Wake-uppers:
Scene: At least 24 people
died and hundreds were rescued in sea waters off Cebu province where the
passenger
Seen: Jollibee-ICM
has a new, vibrant and refreshing look.
Seen:
Spotted in Panglao and Loboc last week was PDI’s entertainment columnist Dolly
Anne Carvajal. Hollywood reporter Ruben Nepales and his wife Janet were also spotted
in Bohol.
***
#Throwback Thursday
It’s
a #Throwback Thursday on Facebook as Old Bohol (www.facebook.com/Old.Bohol) is
sharing old memories of Bohol.
I
dove into the archives from the early days of Bohol and I found a fascinating
look-back into what people were talking about.
Cases
in point:
Kung ikaw Inday
mangita'g pamanhunon,
Siguro-a baya inday ang Bol-anon,
Kung matuman mo suwerte ka
Siguro-a baya inday ang Bol-anon,
Kung matuman mo suwerte ka
kay ang
Bol-anon buotan gayud
Magmahal kanimo
hangtud sa kahangturan...
-Ang Bol-anon
As
everybody probably knows, “Ang Bol-anon” is a popular Visayan song, thanks to
our FM stations in Bohol for playing the song every Sunday.
But
what some people probably don’t know is that “Ang Bol-anon” was composed by
Boholano (not Cebuano) composer Regino Bastes Dano. He swept music lovers
off their feet with his “Ang Bol-anon," song that Baby Boomers love to
play again and again. Dano came from Poblacion Ondol, Loboc town. The song was
one of the repertoires of the Bohol-Tagbilaran Sanghimig Choir, the second time
National Champion in National Choral competitions held at the Cultural Center
of the Philippines (1973) and Folk Arts Theatre (1974).
I
bet you didn’t know that photography was a fad at Digal Studio near the
intersection of Libertad Street and El Filibusterismo, which currently are CPG
and Genaro Visarra Streets. The Digal Studio was located where Footstep is now
(fronting LICA Trading). “There used to be a Farmacia in one of the doors of
the building owned by the Digal,” says Fernando Po.
Interesting!
Interesting!
***
Her
name is Prony. I saw her when she was small. I attended her “Quinceañera.” I
also witnessed when she transferred to her new home in Baclayon town.
That’s
how important this “woman” to me that I’d witnessed her life. But sad to say,
she died of unknown causes early Wednesday (August 14) in her cage.
Yes,
she’s Prony (python reticulates). People called her “The Anaconda of Bohol.”
A
visit to Bohol, Philippines is not complete without Prony which is considered
as one of the tourist attractions in the province of Bohol.
It
was on October 21, 1996 when Prony was found by Sofronio Salibay which measured
5 feet and 5 kilograms at that time. In 2012, Prony weighed 280 kilos and
measured 27 feet long. Her waist line was 34 inches.
 |
|
JingJing
Salibay with her gigantic pet Prony. LPU
|
The
Salibay family, which runs the sanctuary and owned the python, maintained she
was the largest snake in captivity in the Philippines, though there were no
official records.
"Prony
is a self-developed and trained Python found in the Philippines," shares
Georgia “JingJing” Salibay, caretaker of Prony.
Prony
is a very choosy snake! They fed Prony live chickens before but due to her
large consumption and the cost of chickens, they fed her with virgin dogs.
However, the animal rights groups protested the feeding of dogs. From then on,
the Salibay decided to give her two goats or one white pig, and they must be
live during feeding time or else Prony will just snub them. After eating, Prony
can sleep for the whole month!
Prony
is a superstar as Filipino celebrities Kris Aquino, Richard Gutierrez, Dra.
Vicky Belo, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Cesar Montano, Kim Atienza, Regine Velasquez,
Ogie Alcasid and Hollywood celebrities coach Freddie Roach, Tom Cruise and
Brooke Shields went to see her.
Now
that she's gone, what will happen to Prony and Wildlife Park (where it houses
other animals such as birds, flying lemurs and monkeys)?
“Life
must go on,” says JingJing. “She is like a daughter and I know her
characteristic. She is the only snake which has human feelings.”
“The
Python and Wildlife Sanctuary is still open,” adds JingJing.
What
will happen to Marimar who is known for her deadly acrobatic antics?
“I
will continue my animal show!” gushes Marimar.
The
Salibay family wants to preserve the snake's body and put it back on display.
I
will be missing Prony. She will be remembered forever as an important part of
the magic web of life.
***
Thanks
for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at
leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohan at Twitter /Facebook.
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