TRAFFIC near the Basilica del Sto. Niño and the Magellan’s Cross was heavy yesterday during the visit of President Benigno Aquino III to the church and other heritage sites in the city that were rehabilitated after sustaining damage during the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in October 2013.
For security reasons, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) closed portions of Osmeña Blvd., particularly the corners of Jakosalem St., M.C. Briones St., Lapu-Lapu St. and Burgos St., or the City Hall square roads, starting at 2:30 p.m. yesterday.
The President attended the formal turnover of the church’s rehabilitated belfry along with priests and other basilica officials.
Some 20 traffic enforcers were deployed to supervise traffic in the area.
Because of the closure, heavy traffic was recorded for at least two hours in the detour routes like Magallanes St. going to the Carbon Public Market, said CCTO Operations Chief Jonathan Tumulak.
Tumulak said vehicles got stuck in the Carbon area because Calderon St. was earlier closed to traffic due to an ongoing road-concreting project.
Blessing
F. Gonzales St. was also not accessible.
Tumulak said two-way traffic was allowed in the Carbon area so vehicles, particularly public utility jeepneys, didn’t have to access closed roads near the basilica.
Immediately after the President’s convoy pulled out around 5 p.m., CCTO opened the closed roads.
Aquino and officials of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) formally turned over the Magellan’s Cross and the restored belfry of the Basilica del Sto. Niño to the Augustinian Friars of Cebu.
Before the turnover ceremony, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma blessed the two sites.
In his speech, Aquino said his administration has spent more than P200 million for the restoration.
Also restored were the Fort San Pedro, the Mactan Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City and old churches under the archdiocese.
The President said around P1.3 million was spent to restore and repair the basilica.
The NHCP also allocated P13.7 million to restore the belfry.
Around P22 million was also allocated to restore and repair the Fort San Pedro.
Aquino said the administration prioritized the repairs of damaged heritage sites due to their historical, cultural and tourism value.
He added that for this year, the national government prioritized 16 projects in Cebu that are supervised by the NHCP.
Fr. Harold Rentoria, chairman of the Commission on Augustinian Heritage, told reporters that it took more than three years to restore damaged historical sites under their care.
Rentoria said they needed to conduct detailed engineering studies and inventory on damaged structures; retrieve, label and safekeep stones and other artifacts; and even, coordinate with various affected stakeholders, including historians.
No shortcuts were made to make the process of restoration faster as it needed thorough study before it could be done, Rentoria added.