Three teams have been formed to probe into the fire that destroyed the 400-year-old Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol Church in Vinzons.
By JONAS CABILES SOLTES
DAET: Daet Bishop Gilbert Garcera formed
his own fact-finding team “to know the real cause” of the fire that destroyed
the 400-year-old Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol Church in Vinzons, CamNorte on
Dec 26, even after hearing the side of the parish priest of the burnt church.
The one formed by the diocese is the
third fact-finding team organized to investigate the burning of the church
built by Franciscan priests on 1611 and has since become an important
historical landmark.
Earlier, the municipal government of
Vinzons and the provincial government of CamNorte also conducted their own
investigations.
Bishop Garcera said Fr Francisco Regala,
parish priest of Vinzons, told him that faulty electrical wiring in the old
convent was the cause of the fire.
“But I will wait for the official
findings of the Bureau of Fire Protection,” Garcera said.
The bishop also asked Regala to submit a
written “blow-by-blow” account of what happened that led to the burning of the
church.
“It could be an accident. But it could
have been also because of negligence,” he said.
He said his fact-finding team would also
determine whether Regala had liability.
“If the cause was faulty electrical
wiring, then why had no one fixed it?” he said.
On Tuesday, Garcera met townsfolk to
know their sentiments.
“I have heard only the side of
[Fr. Regala]. He’s the one that
keeps on talking. I want to know what the people have to say,” he said.
He said he had been receiving reports
that there could be foul play.
“I would know it from the people,
especially if they would be consistent on what they say,” he said.
Garcera said Regala would continue
performing his priestly duties but most administrative works would be taken
care of by the Diocese.
He also assured parishioners that all
documents were intact and safe as all records had been transferred to a new building even
before the fire.
“The practice is to save the Blessed
Sacrament and all the church documents in case of fire,” he said.
The old convent where the fire
supposedly started did not have the records as it had been used as a stockroom
for Church giveaways, he said.
Garcera said rebuilding would start when
townsfolk were not anymore angry and grief-stricken.
He said he would let expert asses if what remained of
the church after the fire was
still structurally sound. Otherwise, the bishop said, the ruins would be
condemned.
He said the church was very important
because of its centuries of existence.
“It predates the devotion to Our lady of
Peñafrancia, the patroness of Bicol,” he said.
The burnt church along with that of
Paracale and Daet was the oldest in Camarines Norte and had remained relatively
unchanged since its construction, Garcera said.
He admitted that reconstruction would
take time especially because he wanted “every townsfolk to have participation
on the rebuilding.”
But he said he would welcome donations,
which, according to him, should be directed to him and not to the parish.
In a phone interview, Regala said he was
not sure if the fire originated from faulty electrical connection in the old
convent.
He said he just woke up smelling
something burning, only to discover flames at the old convent.
He said he immediately rushed to the fire
station of Vinzons but the firemen came late. “I was disappointed by the
response,” he said. – Bicol Mail
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