Fr. Jonas Mejares, rector of the basilica del Sto Niño looks at the progress of the restoration work of the Basilica Bell tower that was destroyed during the 7.2 earth quake which marks its 1st year anniversary.(CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
It was a memory best left forgotten.
But for Fr. Jonas Mejares, O.S.A., the killer quake that struck Bohol and Cebu provinces exactly a year ago today wasn’t at all bad.
“It has opened our eyes to the many realities of life,” said Mejares, rector of the centuries-old Basilica Minore del Santo Niño whose coral stone belfry was toppled during the 7.2-magnitude earthquake on Oct. 15, 2013.
“It was a wake up call, a reminder that everything in this world is passing. The houses and infrastructures you painstakingly build for years can vanish in a matter of seconds. There is nobody more than God,” he added.
At 8 a.m. today, Mejares will preside over a mass at the basilica’s outdoor pilgrim center to commemorate the powerful earthquake that struck at 8:12 a.m. last year.
A mass will also be offered at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral for the souls of those who perished in the earthquake.
Amid the gloom, Fr. Mejares said there are reasons to thank God.
“We’re so blessed. For me, it was a miracle that no one got killed when the belfry crumbled. You know how many people gather infront of the basilica everyday. Until the rubble was removed, I could not believe that no one was badly hurt,” Mejares said.
The basilica has been closed to the public since then but daily masses continue at the pilgrim center.
Pre-restoration activities, which include the installation of scaffoldings, braces and shoring to shield the people from falling debris and to protect the structure itself from further damage, are in progress under close superivison of the Agustinian fathers and the National Historical Commision of the Philippines (NHCP).
The big challenge now is to restore the belfry, the crowning glory of the basilica which was completed in 1740.
In 2015, the Agustinian fathers, which supervise the basilica, will celebrate the 450th year of the finding of the Sto. Niño image in the ruins of a village in Cebu, the presence of the Agustinian friars in the Philippines, and the 50th anniversary of the church’s title as a “minor basilica” designated by the Vatican.
Fr. Mejares said restoring the basilica’s belfry is not likely to be completed in time for the grand celebration next year.
The basilica is home of the image of the Sto. Nino de Cebu which was given as a gift by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to Cebu’s Queen Juana in 1521.
The current structure was built in 1735 and completed in 1740.
At the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Msgr. Ruben Labajo said they are 80 percent done with the restoration works.
Aside from the basilica and the cathedral, the Oct. 15 earthquake likewise damaged the Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish in Pardo, Cebu City; St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish in Carcar, the San Guillermo de Aquitania Parish in Dalaguete, and the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel in Argao town.
Also damaged were the Nuestra Senora del Pilar Parish in Sibonga, the St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Samboan, the Nuestra Senora de Patrocinio Parish in Boljoon, St. Francis de Assisis Parish in Dumanjug, Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Daanbantayan, as well as the Sta. Rosa de Lima Parish in Daanbantayan.