B is for...Bohol

BOHOL is emerging as one of the country’s top tourist destinations. And with good reason.

Bohol was believed to have been settled in the 1200s by Lutaos of northern Mindanao, who built a community of stilts between mainland Bohol and Panglao island. The settlement was subsequently abandoned because of raids by Portuguese marauders.

Fast forward to 1565, when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi came from Mexico – in the name of Spain – with four ships and about 400 men. With the help of his Malay pilot, Legazpi met with two local kings, Datu Sikatuna of Bool and Datu Sigala of Loboc. He assured them that he was not Portuguese, and that he came in peace. Whatever he said and however he said it, Legazpi convinced the kings of his peaceful intentions, and confirmed this with the famous blood compact – first with Sikatuna on March 16 – or 25, there is some confusion – 1565, and three days later with Sigala. There is also some issue on the site of the compact; there is monument along the coastal highway, but some locals told us the ritual actually took place on board Legazpi’s ship.

At any rate, Boholanos commemorate the event with the Sandugo Festival, held in June and not March, for practical reasons – there are more visitors, especially balikbayans, in June, since it is summer in the Western hemisphere, and it is, after all, a big tourist draw.

Also a big tourist draw are the enigmatic Chocolate Hills – 1,268 of them, uniform in shape and size, now in the running as one of the New Seven Wonders of the natural World (you can still vote online until Dec. 31 at www.new7wonders.com). Geologists have not quite figured out how these hills – green in the rainy season, brown or chocolate in the dry – came to be, but locals will gladly oblige with the legend (two giants fighting threw stones at each other) or the romance (a giant fell in love with a mortal maiden, who died, and the hills are his tears).

The hills are outcroppings of limestone, since about half of the province is covered with it and other non-metallic minerals like silica and clay. It is an industry that the provincial government is encouraging investments in.

Agriculture is another major invetsment area, since 60 percent (or 256,000 hectares) of the province’s total land area is arable. Major crops are rice, coconut, corn, mango and the signature local product, ube kinampay, a purple yam.

Brandied about very liberally these days – sometimes inappropriately – eco-tourism truly can apply to Bohol, to include also cultural and heritage tourism.

BEA JR. first came to Bohol in 2002, after moving back to Manila from Spain following the death of her husband in a plane accident. She was working with the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, and visited the ancestral houses of Baclayon, the province’s oldest town located next to the capital Tagbilaran.

“I was amazed at how well the houses were kept. But as I interacted with the people of Baclayon and I saw their way of life, their arts and crafts, I realized that not only the ancestral houses of Baclayon were intact – it was the entire culture,” she says.

“And then I learned that there was a plan to demolish those houses to give way to the widening of a highway,” she continues. “I learned that the highway was being widened to encourage tourism in the province. But I thought that demolishing the houses was like getting rid of important tourist attractions. So I started talking to the residents and to the provincial government, convincing them not to demolish the ancestral houses. Talking to them worked; so the houses stayed, and a highway was built in a different location.”

Thus began an amazing partnership. Bea Jr., together with Joel Uichico and the Ayala Foundation, has embarked on community development projects in two towns – Baclayon the mainland, and Dauis on Panglao island.

The conversion of some of Baclayon’s ancestral homes into transient homestays, cafes and bed-and-breakfasts for tourists has further enabled the community to preserve their heritage structures and simultaneously generate income from tourism.

Furthermore, the introduction of diving and adventure tours as an alternative to unsustainable fishing has benefitted not only local fishermen but also the environment. The boats of Pamilacan island’s fisherfolk have been converted into tour and diving boats, boosting tourism and providing alternative livelihood to the community.

The fishermen have also been trained as guides – and spotters, some of the best – for dolphin and whale watching tours. Microfinance loans are available to convert fishing boats to tour and diving boats. A multi-purpose cooperative in Pamilacan provides assistance to micro-entrepreneurs to go into tourism-related ventures like catering and massage services, and souvenir making.

The municipality of Dauis in Panglao island boasts of historical sites and white sand beaches. The colonial church of Dauis was the center of Marian pilgrimages in Bohol and now doubles as tourist center with a heritage themed banquet hall, a museum, a modern heritage-inspired cafe, and a souvenir shop that proudly showcases the crafts and artistry of the locals of Dauis and neighboring towns. The municipality’s jewelry tradition is being revived. Exquisite tamborins, peinetas and other jewelry based on traditional designs show fine craftsmanship and detailing.

“The province has everything,” Bea Jr. enthuses. “Natural beauty, rich culture, and a resilient and joyful people. There is so much to be proud of in the Boholano culture and way of life, which also includes dance, food, handicrafts and rituals. I admire the fact that tradition is an important component of the Boholano identity. In Bohol, you don’t need to look far to see beauty. There is an abundance of beauty not only in the environment but also in the people.”

BACLAYON became a parish in 1717, and the church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Concepcion was built in 1721 by the Jesuits, the second oldest stone church in the country (the oldest is San Agustin in Intramuros, built in 1571). The pipe organ was installed in 1824, and together with other instruments acquired by the church, established the tradition of liturgical music that was highlighted by the Misa Baclayanon in 1827.

Though there are no records of who built the organ, it is believed that Fr. Diego Cera, who built the famed Las Piñas Bamboo Organ, had a part in the construction of the Baclayon organ, since he was “prior vocal” to the parish since 1821.

The organ was subsequently forgotten and fell into disrepair. Fortunately, on a visit to Bohol early this year, Bea Jr.‘s sister Patsy and her husband Alonso Halffter saw the sad state of the organ, and Alonso pledged to restore it. So it was dismantled and its parts sent to Las Piñas to be worked on by Diego Cera Organ builders led by Cealwyn Tagle.

After months of careful work, the Baclayon pipe organ once again made music last Dec. 6, played by distinguished conductor and composer Maestro Cristobal Halffter and his wife, acclaimed pianist Maria Manuela Caro.

It was a red letter day for the town of Baclayon and its lovely people – and all of Bohol. Crowds filled the church, the churchyard and the surrounding areas, where the concert was shown on video walls set up outside the church.

For Maestro and Señora Halffter, the journey from Spain was a long and tiring one, and the steps up to the organ loft a perilous climb. But the elderly couple, with their generosity of spirit and immense love of music, filled the church – indeed, all of Bohol – with the wonderful sounds of music.

Certainly, Maestro Halffter has played on instruments of far better tonal quality, but as he said, “It is important for me to be here.”

It is important too for the people of Baclayon and of Bohol, proud of their heritage, proud to share it with visitors from near and far. And we can only add,

BRAVO!