Monthly Archives: May 2003

Balicasag Island (Panglao, Bohol)

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Balicasag Island Dive Resort

Panglao Island’s deep waters are home to whales and dolphins that appear all year round, especially between the months of April and June.  Having arrived on the last week of May, we were hoping to do some dolphin watching of our own at nearby Balicasag Island which lies off Panglao Reef, 4 kms. southwest of Duljo Point.   Balicasag is also touted as the country’s second best diving spot.  The island’s north and northwest side has a narrow shelf, 10 to 50 m. wide and about 7 m. deep, ending in 2 excellent vertical walls that fall forever.   In fact, 80 to 90% of the tourists who visit Panglao come primarily for the Balicasag scuba diving.  The first recorded dive of the island on the island was done on May 6, 1984.   

On our way

To get to the island, I hired an outrigger boat.  Grace, my kids Jandy and Cheska and my brother-in-law Mark joined me and we all brought our swimming and snorkeling gear, suntan lotion and some packed lunch.  We left very early in the morning for the 10-km. (45-min.) boat ride to the island. However, throughout the boat tour, we failed to sight any dolphins or whales and so we contented ourselves with snorkeling its beautiful underwater scenery just off the shore. 

Balicasag Island

We later made a landfall at the other side of the flat, barren 21-hectare island which is ringed by a pristine sandy shell, coraline beach. The island’s name was derived from the Visayan words bali, meaning “change,” and kasa, meaning “noise,” in reference to the waves slapping the shore as the wind changes direction.  The island was declared as a lighthouse reservation as early as 29 October 1907.  Jandy and I went around the island in less than half an hour.  On the southwest side of the island is the 1.5-hectare, Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA)-managed Balicasag Island Diving Resort, established on April 6, 1987.  Right in front of the resort is a 3.44-hectare marine sanctuary declared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The resort has 10 native-style duplex cottages with bath and porch, plus a main restaurant pavilion with an adjacent alfresco dining area and bar.  It also has a dive shop offering dive courses.

Dauis (Bohol)

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On the way back to the resort, we proceeded to Dauis town in Panglao Island and made a short stopover at the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady.   This church, the fifth on the site, was started in 1863 by Recollect Fr.  Julio Saldaña (1861 to 1898) but the façade’s first level was only completed in 1879 and the second level in the early 1920s by Fr. Natalio del Mar. The church’s façade is a mixture of Gothic and the ornamental Neo-Classical styles.  The bell tower was built from 1938 to 1939.   The church was built on a site of an old cemetery from which high quality China tradeware, used as grave furniture, has been recovered.  I didn’t see the church’s interior as it was closed during our stopover.

Church of the Assumption of Our Lady

Our last stop was at Dauis’ Hingadanan Cave in Brgy. Bingag, located 10 kms. from Tagbilaran City.  After paying a PhP5 entrance fee, we descended the cave via a small, narrow opening, with paved concrete steps, leading to a dark, cavernous chamber studded with stalactites and stalagmites.  The air within was pungent and humid.

Check out “Hinagdanan Cave“

Once inside, we beheld its natural, refreshingly cold swimming pool fed by an underground spring.  Two natural skylights, on the cavern’s roof, illuminated this eerie setup.  Kids, obviously delighted with the cool dip, were frolicking in its waters under the watchful eyes of their guardians.

Church of St. Peter the Apostle (Loboc, Bohol)

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On my own, I made a short visit to Loboc’s Church of St. Peter the Apostle, listed by the National Museum as a National Cultural Treasure.  Built in 1602 by Fr. de Torres, it is the second oldest church in Bohol.  The present church was built in 1734. 

Church of St. Peter the Apostle

Inside are remarkable nave paintings done (from May 1926 to July 1927) on the walls and ceiling by three artists (Canuto Avila and son Ricardo, Ray Francia), the biggest number of murals on religious subjects.  The ceiling was retouched in 1995 by Cris Naparota.   It also has a Neo-Gothic pulpit with a late 19th century sounding board (portavoz) and 5 retablos between the transept and sacristy. 

Bell Tower

Outside the church, near the riverbank, is the separate 21-m. high, 4-storey octagonal stone bell tower, built after 1768.   It has 7 bells, the oldest dated 1863 and 2 others dated 1914 and 1937.  The tower also has a large wooden matraca (a cranked noisemaker) dated 1899 and a clock from Altonaga Co., acquired through public subscription and installed in 1893.   The bell tower was almost destroyed during the construction of the unfinished Loay Bridge, a folly of the Marcos era which was supposed to be part of an elevated expressway just across the road.  Timely objection by the Lobocanons prevented its destruction.  The project was discontinued. 

Loboc River Cruise (Bohol)

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After our short bonding with the tarsiers and my church visit, we all returned to the dock where our double-hulled, flower-bedecked floating restaurant was now waiting for us.  The restaurant has 4 long tables, 8 benches, kitchen, mini-bar and comfort room and is pushed along the river by a motorized boat.   We started our cruise from Loay Bridge. Cruising along, we dined on grilled pork or fish, fried shrimps or steamed crabs, all with chopped tomatoes and onions on the side; pansit plus other native fare, all served with generous servings of pandan-scented rice on wooden plates lined with banana leaves.  We washed these all down with either ice-cold soft drinks or the much healthier buko juice.   

Loboc River Cruise

The idyllic rural scenery is also a visual treat.  Along the way we observed heartwarming daily activities like mothers washing clothes and children bathing nude or diving from coconut trees bent precariously close to the water.  We also passed returning floating restaurants and small native outriggers loaded with passengers.  The endpoint of our 2-km.  cruise was Busay (or Tontonan) Waterfalls.  The falls drops 15 m. in 2 stages and is used to generate electricity for the town.   Here, we dropped anchor and guests were given the option to go for a quick, cool swim or just continue chatting or dining.  We just did the latter.  After about 30 mins., the boat made the return trip back to Loboc.   

Busay Falls

Bonding with the Tarsier (Loboc, Bohol)

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Bonding with a tarsier

After our tour of Chocolate Hills, we retraced our way back south to the town of Loboc where we were to take a buffet lunch on board 1 of 5 floating restaurants as we took a 30-min. cruise along the scenic, palm-fringed Loboc River.   While waiting for our boat to arrive, we made a visit to nearby Pedboy’s Place for an unusual bonding (and pictorial) with another Bohol favorite: the tarsier (Tarsius syrichta).  If there was an animal that could be fittingly be called Bohol’s mascot, the tarsier would be it.   Jandy and Cheska, as well as their cousins Gelo and Matthew, enjoyed having their pictures taken with cute and furry creatures on their head, shoulders and arms.  The adults, including Mike, followed suit, but Grace begged off .

Author’s Notes

Days after our Bohol trip, I got to thinking, “What are these nocturnal, forest-loving tarsiers doing out here in the daytime and in an urban setting?”  The tarsier is now endangered because of the destruction of its forest habitat, predation by house cats and illegal hunting of tarsiers for pets or trade.     It is my hope that the display of this truly delightful, but now captive, primate does more good than harm.  Maybe it would open the eyes of visitors to the sorry plight of this endangered species.  Or maybe not…
Pedboy’s Place: Loboc, Bohol.

Chocolate Hills (Bohol)

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From Baclayon, we proceeded to the junction town of Loay and, from there, traveled up north to the town of Carmen and the Chocolate Hills, a destination truly synonymous with the province.  Along the way, we passed some of Bohol’s wonderful scenery, including a man-made forest of mahogany trees in Bilar standing in perfect symmetry along the road leading to Carmen.  Upon arrival at the complex, we ascended 213 concrete steps to reach the observation deck, the hill’s main vantage point.  Early morning and late afternoon (to watch the setting sun) are said to be the best times for photographing this strange and mysterious landscape.  You can also hike between the hills.

Chocolate Hills

This 14,145-hectare Philippine National Geological Monument consists of 1,268 grass-covered, cone-shaped “haycock” hills, a broad, half-kilometer high upland plateau irregularly distributed among the towns of Carmen, Sagbayan and Sierra-Bullones in the east central part of the island.  Formed of sedimentary limestone, shale and sandstone, these 30 to 120-m.  high, beautifully arranged and symmetrically formed hills look like droplets of Hershey’s chocolate, thus their rather sumptuous name.  They also look a delectable chocolate brown during the dry months of April and May, before turning a deep shade of green during the rainy season. 

Church of La Purisima Concepcion de la Virgen Maria (Baclayon, Bohol)

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Church of La Purisima Concepcion de la Virgen Maria

We had just finished unloading our luggage and were savoring our welcome drink at our resort when our tourist van arrived to pick us up.  Barely catching our breath, we were again on the move as we had to compress a tight, pre-arranged sightseeing tour around Bohol within the day.   The province has a quite efficient road system with concrete roads encircling the province and traversing the land from Trinidad on the north and Loay in the south.  Besides this, second-class roads also connect the other towns, thereby completing a truly serviceable transportation network.  Touring the island is thus a breeze since travelers can start practically anywhere.  From Panglao, we again crossed the bridge to Tagbilaran City.  About 3 kms. out of the city, we made a photo op stopover at the Blood Compact Site at Brgy.  Bool, the site of the blood compact between Spaniard Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Rajah Sikatuna on March 16, 1565.

The Blood Compact Site

Our first real stop was at the town of Baclayon were we visited the Church of La Purisima Concepcion de la Virgen Maria, one of the best examples of Philippine Baroque combined with Western and Eastern influences.  Reputed to be the oldest church in the country, it was first built by the Jesuit Frs.  Juan de Torres and Gabriel Sanchez in 1595.  The present coral stone church was built in 1727. The church’s simple Early Renaissance facade has a 21-m. high, massive square bell tower (now connected to the church by a portico-façade installed in 1875), a fine porch and massive stone piers (in which some of the town’s priests are entombed.   Inside are an intricately carved, gilded altar and icons plus two side retablos, all dating back to the Jesuit era.  It also has a pipe organ installed in 1824.  The pulpit, installed in 1870, is located at the epistle corner.  The floor’s glazed tiles were installed in 1875 after the completion of the portico. 

Panglao Island (Bohol)

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Alona Beach

We all left Cebu City very early in the morning of May 24 via an Oceanjet fast ferry for Tagbilaran City, Bohol’s capital and route center.  Upon arrival at the city’s wharf, we motored, via taxi, to Panglao Island which is connected to the mainland via 2 bridges. The older Taytay Bridge, near the City Hall, goes to Panglao (18.1 kms. away) while the Gov. Jacinto Borja Bridge, located 2 kms. southeast, connects the city’s Bool District with Dauis (3.1 kms. away).  The flat 98.4 sq. km., coralline limestone Panglao Island is located south of the city.    

Lost Horizon Beach Resort

We booked ourselves at an airconditioned room with bath and cable TV at Lost Horizon Beach Resort along Alona Beach.  The resort also has fan-cooled rooms with bath or common bath, a restaurant, swimming pool and a bar.   Alona Beach is one of Panglao Island’s 4 beaches, all of them white sand.  The  other beaches are the 1.2-km. long, pretty shallow Doljo Beach (located between rocky promontories); Dumaluan Beach along the east coast; and Momo Beach on a quiet cove on the west side. 

At Trudie’s Place

The sand off these beaches, although not as fine as that in Boracay, is just as white.  A fact, known only by a few people, is that many white sand beaches on Mactan Island in neighboring Cebu are covered by sand imported from Bohol, including Panglao.  Alona Beach, on the southeast side, is the most beautiful, most popular and, tourist-wise, the most developed beach of the four on the island. This beach, located in Brgy. Tawala, is said to have been named after Alona Alegre, the bomba star of the 1970s whom people say romped naked here during a film shoot.  It has a number of small, individually-designed beach resorts, restaurants, beach bars and dive shops, all spread along the beach for about 1.5 kms..  This attractive, white sand beach is good for snorkeling.  It is, however, clogged with seaweed growing in knee-deep waters, especially between December and March.    

Lost Horizon Beach Resort: Brgy. Tawala, Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol.  Tel: (038) 502-9099 & 502-9088.  Cebu City booking office: fax: (032) 232-4893. Website: www.losthorizonresort-bohol.com.

A Family Trip to Cebu and Bohol

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The children’s summer vacation was about to end and we didn’t want to end without us going on an out-of-town trip.  My brother-in-law Mark also had the same thing in mind so we decided to stay overnight Cebu City (where Mark had some business to attend to), then cross over to Bohol for some real bonding time with our families.  Aside from my wife Grace and kids Jandy and Cheska, rounding up the group were Mark’s wife Nenette, their two kids Miguel and Matthew and their Malaysian friend Michael Chang.

We all took a 1-hour Philippine Airlines flight to Mactan International Airport where we all picked up by our travel agent and brought to the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino.  Here, we checked in at 3 of the hotel’s 562 (the biggest hotel in the country with regards to number of rooms) rooms.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review:  Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino“

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino: 1 Salinas Drive, Lahug District, Cebu City, Cebu. Tel: (032) 232-6888. Fax: (032) 232-6880.  E-mail: wcch@waterfronthotels.com.  Website: www.waterfronthotels.net.  Manila booking office: 27/F, Wynsum Corporate Plaza, 22 Emerald Ave., Ortigas Center in Pasig City.   Tel: 687-0888.    Fax: 687-5970 & 687-5973-74.  E-mail: msro@waterfronthotel.comand wpi@the.net.ph.  Website: www.waterfronthotel.com.ph.