FINAL PREPARATIONS IN BOHOL FOR THE CBCP RETREAT AND PLENARY ASSEMBLY

            As part of the final preparations for the Bishop’s Retreat and National Consultation for Synodal Implementation, scheduled for June 30 to July 3 at the Bohol Tropics Resort in Tagbilaran and to be followed by the 130th CBCP Plenary Assembly in Anda, Bohol, Bishops Abet and Patrick requested a face-to-face meeting in Tagbilaran. We arrived in the city in the morning, and since the meeting was scheduled after lunch, I took the opportunity to visit the churches of Maribojoc and Loon. Both churches had been completely destroyed by the 2013 earthquake and were meticulously reconstructed by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2021 to match their original structures.

On the way to Loon, we also stopped at the Punta Cruz Watchtower, located between the towns of Maribojoc and Loon. This historic site is particularly remarkable because, during the 2013 earthquake, the coastline in the area was uplifted by 1.5 meters, exposing what was once an underwater reef and shifting the shoreline about 50 meters seaward.

In the evening, after our meeting, we visited the Sikatuna Mirror of the World and Botanical Garden.

St. Vincent Ferrer Shrine and Holy Cross Parish (F-1767)
Maribojoc, Bohol

It is hard to imagine how, in 2013, this church crumbled to the ground, leaving only the image of the Sacred Heart standing at the front.

Our Lady of Light Parish (F-1753)
Loon, Bohol

Punta Cruz Watchtower
Maribojoc, Bohol

 

According to locals, prior to the earthquake, the sea lay just beneath the watchtower. Today, it has receded approximately 50 meters seaward.

Sikatuna's Mirror of the World and Botanical Garden

Bp. Abet giving his remarks during the final preparatory meeting for the retreat and plenary of the bishops.