Even the houses of God were not spared by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu late night on September 30, including a century-old church.
Videos and photos of church facades and interiors collapsing or partially damaged surfaced on social media in the aftermath of the earthquake.
The Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan, Cebu posted a series of photos that showed the damages it has incurred due to the tremors, including photos of a ceiling partially damaged and rubbles off its century-old walls.
The Daanbantayan church said that while there were damages to structures, its tabernacle and some religious images, such as the Image of Santa Rosa de Lima, Virgen del Carmen and the Immaculate Conception, were unscathed.
‘The image is wrapped around some unused plastic Bags for protection from heavy rains and dust,’ the church said about its Image of Santa Rosa de Lima in its Facebook post.
The Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima was built in 1886. The 139-year-old church is declared the first archdiocesan shrine in the Philippines dedicated to St. Rose of Lima in 2022.
The Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol in Bantayan, meanwhile, was captured in videos with its outer lights exploding and its facade with a cross breaking and falling apart. The church was completed in 1863. It was built with coral stones found on the island.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines has posted a seven-point guidance on how to safely move historic objects, which includes a reminder to check the safety and stability of the premises from the aftershocks and wearing protective gear.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS-DOST) said the earthquake’s epicenter was located at sea about 21 kilometers (10.5 miles) northeast of Bogo City.
The Cebu government has put the entire province under a state of calamity, with the death toll at 31 as of press time.