Vice Gov. Rene L. Relampagos
Eight years after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Bohol causing heavy devastation including the very old Our Lady of Light Parish or the Nuestra Señora de la Luz Parish in Loon, the church was finally restored and turned over on Tuesday, September 7, 2021.
Joining the religious faithful and fellow Loonanons in the celebration was Vice Governor Rene Lopez Relampagos. He expressed his profound gratitude for the fulfillment of a long-awaited dream, to finally see the beautiful church reconstructed and restored.
Relampagossaid that more than P800 million was allocated to reconstruct and restore the historical churches in Bohol, including Loon’s parish church.
As then-Congressmen of the first district, together with now Gov. Art Yap, who was then the third district congressman, both of them supported to allocate budget for the restoration of destroyed structures in Bohol, including Bohol’s historical centuries-old churches.
Likewise, Relampagos was thankful to the previous administrations, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) who worked hard in order to fulfill the plan to reconstruct the church.
Based on reports, the restoration was carefully planned and studied in order to restore the church to its original form.
There was a deliberate effort to consider the preservation of the historical and cultural identity of the said church.
The restoration was a monumental task where international restoration experts came here and provided inputs to the plan.
Accordingly, the success of the restoration project was accredited to the strong and collective partnership of the Catholic Church, National Government, and the various Local Chief Executives.
In his address, Relampagos said the church was not only a place of worship, but also a part of Bohol’s identity. He added that the image of the Our Lady of Light that remained unscathed amidst the ruins of the church after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in 2013 lifted the Boholanos’ faith that helped the people overcome the challenges brought by the calamity.
Relating to the present situation, Relampagos reminded everyone to hold on to his/her faith amidst the difficulties brought about by the pandemic.
“Today, we face a different set of adversities and challenges brought by Covid 19. But I hope that today, as we witness the turnover and acceptance of the rebuilt Our Lady of Light Parish Church, we are reminded to remain grounded to our faith amidst difficulties. Faith fuels us to be a helping hand whether it is simply choosing to be vaccinated, observing minimum health protocols, organizing a donation drive, or avoiding fake news and misinformation,” Relampagos said.
Meanwhile, the Church of Our Lady of Light Parish in Loon was declared by the NMP as a National Cultural Treasure and among the heritage structures damaged by the 2013 earthquake.
Also present during the celebration were Rene R. Escalante, Chairperson of the NHCP, Jeremy Barns, Director General of the NMP, Cong. Edgar Chatto, board members, Bishop Alberto Uy, clergy, municipal and barangay officials of Loon.