17th-century Ilagan church temporarily closed after fire

The St. Ferdinand Parish Church in Ilagan City, Isabela is temporarily closed after it was engulfed by a fire on Monday morning.

Weekday masses are suspended, while Sunday masses will be temporarily held at the Family Park, according to the church's administration.

The premise of the church is strictly restricted and secure as the Bureau of Fire Protection is still conducting Firefighting Operations (Overhauling) and investigation.

In a radio interview, Bishop David William Antonio of the Diocese of Ilagan thanked those who extended their help to the church.

Antonio hopes what happened to the parish will serve as a lesson to other churches to double-check their parishes especially now during the summer season.

"Ito po ay paalala na kailangang mag-ingat lalo na ngayon na mainit ang panahon at para sa amin din siguro sa simbahan, reminder din na kailangan double check sa lahat ng mga building namin, sa mga simbahan, mga kumbento, lalo na yung medyo may kalumaan na (This is a reminder that we need to be careful especially now that the weather is hot and maybe for us also in the church, it is also a reminder that we need to double check all our buildings, churches, convents, especially those that are big and old age)," he said.

"Kailangan talaga siguraduhin na safe lahat at dahil nga mahirap talaga pag nasunugan ka. So doble ingat, kung kailangan triple ingat (We really need to make sure that everything is safe because it's hard when you suffer from something like this. So be extra careful)," he added.

Antonio said a priest assembly will be held so that another similar incident can be prevented in the future.

"Sa lahat po ng mga kapatid natin sa parokya, alam ko na kayo rin po kayo nalulungkot pero magkaisa po tayo, we can rebuild this church. Magkaisa po tayo para baguhin po natin ito, gawin natin mas maganda, mas ligtas (To all our brothers and sisters in the parish, I know you are also sad but let's unite, we can rebuild this church. Let's unite to change it, make it better and safer)," he added.

According to local firefighters, the fire engulfed St. Ferdinand Parish Church at around 11:40 a.m. while its ceiling was being renovated.

The blaze was extinguished after an hour.

The parish became the diocese's first cathedral when Ilagan was established as a diocese in 1970.