Bewitching Bohol

(Part 1)

"Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast, you also miss the sense of where you are going and why." – Eddie Cantor

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A gem of an island. The last frontier.

These were just two of the intriguing descriptions we heard about the province of Bohol, whose pictures were also so enticing, so promising, that we allowed ourselves to be lured from our urban "caves" and hie off to behold this famed Visayan island.

Day 1

Upon landing smoothly in Cebu on board Philippine Airlines, my excited colleagues Roselle Rebano, Bong Palma Gil and I, and Lalaine Gagelonia of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), were welcomed by engineer Ronnie Ortega of the Cebu PTA office. PTA’s kindhearted GM, Nixon Kua, arranged our trip and made sure our every comfort was met.

We had a hearty breakfast at the elegant Waterfront Hotel before proceeding to the vast terminal of Super Cat Ferry. Philippine Fast Ferry Corp. SVP and GM Ramon Villordon Jr. entertained us before we boarded our ferry. A VIP room on the upper deck was allotted to us by the affable Capt. Grant Barete who also enjoined us to "eat all you can!" We certainly did!

To burn some of the accumulated calories, we walked on the bridge from where we watched the boat slice through the waves, bringing us farther and farther from Cebu. The Super Cat was so impressive we hardly noticed the minutes ticking by! Sadly, we found out that Super Cat will soon have a rival company–to be named Super Pussy... Cat.

In less than two hours, we entered the Tagbilaran City port. Chito Vaño and Judy Quiachon of the Bohol Tourism Office greeted us with unique leis of tarsier miniatures. They brought us to Villa Alzhun Tourist Inn, where–you guessed it!–we ate yet again!

As you well know, eating can be tiring. After two large helpings of lunch, we were ready to doze off, so we went straight away to our respective resorts: the Alona Palm Beach owned by Marcel and Angie Brunner, and Panglao Island Nature Resort.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover on our first night in Panglao Island Nature Resort that its owners, Fred and Babs Ong, were former clients of mine at Mever Films! So, as we feasted on an incomparable bounty of mouthwatering seafood and with a duo serenading us, we reminisced about the good old days and great movies well into the night.

Day 2

Our countryside tour kicked off at the Blood Compact Monument in Brgy. Bool, Tagbilaran. The name Bohol is supposedly derived from Bool, the site of the 1565 treaty of friendship between the native chieftain Datu Sikatuna and Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. National Artist Napoleon Abueva, a Boholano, sculpted the impressive, life-size brass statues.

We learned more about Bohol’s rich culture and history as we beheld Baclayon Church, the oldest church in the province. Its neo-classic stone structure was completed in 1727, but the Jesuits organized the Christian community in the area way back in 1596.

As we traveled on the well-paved highway from one town to the next, we glimpsed more of the centuries-old churches, museums and houses whose walls were weathered by time. Our third stop, the Clarin Ancestral House, was built in 1840 and declared a heritage house by the National Historical Institute. Its coral stone foundation supports walls of indigenous wood and a nipa roof. Being in something so ancient made me feel so young!

To further rejuvenate ourselves, we cruised in a boat on the unpolluted, 12-km. Loboc River. The nostalgic songs of a musician playing the guitar enhanced the gurgling of the river as we journeyed upstream, past mini waterfalls, thick ferns and hanging branches. A sumptuous buffet of barbecue, seafood, fruits and salads awaited us at the Loboc Riverview Restaurant. After being received well by restaurateurs Tess Labunog and Nick Matias, we discovered we were in for another treat, this time from the Loboc Children’s Choir. The group, composed of pupils aged eight to 12, rendered 10 compositions, began with religious songs like Our Father and Ave Maria. Under the baton of Alma Taldo, the kids were eager and exceptional, but they won my heart when they sang my all-time favorite, When You Wish Upon A Star. It was then that I knew, deep inside, why this choir is a three-time champion of the National Music Competition for Young Artists.

With the Disney song humming over and over in my head, we then proceeded by van to Bohol’s most famous attraction and National Geological Monument, the Chocolate Hills. They look cute in pictures, but up close, they are breathtaking! For one, did you know that there are 1,268 of these hills, straddling three towns? In summer, the grass covering these limestone hills dry up and turn brown, transforming them into big chocolate kisses dropped from heaven!

We traveled for an hour, meandering through the awesome artery of a man-made mahogany forest. It’s a project initiated by the DENR 50 years ago, which goes to show how environmentally-conscious Boholanos were even then.

At four o’clock, we arrived at the Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary. Measuring no more than 10 cm., the tarsier is one of the smallest living primates. Yes, it’s so small that even with our thick glasses, we couldn’t see one. Unfortunately, the sanctuary guides had already gone home for the day, so there’s no one to help us look for the tiny creatures.

What would you do if faced with such frustration? Eat! So we heaped our plates on a night out in Tagbilaran’s Bohol Tropics Resort, whose Club J provides the only night life in the city. There John Geesnel Yap II, COO (as in child of the owner), encouraged us to eat more spoonfuls. (To be continued)