Category Archives: Bohol

Church of St. Monica (Alburquerque, Bohol)

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The Church of St. Monica

The Church of St. Monica

From the Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary, we again boarded our airconditioned coaster and made our second stopover, along the highway, at the Church of St.. Monica in Alburquerque (nicknamed by the Boholanos as “Albur”).

The pasadizo (arcade) connecting the church with the convent

The pasadizo (arcade) connecting the church with the convent

Situated on a low knoll, this church was first built of wood and bamboo in 1842.  Later, it was replaced by a larger and sturdier church in 1856.  The present coralstone church, started in 1885 by Fr. Manuel Muro (1882 to 1896), was continued by his successor in 1896 and completed during the 1920s and 30s.

The convent

The convent

The church’s entrance is shaded by a portico (actually the choir loft) from which a stair leads to a Moorish-inspired square bell tower with bells dating to 1867.  It also has arched openings and a decorative band on the edges of the pediment.  The side walls are supported by buttresses.

Butress supporting the side wall

A buttress supporting the side wall

The convent, built with sont, wood and, on the second floor, with, tabique (wattle and daub) walls, was started by Fr. Tomas Fernandez (1869 to 1875) and finished in 1879 by Fr. Antonio Munro (1876-1879).  It is connected to the church by a pasadizo (arcade), unique to Bohol and, together, they form one of the more picturesque church complexes in Bohol. A series of arches link the church, pasadizo and convent.

The wooden pillars and the Guy Custodio-restored painted ceiling

The wooden pillars and the Guy Custodio-restored painted ceiling

The generous use of reinforced concrete for the Romanesque-style façade and the central bell tower, which is integrated into the façade, probably helped save the church from serious damage during the October 15, 2013 earthquake. Some coral stone from the facade was detached and fell to the floor but that was all we saw.

Plaque installed by National Historical Commission

Plaque installed by National Historical Commission

Upon entering the church, we were awed by the painted ceiling which was done by Ray Francia from April 12 to August 3, 1932 and recently restored by Manila-born but Spain-based artist Guy Custodio. The massive pillars are actually large tree trunks (a rarity among Philippine churches) masked by metal sheets.

Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary (Corella, Bohol)

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The tarsier in its nature habitat

Upon landing at Tagbilaran Airport, we were welcomed at the terminal by our local tour guide Mr. Josue Hinay of Travel Village and Tours.  Boarding our airconditioned coaster, we proceeded on our scheduled Countryside Tour of Bohol. After a 30-min./10 km. drive northeast of the city, we arrived at  the 7.4-hectare Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary

The Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary

An arm of the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Inc. (PTFI), the sanctuary was established in 1996 to protect the tarsier (Tarsius syrichta), Bohol tourism’s mascot.  Known locally as mamag, mago, magau, maomag and magatilok-iok, here the tarsiers are allowed to live and reproduce freely in a natural setting.

What you should know about the tarsier

What you should know about the tarsier

The tarsiers, formerly hunted down, captured and then sold to local and foreign visitors, were declared to be specially protected faunal species of the Philippines by virtue of Proclamation No. 1030, as declared by former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos on June 23, 1997. A 167-hectare sanctuary has been set up in areas within Corella, Sikatuna and Loboc towns where numerous sightings of the tarsiers have been made within their forested domain. Poaching, killing and even wounding of these tarsiers as well as the destruction of its declared habitat are strictly prohibited.

Hiking along the Tarsier Trail

Hiking along the Tarsier Trail

Alighting from our coaster, we made our way to the Tarsier Research and Development Center which has a visitor’s center complete with a reception and souvenir counter, an exhibition area, an audio-visual room, a mini-cafeteria, toilets, and administration offices.  Here, we were assigned a trained volunteer guide who led us through a net enclosure with a 7-ft. high fence (to keep house cats out and the insects in) where 100 tarsiers are kept for feeding, breeding and display.

Taking turns potographing the tarsier

Taking turns potographing the tarsier

Here, we saw and observed, up close and personal, three of them in their nature habitat which consists of mature secondary growths of mahogany, teak and ficus trees as well as many varieties of palm, fern, bamboo clumps, tall grass patches, thick bushes and other greenery which grow in profusion.  We were allowed to take pictures but were urged to do so quietly and not to handle them so as not to put stress on these nocturnal animals who, during daytime, are asleep.

A close up shot

A close up shot

Back at the Visitors Center, Josue introduced us to Carlito “Lito” Pizarras, the Field Supervisor of the sanctuary.  Known as the “Tarsier Man,” Lito once hunted tarsiers for a living, shooting them out of the trees with an air rifle or trapping them for his father, a taxidermist who augmented the family income through the sale of the preserved, stuffed tarsiers which, at that time, went for PhP300.  He also caught them alive for collectors, hobbyists and tourists by simply shaking the trees until the tarsiers fell.

The Visitors Center

The Visitors Center

Sometime in the 1970s, Lito gave up his air gun, formaldehyde and the other awful tools of his trade, devoting the rest of his life in trying to save this exotic mascot of the Philippines’ receding tropical forests. He has since become an enthusiastic environmentalist and conservationist and, when he noticed their receding numbers, he began keeping several of the tarsiers at the backyard of his residence in Corella, breeding 20 of them successfully. In 1985, he sent 10 live tarsiers to the Chicago Zoo in the United States and, in 1998, he was hired by the foundation, maintaining the net enclosure and serving as a resource person and guide to visitors and researchers at the Research and Development Center. When the UK’s Prince Charles visited Manila on July1997, Lito made a symbolic presentation of a pair of tarsiers to his Royal Highness at Malacañang Palace.

The author with Carlito Pizarras

The author with Carlito Pizarras

Tarsier Research and Development Center: Km. 14, Brgy. Canapnapan, Corella, 6337 Bohol. Mobile numbers: (0927) 541-2290 (Program Manager). E-mail: joanniemaryc@yahoo.com. Website: www.tarsierfoundation.org.

Travel Village and Tours: Bohol Tropics Resort Club, Graham Ave.,
Tagbilaran City, Bohol.  Tel (038) 411-4023  and (038) 501-8078. Fax (038) 411-5928.  Website: www.boholtravelvillage.com.

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.

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

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. 

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. 

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.