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The Samboan church facade. Samboan is arguably known best for its multiple waterfalls but this small town in South Cebu also has its share of well-preserved heritage structures  from the Spanish colonial era. Three of them are clustered within short walking distance from each other, with the parish church as focal point. St Michael the Archangel Church Made primarily of coral stone, this 19th century church saw some restoration efforts in recent years after it was partially damaged by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the provinces of Cebu and Bohol back in October 2013. As a result, the stones look new although it's encouraging to see moss growth in some spots already. This, along with the ferns and other plants sprouting from crevices in the church's facade, should help bring back the structure's old, weathered look soon. Just a few years ago, even the walls inside the church have moss growing on them . Now they're squeaky clean.

The full moon (well, almost) rising early over the Boljoon church. It was Palm Sunday, in Roman Catholic tradition the start of the Holy Week. We missed the last mass and the church doors were already closed, but the plaza outside was still pulsating with life--kids playing, people strolling, a couple of others on either bicycles or motorcycles, and food vendors attending to customers. What a lovely scene, I thought. Envious of photos Kwittiegirl had shown me before from her past trip to Boljoon , I've been meaning to visit this town in South Cebu for about three years now. Darkness was just around the corner, so we proceeded to at least go around the old church and save the interiors for another day.

A streak of gold illuminates the base of the Mayon Volcano, adding further drama to the already dramatic scenery. It's a sight I probably would never grow tired of. From the moment I first saw her from our bus's window more than a decade ago, and through the years up to now, the Mayon Volcano has always fascinated me. Yes, she's often referred to as a lady, as she is Daragang Magayon of legend. A few weeks ago I had another chance at beholding her sheer beauty. After two nights in Sorsogon City , we spent a third one in Legazpi City. There we hired a van to take us on a slightly freewheeling trip around town. And of course, seemingly everywhere we looked Mayon was there, standing mighty and proud with its near-perfect cone.

The little angel is bored, waiting for the Flores de Mayo service to start. Last May, after enjoying the lure of eco-tourism in Aloguinsan , checking out the heritage richness of Boljoon , and then making a quick stop at the town of Oslob , My Bibe and company also dropped by the church at Samboan . Samboan is a fifth class municipality with its own share of history and is home to a couple of waterfalls and a marine sanctuary. My Bibe wasn't really able to check any of these out, just the church. Nevertheless I had a peek into this town's simple yet arguably charming life through her Instagram photos.

Seeing those images of Bohol and Cebu's old churches destroyed , I understand that after expressing their horror and sadness, people are suddenly filled with an air of nostalgia about past trips to Bohol, particularly to these once-glorious heritage structures. I'm no different, but I realized how little attention I actually gave to these churches. Of the churches affected, I've only been to Baclayon (although I've seen the Loboc Church but never went inside). Oh yes, regrets. And more so because I've only managed one decent photo of her: The Baclayon Church belfry, as viewed from the back near the convent area. That was in April 2005 and I haven't even been able to photograph the church! It's just the belfry, which topmost portion had since collapsed. I have a couple of indoor shots but since I was just carrying a lowly Kodak KB-10 point-and-shoot at the time, the prints were dark and simply terrible. I was, however, able to snap a few low-res shot...

Yesterday's magnitude 7.2 earthquake sure jolted the nation. Amid all the photos and clips we saw of people scampering for safety, heartbreaking evacuations, and of the resultant destruction, it was hard to ignore the images of centuries-old Catholic churches in Bohol and Cebu that either sustained major damage or were simply reduced to rubble. Truly one doesn't realize how important something is until it's gone. I never really cared much for such heritage structures before and it was only recently that I started developing some interest in them. However faint that interest is, at least I'm starting to point my camera at them. While I'm relieved to learn that the old churches in Siquijor are intact, including the one with the wooden floor in Lazi , regret is the only thing I feel with regard to the ones in Bohol, some of which I've never even seen. I found this collage of before and after photos of these churches from Facebook, which is just hearbreaking....

After seeing Lazi's San Isidro Labrador church , it was time to see the church of St. Francis of Assisi right smack in the town of Siquijor near the pier. The church's facade. Another colonial-era structure, the church was built beginning 1793 and was completed only in 1831 . And as with most structures of that era, the St. Francis of Assisi church was made up mostly of coral stone.

See related posts: Backpacking in Siquijor Kiwi Dive Resort: Where 'The Backpacker' stayed in Siquijor Around Siquijor in a day I've had the chance to see two of Siquijor's oldest churches during my trip there last month. I'm not really a heritage site fanatic but I'm appreciative enough of such architecture, as I've realized in my earlier trip to Bacolod ( see here and here ). The San Isidro Labrador parish church in the town of Lazi was the first old church I entered in the island-province. I wasn't really planning on seeing it but my guide suggested I take a look because it had a hardwood floor. Well, I've never heard of a colonial-era church with wooden flooring before, so it was enough to pique my interest. Built in 1884 under the supervision of the Augustinian Recollects, the church used coral stone and hardwood. It has two pulpits but is best characterized by its hardwood flooring. On July 2001, the church complex, which, I ...