Earthquake rocks cultural history
Tourists sidestep debris in Vigan after a magnitude 7.0 damages heritage homes. (Photo: CNN Philippines)
As of August 2, the National Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) estimated the cost of damage caused by the July 27 earthquake that hit Northern Luzon to be at P1.2 billion. The NDRRMC earlier stated that the Ilocos Region’s infrastructures sustained the most damage, followed by the Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley.
These regions are home to some of the oldest churches and natural treasures in the Philippines, many of which show off Spanish colonial era architecture. In Ilocos Sur, sites like the Vigan Cathedral and the Syquia House are part of a UNESCO World Heritage declaration issued to the entire city. The 431-year old Bantay Belltower served as a lookout for Ilokanos to alert the town of enemy presence. It was also the filming site for Fernando Poe Jr.’s Ang Panday. Abra’s Tayum Church is a 19th-century Baroque church that is beloved by locals and tourists alike for its expansive layout and Baroque style.
All of these and more were reported by local authorities to have been affected heavily by the earthquake from falling bricks, facade cracks, to almost total collapse. The Gabriela Carino Silang Gallery of Fine Arts in Abra already announced their permanent closure due to the damages sustained. Many other sites were closed to visitors for assessment and to prepare for aftershocks.
Learning from experience
Technical teams from National Commission for Culture and the Arts, National Historical Commission, National Museum, National Archives, and National Library are in Northern Luzon this week to evaluate the damage to these heritage sites and estimate the cost of repair and restoration.
“Until our team gets there, that’s our appeal – to set aside the debris somewhere safe and not throw them. We have instructions to heritage advocates to secure the important cultural properties.” said Rene Escalante, the head of the NCAA.
Escalante is confident that complete restorations will be possible in five years. After the 2013 Bohol earthquake that was shortly followed by Supertyphoon Yolanda left Central and Eastern Visayas churches and sites in ruin, the government allocated P1 billion for restoration funds and a timeline of 10 years to repair damages. If given a lump sum of the same value again, Escalante believes they will be able to restore the heritage sites. Initial reports in Northern Luzon point to being less severe than those in Bohol when entire structures collapsed.
The reason the NCAA needs to request for funding is because none of the cultural heritage agencies do not have emergency calamity funds allocated in their budgets.
But another concern arises for these agencies: Legalities. Many of the buildings that reported damage are private property, like the heritage houses along Calle Real and Calle Crisologo in Vigan. The NCAA must prioritize funding the repairs of heritage buildings that are in most need, rather than those who are owned by staff and families who can afford to privately fund repairs.
“We need guidance from our lawyers because we know we cannot appropriate public funds for private property,” said Escalante. The NCAA is in consultation with the Office of the Solicitor-General for advice on the situation.
Restore vs. modernize
As they work on restorations, cultural agencies are challenged to make improvements on the structures to preserve national history. But how far can they go with it?
After the Notre-Dame in Paris caught fire in 2019, repairs have been undertaken to rebuild the cathedral. Critics were wary of the proposals that they described as “kitsch” for prioritizing visitor experience over retaining original French Gothic design. The more modern look is in line with the 2024 reopening, the same year of the Paris Olympics.
“The church is 2,000 years old — it is an old lady,” Didier Rykner, the editor in chief of the art magazine La Tribune de l’Art said. “It has a history that we must respect, that today’s people cannot erase with a stroke of the pen.”
Some of the proposals included moving statues of saints to chapels, replacing a 19th-century spire, and installing removable pews inside the church.
Cultural construction is also expected to evolve alongside modern society. Spain’s Sagrada Familia is the subject of regular protests because apartments now stand where a park and staircase were intended to go. Tourism to the Sagrada Familia is a massive player in Barcelona but local neighborhood associations have complained that building dues have not been paid.
There are success stories of course. Several neighborhoods in South Korea are hanok villages or traditional Korean houses. In areas like Ikseon-dong and the Bukchon Hanok Village, these old homes become restaurants, cafes, and shops for people to enjoy when they feel overwhelmed by the high-rise buildings of Seoul.
The NCAA is certain that Northern Luzon’s cultural sites will rise again. But will they be the same? For heritage workers, it’s not only a matter of weather and calamity-proofing old buildings. It’s also a balancing act of preserving what once was and deciding what needs to go—and if the loss will be worth it for generations to come.
