BANGON BOHOL

The clergy wore purple vestments. The church adorned as such, hiding its cracks. The first of four candles was lit. The  first Sunday of Advent was hailed and celebrated by a throng of faithful gathered on a sunny morning at the St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

Weeks after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated the province, the cathedral, partly-damaged by the strong tremor is once again fulfilling its purpose – a cradle of hope and cornerstone of faith for humanity.

With renewed vigor and kindred spirit, Boholanos are slowly getting back to their feet. They  have not much time to sulk. Humbled, they realized that they are far more luckier and better off than the victims of  super typhoon Yolanda. In an instant, they stopped complaining about their ravaged houses and collapsed bridges. Their loss is nothing compared to those whose lives are now just part of Yolanda’s death toll.

Foreign and local aid  to the home of the Sandugo Festival and now, pulverized centuries-old churches are not as much as what Eastern Visayas is getting and receiving. The attention to the quake-stricken region has waned. Help, even  construction materials for damaged houses don’t come easy. But the people of Bohol are moving on and moving forward. Their ingenuity is at work to the fullest. They have started rebuilding their future and what’s left of their homes and lives. Modest houses made of ‘sawali’  (bamboo strips) are now taking over Bohol’s countryside landscape.

And the local government is glad.  Very glad in fact, that the national media has been taken off their back. For a time, they were worried of what has to become of Bohol’s tourism industry especially with the ‘sensationalized’ reporting on sinkholes that sent shivers to foreign and local tourists alike. 

But oftentimes, trials are the best opportunities to harness every bit of potential. Today, curiosity drives tourists even more to the famed chocolate hills.  Who would ever have imagined that its core would reveal  shells, white sand, limestone and other sea minerals. Bohol, many now say is undeniably a giant coral reef.

In his homily, the priest urged the faithful to take the tragedy as an opportunity to renew their faith. An opportunity to be of service to others. To be thankful of blessings big and small and to spend each moment on earth as if it is the last day of their lives.

Advent after all, is the  preparation for the second coming of Christ.

"When life knocks you to your knees, and it will, get up! If it knocks you to your knees again, as it will, 

then, it is the best position to pray"

 ~ Ethel Barrymore