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The joys of travelling by sea
2008-01-13 07:55:00
The Presidential yacht. Manila Hotel at dusk. Manila from the sea. One Superferry to another. A traveller's reflections. View on top.
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White sands of Candabong, Anda, Bohol
2008-01-07 06:26:00
No doubt it was the highlight of our vacation in Bohol . Last December 30, we trooped from the mountains of Sudlon, Alicia, Bohol, where my wife hails, to the enchanting white sands of Candabong, Anda , a nearby town, for a cool Rizal Day splash.The beach was public. We paid absolutely nothing to get in. The sand was creamy white and not artificial, unlike those in other private resorts in the province. At the farthest end of the semi-oval stretch of white sand is a small rock/island shaped like a soldier's helmet. Along the shore were lines of boats and huts lying idly, as if time has stopped in that corner of the world.When we arrived (at around 9am) there was nobody there. We had the whole place to ourselves. When my 5-year old son saw the place, he smiled all the way up to his ears. Then he plunged and spent the whole day on the water. A few other groups arrived later, but there was still plenty of space run around. In fact, there was plenty of space to do our barbecue and some c...
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Alumbung Tropical Living
2007-12-17 17:53:00
Hopefully, this will be the first of many. I have recently started a survey on hotels, resorts, inns and pension houses in Bohol with the hope of getting more personalized information from them regarding their places. First to respond is Bob of Alambung Tropical Living located in Panglao. His responses clearly exemplify the kind of hospitality they offer.The place is named after their Lumbungs, traditional native Balinese rice barns which they have constructed with Filipino touch. The place is located in Danao, Panglao Bohol, and within five-minute walk to the sea and a two-minute ride to the famous Alona Beach. For inquiries, visit their website at www.alumbungbohol.com or email info@alumbungbohol.com. What's your place like? We have 2 villas and 1 cottage only, a small private place perfect for relaxing in a beautiful tropical garden. What are the accommodation options and how affordable are the rates? Villa rate for 2 persons is 1700 Php starting February 1st, 1500 Php until ...

The Bard from Bohol IV
2007-12-13 16:32:00
First | Second | Third | LastIn the national elections of 1961, Garcia was defeated by then Vice-President Diosdado Macapagal. In 1971, he was again elected, this time as one of the delegates of the Province of Bohol to the 1971 Constitutional Convention. On June 14, 1971, or three (3) days after he was elected President of the Convention, he died at the age of 74 due to a fatal heart attack.Garcia’s wisdom continues to inspire many of us. “Life is what you make it”, was his guiding philosophy. According to him "with the necessary consequences of your good deeds, you build the ladder through whose rungs you climb to sublime destiny, you build the dungeon of your own life’s imprisonment or bondage. There is no escape from the universal law of cause and effect. You always reap what you sow."Studies of the works of Plato, Aristotle, Bacon, Cervantes, Ingersoll, Vargas Villa, among others, laid the foundations of Garcia’s life and shaped his path as a public official and as...

The Bard from Bohol III
2007-12-13 16:26:00
First | Second | Third | LastGarcia’s administration is most remembered by its adherence to a comprehensive nationalist policy known as the Filipino First Policy, by its pursuance of an austerity program, and for its role in reviving Filipino cultural arts.Garcia popularized economic nationalism by the adoption of the Filipino First Policy. On March 3, 1960, he affirmed the need for complete economic freedom and added that the government no longer would tolerate the dominance of foreign interests, especially American, in the national economy. He promised to shake off "the yoke of alien domination in business, trade, commerce and industry."“Only those can remain free who are worthy of it. Freedom must be constantly deserved.” The Filipino First Policy was intended to complete and guarantee Philippine economic independence and sovereignty. It gave priority or preference to Filipinos over foreigners in the acquisition of land and capital and in the operation of business, trade ...
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The Bard from Bohol II
2007-12-13 16:15:00
First | Second | Third | LastDuring World War II, Garcia was active in the resistance movement in Bohol and was hunted by the Japanese military authority because of his refusal to surrender and cooperate with the occupation government. After the war, he received a citation from the late President Manuel L. Quezon. He also became part of several missions to Washington intended to secure the approval of the Philippine Rehabilitation and War Damage Claims.Garcia came to the notice of both President Quezon and Vice-President Osmeña and was drafted to the Nacionalista Party’s senatorial ticket in 1941. He was elected Senator for three consecutive terms, from 1941 to 1953. When he was in the Senate, he was chairman and member of numerous key committees, among them government reorganization, foreign affairs, public works, army and navy, and justice. He was also a member of the Senate Electoral Tribunal. From 1946 to 1951 Garcia served as minority floor leader of the Senate.From 1947...

The Bard from Bohol
2007-12-11 04:49:00
First | Second | Third | LastWhen Bohol anos talk about “our President”, there is a big chance we are not talking about the incumbent. More likely, we are talking about the first and only Philippine President who came from our dear province.Carlos P. Garcia was born on November 4, 1896 in Talibon, Bohol to Policronio Garcia and Ambrosia Polistico. He grew up with politics in his blood, his father having served as Municipal Mayor for four (4) terms. He married pharmacist Leonila “Inday” Dimataga-Garcia and had one daughter named Linda Garcia who later married Fernando Campos. Garcia had been described as "quiet and serene career politician". He was both an artist - a poet at that - and a politician (in Tagalog, “makata at pulitiko”). He was adoringly referred to as the “Bard from Bohol” or as the “Prince of Visayan Poets”. He was also a school teacher, a legal luminary, and a guerilla leader. Garcia studied in the Cebu Provincial High School, took up his pre-...

Christmas in Bohol
2007-11-18 02:21:00
I remember several years back, when my sisters and I were still students at the universities here in Manila, our parents decided to come here from Bohol for the Christmas season. On Christmas eve, just as we always did before, we prepared for noche buena. Then, at around 10pm, our father and mother started dressing up to attend the midnight mass.We were not exactly sure at that time if they did celebrate midnight masses on Christmas at the church a few blocks away. By then, firecrackers were already exploding on the streets one after another. Still, we could not help but really go to church that time. Imagine all the firecrackers exploding, the smoke, tires burning on the streets, and there we were, one big family trying to reach the church. When we got there we learned, the church was closed.The midnight mass on Christmas eve is just one of the things I miss about Christmas in Bohol. In Manga (a district of Tagbilaran City), where I attended many midnight masses as a child, we alwa...

10 Things One Shouldn't Miss Doing While in Bohol
2007-09-27 22:55:00
Before anything else, allow me to be defensive. This list need not suit everybody else's tastes and necessarily comes from a particular standpoint. The list is that of one who claims ancestral roots in Bohol (as his mother is a Boholana), grew up in Mindanao, went to university in Bohol, worked for some time somewhere else, but went back to Bohol to claim a Boholana bride.Having said that caveat, let me also add one more. This list comes from a not-so-athletic person, whose idea of sports is to play basketball with a two-year old son, or to enjoy paragliding in front of a PC. Nevertheless, this list also comes from the standpoint of one who enjoys the simple things in life (in other words, doesn't have enough money to splurge in expensive getaways).1. Get wet. Conquer the beach or the river. Swim. Forget the swimming pool. It is a great insult to the island's waters - Panglao's or Anda's beaches, or Loboc's river, or Antequera's falls - if you spend your time lazily in an art...
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How to go to Bohol
2007-09-13 23:47:00
I am always asked by officemates and friends how best to go to Bohol . After telling them how beautiful Bohol is - with plenty of exaggeration - and showing them nice pics of our province, I feel obliged to provide them the information. Of course, there are so many ways to go there. I will try to tell you all about them.From Manila, one option is to take a plane to Tagbilaran at either the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 (the Centennial Terminal) or the Manila Domestic Airport. You may read the profiles of these terminals/airports here.Cebu Pacific flies to Tagbilaran twice daily. Flight 5J-617 departs from the Manila Domestic Airport at 6:50 and arrives at the Tagbilaran Airport at 8:10 am. Flight 5J-619 departs at 11:45 am and arrives at 1:05 pm. For both flights, Cebu Pacific uses their A319 planes. You may see their complete schedule here.Philippine Airlines also flies to Tagbilaran twice daily. Flight PR175 departs from the NAIA Terminal 2 (Centennial Airpo...

New members of this blog
2007-09-10 17:47:00
With some luck, I was able to convince two distinguished lawyers to join us in this Bol-anon blog. Atty. Handel Lagunay is a former editor of the University of Bohol's official student paper, the Varsitarian, and a graduate of Silliman University's school of law. He has agreed to join the group and to try to post once in while subject to his very busy schedule. :)Atty. Yvanne Cloma-Lucero, on the other hand, is a former colleage of ours at the Word, the official student publication of the Divine Word College of Tagbilaran, now Holy Name University, where she also finished her law studies. She too has expressed willingness to share her thoughts once in while in this blog.A warm welcome to both of them. With more and more people, we hope to see a better and more encompassing view of our province, its "real" beauty, and the goodness of its people. (Note: Added the qualifyer "real" after reading Miko's new Bohol Analysis blog.)
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Facts about Bohol
2007-09-09 02:29:00
I am sure this will sound like a high school report but am sure not too many people are aware of these facts, even Bohol anos. I got these from the official website of the Province of Bohol and I would assume reliable, except of course that some of the data are not quite up-to-date. Bohol is located at 803 km. south of Manila and 79 km. southeast of Cebu. It is part Region VII or the Central Visayas Region. Its capital is Tagbilaran City, its lone city. It has 47 municipalities and 1,109 barangays. The province has a population of 1,139,130 (as of 2000) occupying a land area of 4,117.26 sq. kilometers. Its population speak a Boholano variant of the Cebuano language and most, with 93 percent literacy rate, can understand English and Tagalog. The province has an estimated labor force of 404,000 (as of 1996). The province’s climate is generally fair with average temperature at 29 degrees Celsius. It has estimated 256,400 hectares of arable land. Based on Department of T...
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Where to stay in Bohol
2007-08-25 21:31:00
The key to a very relaxing vacation is a good destination and a certain amount of advance information. Take that from a non-expert like me. :)As far as Bohol is concerned, with its many beautiful attractions and the very laid back atmosphere, I think you already have no. 1. As to no. 2, one of the things you should know is... where will you stay. Asa man?To help you, I have just added to the sidebar of Bol-anon what I think is the most extensive listing of hotels, inns, pension houses and resorts in Bohol with their own official websites. The list should assist you in deciding where to stay there.I myself was amazed at the sheer number of options available. Bohol indeed has become a major tourist destination in the country.From the more popular hotels and resorts in Tagbilaran City, to the more affordable inns an persion houses, to the beach and nature resorts in Dauis, Panglao, and other municipalities (i.e. Anda, Bohol), to the more specialized diving clubs (Panglao, Cabilao, etc...
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DYRD, familiar soundbites online
2007-08-22 08:13:00
Like almost every Boholano, I grew up to the sound of a radio tuned (by my late father of course) to the most popular local station on the AM band, Station DYRD. Our morning in Bohol then was not complete without listening to their 7 o'clock news anchored by Fred Araneta.We also did not miss listening to their public service program, Inyong Alagad, if only to be updated with the recent developments in the local scene and to hear all those "panawagan" and "reklamo".We lost that when we left home and settled here in Manila. A radio station can only be heard within a certain radius. So, for a while we could only reminisce about Fred Araneta delivering his profound sometimes funny "nuggets of wisdom".He used to say stuff like "Dinhi ning kalibutan, adunay daghang kawatan. Kini si Fred Araneta." In this world, there are lots of cheats (or robbers). This is Fred Araneta! And he always said something new every morning. :)Things have changed. I learned lately that you may now listen to...
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Bar-b-q
2007-08-20 14:08:00
I miss barbecue.Whatever the world may call it.... anticuchos, kebab, souvlaki, kalamaki, satay, brochette, yakitori.... and though the word may take to mean either the process or the finished product (and sometimes a party in the garden under the heat of the summer sun), barbecue will always mean to me those thin slices of lean meat in bamboo sticks, cooked above coco charcoal in the streets fronting Tagbilaran.... the infamous Sky is the Limit.Sky is the Limit for me, is home to the 2 peso pork barbecue, the 3 peso grilled chorizzo, eaten with the 2 peices of 1 peso "puso" (hanging rice as they call it). Its the source of a poor student's meal at night time (they open from around 6 in the evening to dawn) and an unfailing rescue when one doesn't have the time or the strength to cook after a tiring day.I went home last June and apparently, a lot has changed in Tagbilaran even in just a year. When the Philippine Institute of Development Studies wrote some five to ten years back ab...

New Boholano Bishop
2007-08-16 10:38:00
Pope Benedict XVI named a Boholano as the new bishop of the Diocese of Borongan, Eastern Samar. Fr. Crispin Varquez succeeds Bishop Leonardo Medroso who was assigned to the Diocese of Tagbilaran in October 2006.Fr. "Bay" Varquez, as he is fondly called by close friends, is the outgoing vicar general in the Borongan diocese and curate of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. He joins 8 other Boholano bishops, out of a total of 71 in the country, now in active service, and will be the 14th Boholano bishop ever. Fr. Bay's appointment was announced by the Vatican at noon Saturday, 11 August 2007, Rome time. It was announced simultaneously in Manila by Msgr. Wojciech Zalsuki, charge d’affaires of the apostolic nunciature. Fr. Bay was born in Sevilla, Bohol to Sinforiano Varquez and Justina Barrete. He studied elementary and high school in Sevilla, his Philosophy at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Taloto, Tagbilaran City, and Theology at St. Augustine Maj...

Bol-anon relaunched
2007-08-16 09:23:00
Today is a new beginning for this blog. As original author, I have invited fellow Bol-anons to join me here and co-author/co-maintain www.bol-anon.blogspot.com. In particular, I invited Miko (a.ka. Michael Canares) and Fiel (a.ka. Fiel Angeli Araoarao Gabin) to help transform this blog into a community blog.Miko of course is our super-achiever friend all the way from college (Divine Word College of Tagbilaran now know as the Holy Name University) who is now taking masteral studies at the London School of Economics lang naman. He keeps a personal blog called Miko's World at Friendster.Fiel, on the other hand, is our number one "updater" on social and other events in Tagbilaran City and Bohol. It is understandble because she judges beauty pageants and emcees programs one after another there. I understand she works for the City Government of Tagbilaran, among many others. She keeps a personal blog, My Blog, also at Friendster.Incidentally, both Miko and Fiel are ex-Word staffers...
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Skimboarding
2007-06-07 18:46:00
A foreign tourist was pleading with this child to teach him how to do it. The child gladly obliged. A quick run, a forward drop and a quick hop on the board, and you are off to a few meters of a ride. Or slide. I was later told this is called skimboarding. Clearly not very easy to learn, something the foreign tourist probably know by now. Just another scene at Dumulan Beach Resort in Panglao, Bohol.
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Bohol churches
2007-05-25 20:27:00
You see them, town after town in Bohol . Aside from the white sands of Panglao, the Chocolate Hills, the Hinagdanan Cave, the Mag-aso Falls, and the Loboc River Cruise, a big part of Bohol's come-on are the old churches. Most have long history that you can almost feel just by looking at them. The Loboc Church, for example, has a history of music, a history which continues with the Loboc Children's Choir.
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Loboc adventure
2007-05-15 09:04:00
The Loboc River Cruise is a combination of a quick look at an old church and tower, a sumptuous meal, music in the tradition of the world famous Loboc's Children Choir, a riverboat ride, the contagious laughter of children swinging on vines to take a quick mid-day plunge into the river, and more than an hour exhibit of nature at its best - green mountains, unpolluted river, and the sight and sound of a waterfalls. Still another reason to visit Bohol.
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Panglao escapade
2007-05-15 08:38:00
It is always refreshing to be able to get out of the city and spend time on the white sands of the shore of some island. One such place is Panglao , Bohol. There is unimpeded view of the blue sea, the relaxing feel of white sand, the combined effect of sunlight and sea breeze on your skin, and some shade of palm providing a bit of cover. See all that here in this photo I took at Dumaluan Beach Resort. Lovely, isn't it?
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Every Juan flies
2007-03-25 16:59:00
I still remember those days when the more practical means of travel to and from Bohol is by boat. Plane fares then were way above the normal Boholano's budget. We learned to accept and enjoy the many hours of travel time on those MV whatever. Then the MVs became Super something. Until someone thought "it is time every Juan flies". Now, with the leading airlines all dropping their prices, plane fares seem to be almost as cheap as boat fares, maybe even cheaper. All of sudden, going home is no longer a yearly thing for us. All of a sudden, Bohol is no longer that far. Here is a lovely sunset photo on board one of those planes.
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Going home
2007-02-17 00:53:00
This is like going home to me. I have been in Metro Manila for quite some time and my little family now consider our rented place in Quezon City our home. Still, there is always excitement in our hearts when we get the chance to go "home" to Bohol. This blog is in celebration of that joy and excitement. Here is a photo of the tower in Loboc which towers over a flea market, fronts the old church, and is viewable from the floating restaurants of the famed Loboc river cruise.
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