IN A snap of a finger, the historic Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Vincent Ferrer in Bogo City was shaken to its core by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake, leaving its century-old walls marred with cracks and ruins scattered across the sanctuary.
Parish priest Fr. Ramon Ofredo told SunStar Cebu on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, that the severe shaking felt like someone put him inside a popcorn machine, with everything inside his room flying around.
He immediately checked the church when the shaking stopped, seeing the broken religious sculptures topple and the cracked walls that threw a century of history into chaos.
Amid the devastation, only one figure stood: a glass-encased image of San Vicente Ferrer remained a lone sentinel.
“Imagine, in 30 seconds, the church was destroyed to this extent. Sakit kaayo palandungon (It’s really painful to think about),” said Ofredo.
The 175-year-old church suffered at least P50 million in damage from the quake, adding to the losses after a P7 million renovation had been completed in September.
Ofredo said he has not received the results of the comprehensive assessment of the century-old church, stressing that evaluating its historical and aesthetic value takes longer than a standard structural report.
He added the comprehensive evaluation will determine whether the structure can be repaired or must be demolished.
Disruption
For the meantime, the church set up a tent at the front where priests temporarily hold holy masses.
During SunStar Cebu’s visit to the church on Saturday, the church held a wedding and a burial mass.
Ofredo said structural engineers from Manila, who inspected the church after the earthquake, informed him that masses cannot be held inside the structure for six months to a year due to the cracks it sustained.
“We cannot risk holding masses yet, because at any time, if there’s a strong aftershock, the church could collapse. If it doesn’t collapse, people might panic and cause a stampede. For security and safety reasons, we’ve decided to close the church,” said Ofredo.
Ofredo said financial resources for the restoration of the historic structure are limited.
He reported that the church has insurance coverage of only over P1 million, which is only enough to reconstruct a single pillar.
Church officials are hopeful that the National Historical Commission of the Philippines will extend assistance.
Despite the damage, the parish church expressed optimism about the future, stating that the strong faith of the Bogo community in San Vicente will help them rebuild.
“If something tragic happened, something even more beautiful can rise in its place,” said Ofredo. “We can make it even more beautiful in the coming years.”
For the people of Bogo, the church may be in ruins, but their faith is firmly intact, a living testament to resilience and hope in the face of disaster. / DPC