Cebu as host and presenter and Cebu Daily News as one of its media partners.

“Pagsulay” is by far the bulkiest coffee table book to be released by the University of San Carlos Press—at 12 inches by 12 inches in size with 240 pages of full-color photography by Fr. Generoso “ Jun” B. Rebayla, Jr., SVD and Stanley “Estan” Cabigas, two photographers who are no strangers to heritage structures.

The University of San Carlos Press had contracted both to carry out the work in preparation for the possibility of publishing the images to help raise funds needed by the Diocese of Tagbilaran to restore, rehabilitate or even reconstruct damaged churches.

I hope the reader understands that it is quite difficult for me to praise the book, being its sole author, but I make no reservations that this is a book project I am proud to be identified with.

I will not forget the moments when we would run out of a church we were documenting after a strong aftershock would whip up a mini-dust storm inside, as had happened when we were in Loboc, Loay and Cortes. We later decided that one of us had to stay outside if the others were inside, so that at least the one outside could call for help in case of emergency, as it were.

All told, 26 churches and convents, their historical development and unique features, are presented in the book.

These 26 constitute the main bulk of heritage churches– those built during the Spanish and American colonial periods and have relatively retained much of their material and artistic integrity—that were impacted by the earthquake.

Because this book project was conceived about two months before the earthquake struck, it was decided that pre-tremor images of the churches and their interiors had to be interspersed with the damage they endured.

And this is where stock photos taken by the two were useful, as well as one by our good friend Carlos Apuhin, the assistant vice-president of the Bank of the Philippine Islands who manages its Mango Avenue branch, who thankfully took shots of Loboc’s interiors during a wedding.

Finally, the earlier and very detailed work carried out by my good friend Regalado “Ricky” Trota Jose of documenting each of the parish churches of Bohol into the book, “Visita Iglesia Bohol,” was a tremendous help that cut months or even years of research that would have gone into the text of this book. Fittingly, Ricky also took time out of his busy schedule in Manila by not only writing the Foreword to this book but also copyediting the proofs.

The launching on Monday also coincides with a weeklong exhibition of 35 select photos from the book courtesy of Canon Philippines and Ayala Center Cebu with His Eminence Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal and Ms. Petite Garcia, president of Arts Council Cebu Inc., as guests of honor.

Note that a separate launch will be held in Tagbilaran with Island City Mall as presenter sometime in the middle of September. Plans are afoot for other launchings in the United States but that is a bit vague for the moment.

For more details about how to purchase a copy, kindly call Juliet Vicada at Tel. 2300 100 loc. 170 and Tina Bernil at 2300 100 loc. 290. You may also email

[email protected] or [email protected] for reservations and other details. Copies will also be available at the exhibition area until August 31.

Let me thank my dear friend Mayen Angbetic-Tan and Mariz of Arts Council Cebu and Marie Christine Ilagan of USC College of Engineering for pulling all stops to ensure that the launch this Monday will be an overwhelming success.