Bishop Abet, NMP Dir General lead

turn-over of restored Loboc Church

CORTES, Bohol. May 15 (PIA) – Exactly six years and seven months after the parishioners of the Loboc cried in anguish seeing the ugly pile or rubles which was what was left of their church, the faithful now would have the first chance to step into the church, newly restored in its past grandeur.

No less than Diocese of Tagbilaran Bishop Alberto S. Uy and National Museum of the Philippine Director General Jeremy Barns along with Rev. Fr. Al John Miñoza would lead the exultant community in the turn-over and acceptance of the restored church, the unveiling of the National Cultural Treasure marker and the Dedication and Consecration of the Parish Church in ceremonies, May 16, during the pontifical mass, May 16 2021.

Built sometime later by the Jesuit pioneering missionaries after a fire gutted the 1602 structure, the present restored church is an incorporated structure in what is believed to be the second church built in town, the second being the main fabric of the present-day convent.

The church, which is also the Diocesan Shrine of the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Extremadura, figured prominently in the history of Bohol, and as considered the least vulnerable to pirate raids, Spanish authorities established here which contributed largely to the hailed renaissance in Bohol.

Erected along the banks of the Loboc River, the stone church of Jesuit provenance has had enough share of structural challenges: it built on muddy foundations and the constant flooding of the Loboc River.

Already elevated from its previous flooring to sit above the floods, the alterations proved to be hugely useless when the floods in the later years reached water levels that were unprecedented.

To keep the foundations from getting affected by the floods, church authorities have to introduce some redesigns in the church and opened side doors to facilitate the draining of the floods, while the community who take refuge in the three-story convent waited it out for the waters to subside.

A church is also associated with key religious figures like Alonzo Humanes, Miguel de Ayatomo and Pedro Calungsod, Loboc, the church has become a Jesuit and Augustinian recollect mission centers in the region, considering that the Augustinian Superior General himself Aquilino Bon was buried here.

Owing to the Pax Romana which its missionaries experienced here, the people have also used the opportunity to learn the rudiments and master the craft of music, further bolstering the claim as the music capital of Bohol.

Considered to be the second oldest Spanish-designed church in Bohol, the Loboc Church did not escape the tremor of the October 2013 earthquake that caused waterlogged areas in the southwestern Bohol to ripple, toppling if not compromising the structures of most of the infrastructure here.

Last October 15, 2013, parishioners who were gathered at the Plaza kiosk for the 3 PM mass disclosed their fears, that the ruined centuries old church would cost millions in restoration, one they could not raise even in decades.

Unknown to many of them, the church’s declaration by the NMP as National Cultural Treasure (NCT) binds the government to fund its restoration.

The restored church, which religiously followed the design and structure if the old church is now a fortified megastructure that would reopen, in time for the first day novena for the feast day of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Extremadura, May 25. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)

NEWLY RESTORED. Loboc Church of Saint Peter the Apostle would be turned over to local authorities by National Museum Director General Jeremy Barns. The restoration project, which allowed authorities to fortify the church foundations, was a dream for Loboc parishioners who knew theyt could hardly raise enough funds in decades to raise back the church back to its glory. (rahchiu/pia-7/Bohol)

LOBOC PARISIONERS LOOK IN DISBELEIF. The afternoon of October 13, six year ago, parishioners wept knowing they could not afford to rebuild and restore their church, with the main façade reduced to an ugly pile of rubbles. (Rahchiu/PIA7/Bohol)

TURN-OVER OF DOCUMENTS. Now tasked with the responsibility for the upkeep and the preservation of the newly restored heritage church, Bohol Bishop Alberto Uy and local officials vowed to help each other in making this national cultural treasure last for generations. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

Bohol logs 83.64% COVID-19 recovery rate

CORTES, Bohol, May 15 (PIA) -- Since March 16, 2020 to date, a total of 3,327 Boholanos have contracted COVID-19, according to reports from the Bohol Inter Agency task Force (BIATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease.

Of the total, 2,783 have recovered from the viral disease, putting the recovery rate at 83.64 percent, the same reports showed.

In a year and two months, 45 people died, with an average rate of 3.21 deaths in a month, based on the COVID-19 Daily Monitoring Report dated May 14, 2021.

From May 7 to May 15, the report showed four deaths, two of which happened in one day (May 12).

That same week, too, showed a decreasing trend of active cases.

Form 764 cases on May 7, the number of active cases showed a decrease, with the recent active cases on May 14 only at 499.

The week showed a daily decrease rate of 37 cases on the average based on the 764 and 499 figures provided by the BIATF.

Although the week also showed still a bigger figure for those who contracted the disease but they remain asymptomatic, while the number of individuals who were infected and showed symptoms increased to 40 percent.

Of the 40 percent, less than one percent of these patients are manifesting severe symptoms, while the rest have shown moderate or mild symptoms.

Nearly 60 percent of those who are infected with the virus do not show any symptoms. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

DON EMILIO DEL VALLE VACCINATION TEAM. DEDVMH display strong support to the vaccination campaign as the roll-out comes to Ubay. Do not be among the statistics that act as fodder for the fear that is spreading. Get vaccinated as fast as the chances come. Vaccination plus keeping religiously on to the health protocols can provide that protection one needs. (PIABOHOL)

Bohol set to start COVID-19 vax 

for senior citizens in masterlist

CORTES, Bohol, May 15 (PIA) – Bohol is set to start its COVID-19 vaccination for senior citizens who are in the masterlist comprising Priority Group A2.

Across the region’s four provinces, 22,499 senior citizens have been given their first dose of the vaccine that is expected to give enough protection for the elderly which comprise the biggest slice in the morbidity pie of those affected by the disease.

This constitutes 3.7 percent of the total number of senior citizens in the Central Visayas masterlist as submitted by the provincial authorities of the region’s four provinces.

Of the 22,499 individuals given the first jab, 297 of them have completed their second dose of the vaccines, the same report states.

Some 325 of these senior citizens in the region received AstraZeneca, while the 22,499 as reported above received Sinovac as their first dosage of the vaccine.

According to health authorities, one has to get the same vaccine received in the first dose.

It should be given not less than 28 days or four weeks after the first Sinovac jab and 4-12 weeks after the first AstraZeneca jab.

The region has 527,229 senior citizens in the overall masterlist from Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, data from the National COVID-19 Vaccine Operation Center (NCVOC) revealed.

In its report dated May 12, 2021, the NCVOC also shared that across the country, they have received a masterlist of 7,878,805 senior citizens.

As to the region’s priority group A1, or those healthcare workers in the frontline, 119,904 of the 1,550,758 or roughly 77.26 percent have been vaccinated of the first dose and some for the second dose as of May 13, 2021.

Some 88,380 have been given their first jab care of the Sinovac, while the remaining 31,524 have been given AstraZeneca, according to the same report.

Of these, 41,121 frontline medical health workers have completed their second dose of Sinovac, as those who have taken the Astrazeneca on their first dose would need a much longer time to get the second dose.

In the country, 385,904 individuals with comorbidities and 8,923 frontline personnel in essential sectors, both in public and private sectors, were given the vaccines.

They comprise priority Group A3 and A4, according to the national vaccine rollout plan.

Of these, 212,381 individuals with comorbidity (A3) and 192 frontline personnel in essential sectors (A4) both in public and private sectors in the country have already completed their two-dose Sinovac vaccine regimen.

Of the same date, with the arrival of Gamaleya’s Sputnik and Pfizer’s vaccines, 14,967 individuals working in the health and medical services have been given Sputnik while 3,830 individuals were given Pfizer vaccines, all of them in the National Capital Region.

In Bohol, authorities at the Provincial Health Office reported the receipt of 44,740 Sinovac vaccines, completing the inoculations for 32,625 and 21,280 Astrazeneca vaccines for 5,297 Boholano frontliners.

Over 32,000 medical and healthcare frontliners are also in the list to be vaccinated to get them complete protection from the disease. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)