Newborn abandoned outside store in Dauis

By Leo Udtohan

A newborn was found abandoned outside a convenience store in Barangay Bingag, Dauis town in Bohol  on early Monday morning, Oct. 10, 2022. Photo courtesy of Odessa Coto

TAGBILARAN CITY- A newborn placed inside an eco bag was found alive after being abandoned in Dauis town in Bohol province on early Monday morning, police said. 

Police Staff Sergeant Ritchel Pabalan, head of the Women And Children Protection Desk at Dauis Police Station, said they were notified around 5:30 a.m. Monday of a baby who had been found apparently abandoned outside a convience store in Barangay Bingag, Dauis town.

Riche Tuades, the son's store owner of 7R Store, found an eco bag when he opened the store. 

Curious what's inside the bag, he opened it only to find an infant inside. 

The baby girl which was three to seven days old has been turned over to the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.

There were no witnesses when the baby was left in the area. Nonetheless, officials are seeking information about the newborn.

Palban said her team is coordinating with health authorities including nearby towns and city and checking all closed-circuit television footage possible in the area to help identify the culprit.

  

Take a bow, Queenie!

Looking back, what does Queenie Melody Fullante consider her most unforgettable moment at the 2014 Miss Bohol pageant in which she was proclaimed Bohol’s quintessential daughter?

“The crowning moment,” said Quennie, “for that was the start of other unforgettable moments.”

A year ago, she joined the Miss Bohol competition as a fresh college graduate. Many people compared Queenie as Venus Raj deadringer. She even had encounters with people who mistake her for Venus but she was not riding on the wave of being Venus Raj’s look-alike during the pageant. She won the Miss Bohol title because of her strong personality and being comfortable with her skin and skills.

But today she’ll no longer have a crown.  Queenie’s beauty pageant reign comes to an end Saturday night when she gives up her Miss Bohol title at this year’s competition. The classic tiara — the one that slipped off her head on the night she was crowned — was gently placed atop someone else and after doing her duties and responsibilities, Queenie is ready to see what the next chapter brings.

Miss Bohol 2014 Queenie Melody Fullante is ready to see
what the next chapter brings. Contributed Photo

 “Personally, I find my reign productive and fruitful for I have reached more communities, touched a few lives and grew up holistically," Queenie said in an interview with VRS. "Aside from the looks, the most significant change in me is the positive change inside. I became more mature in dealing with different matters. Even the way I look at life has changed, because now I realized that service to humanity is the best work of life."

Her immediate plans include doing philanthropic works and spending some time with her family and friends. “It’s still ambiguous for me but one thing for sure, life goes on. The mission continues and that is to reach more communities, touch more lives and grow up everyday.”

Queenie has done quite a bit of charity work in her sash and crown. She visited the orphans, participated in feeding program, child abuse awareness, medical mission and dental mission and volunteered in the Bohol Rebuilding and Rehabilitation Project. She was very visible visiting communities affected by the earthquake. Her presence was reassuring everyone that everything would be okay after the tragedy.  

Her packed schedule prevented her to meet her ideal man (The Romantic Guy, the Confident Guy, the Artistic Guy, the Foreign Guy, the Free Spirit Guy, the Intelligent/Witty Guy and the Considerate Guy rolled into one). “Technically, no! Primarily because I wasn’t looking yet for one. I think I was too focused with my duties and responsibilities,” Queenie said.

She won't sit idle for long.

Take a bow, Queenie!

Meanwhile, here is the full text of the farewell speech of Queenie Melody Fullante:

Queenie Melody Fullante has done
quite a bit of charity work in her sash
 and crown. Courtesy: Chris Ramasola

Growing up, I have always been a fan of fairy tales. But I know I am not a princess. I will never be Snow White because I am not the fairest of all. I was once an Ugly Duckling who turned into a beautiful Swan. I am not Sleeping Beauty. Mine, was a Cinderella story. But it wasn’t just my shoes that made me a Queen. It was my clean desire and genuine determination that made destiny go my way and be proclaimed Miss Bohol 2014- The Quintessential Boholana. With all my heart, I thank God for giving me all the people I need before, during and even after my reign.

To the people of Dauis, under the leadership of Hon. Marietta Sumaylo, my sincere thank you for trusting me to represent our town.

To my team, Sir Julius, Janry, Ramchie and Idy, you gave out the best in me, I owe you a big part of my holistic development. To Ate Shiela Avergonzado of Nenen’s, thank you for the beautiful gowns I’ve worn throughout my reign. And to Mikee Andrei for my amazing gown tonight.

To my eksangels and my PYM family headed by Ate Ebiw and Kuya Tony, your support was my ultimate ego booster.

To my mentors, Fr. Vic Fr. Lito, Fr. Jingboy and Fr Val thank you for all the prayers and words of wisdom.

To my family, you are the cradle of my success.

To the Miss Bohol organizers, Madame Pureza Chatto and the JCI Chocolate Hills, Maams Darlene, Red, Yelle and Marmie, God know how you positively impact my life. Thank you so much for making my reign a meaningful one.

Lastly, to everyone who expressed their support for me in various ways, you made me realize what a great blessing it is to be a Miss Bohol.

Ladies I guess the loneliest part of being a beauty queen is the final walk. In which everything that happened during your journey will sink in and you’ll just miss the crown so badly. But, life goes on and the mission continues. To the lucky girl tonight, I know you deserve it. For I have been with all of you in your journey. And the learning you girls gained, is enough to make each of you a winner in your own reality. May all of you continue to reach more communities, touch more lives and grow up holistically.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Queenie Melody Fullante, Miss Bohol 2014.

***

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohan at Twitter /Facebook.

Hello, Villa de Gloria!

Wake-uppers:

Scene: SILG Mar Roxas turned over 2.461 billion fund for Bohol quake recovery to Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto.

Bohol TNT members and participants

Scene: The revival of the Bohol Transparency Network for Transformation (TNT). Members and participants attended the Monitoring and Reporting Public Transparency and Accountability of the Citizen Action Network for Accountability (Cana) training series. It was facilitated by Rowena Paraan of the ational Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and head of ABS CBN's Bayan Mo, IPatrol Mo.

Scene: The Tuba and Kinilaw Festival tomorrow, June 9 in Albuquerque town.

Scene: Makeshift classrooms and tents have greeted the 140 pupils of Obujan-Tagubaas Elem. School in Antequera town during the first day of school. The makeshift classrooms and tents serve as temporary learning spaces for pupils. "This place is not conducive for learning; it's hot inside and muddy during rainy days," said Grade 5 teacher Nimfa Ayco. "Padayun gihapun ta sa pagtudlo para sa mga bata."

Scene: Dr. Cecilio Putong National High School in Tagbilaran City, Bohol has 4,058 students. The school has two shifts- a.m. (for Grade 7 and 8); p.m. (for Grade 9 and 10) to de-congest the number of students in the classroom, Principal 3 Concepcion Bagotchay said.

***

Paradise is the best word to describe Bohol known for its beautiful places and people. And what better way to enjoy it than to stay at one of Bohol’s newest resort, the Villa de Gloria.

The birth of Villa de Gloria is a new boutique style resort in Seaside, Songculan, in Dauis town in Panglao Island and a 10-minute drive from the Tagbilaran City airport.

The new Villa de Gloria in Songculan, Dauis, Panglao Island

“Its exclusive facilities in the modern and elegance blend with grandeur tropical atmosphere,” says the rising VJ Julan Crisale Cordova, a frequent visitor of the resort.

“Enjoy the luxurious setting of a world class resort with the amazing panoramic view overlooking the Philippine Sea and Maribojoc Mountain,” adds Julan.

All villas are in a Philippine-Balinese style with typical cogon grass roofing, built around a gorgeous infinity and kiddie pool surrounded by masterly designed lush tropical garden which are enchanting venues for weddings, meetings, reunions, parties and all types of gatherings in all occasions.

Take a peek and experience its wonderful accommodations composing honeymoon, deluxe ocean, ocean view villas with kitchen and superior ocean view suites.

“It offers an intimate holiday combined with personalized service from its charming and dedicated villa attendants,” says Julan. “And with their world class facilities and services.”

Ernie and Gloria Azucena, owners of Villa de Gloria

Villa de Gloria is owned by couple Ernie and Gloria Azucena. Ernie was an erstwhile vice president  of Specialized Waste System in Houston Texas and president of Passport Travel Group Inc. in Tampa, Florida, USA. He was also the former president of Pacific Waste Industries in Houston, Texas and became publisher of Philippine Observer and the president of Ursuline Group Inc. Houston Texas USA. On the hand, Gloria was formerly a trust administrator of Chase Bank and trust officer of Bank of New York in Houston, Texas, USA. They have three sons: Niel,Craig, and Marc, who are all presently living and working in Texas, USA.

The focus of the resort is to provide an authentic Bohol experience for visitors along with the comfort they expect from a resort.

For more info, visit www.villadegloria.com or email at info@villadegloria.com and ernest1129@yahoo.com; Contact Nos: +639179827090 (Philippines) and +7137858480 (US).

P.S. As what I have told you, Bohol’s tourism is back to normal, not only this summer but for the whole year round. As summer draws to a close, you might even find yourself experiencing a bit of the “end of summer blues.” But there’s no need to feel down, instead let’s beat those summertime blues with a new place to stay and relax in Villa de Glorial.

***

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohan at Twitter /Facebook.

G is for Gloria Penales Pabualan

Wake-uppers:

Scene: Today, Feb. 26, is the monthly final of Island City Mall's Mannequins Live-A-Model Search 2012 at the Activity Center, 5.p.m. Five hunks and five babes will compete for the monthly title. “It’s a modeling search to select models that can be part of our promo ads (print) and at the same time to discover new set of model-talents,” says Ritchel Mutia of AGC’s marketing group.

 

Seen: The Bourne Legacy fever is heating up and guess who showed up catching some sun in Bohol? None other than International actors Louis Ozawa Changchien and Jackie Chung. “They visited the Loboc River, the tarsier and the Chocolate Hills,” says Bared’s roving VRS. “They are also enjoying the white sandy beach on Eskaya Beach Resort,” adds VRS. The fourth installment of the smash-hit Bourne Identity (based on the best-selling trilogy by Robert Ludlum) was shot in Manila.

 

Scene: Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV was the guest of honor during the Samahang Magdalo Tagbilaran City Chapter general assembly yesterday, Feb. 25 at Cogon gym, Tagbilaran City.

 

Louis Ozawa Changchien and Jackie Chung

Scene: The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR-7) conducted an experimental test blast fishing last Thursday, February 24 at BFAR-7 Regional Fisheries and Development Center in Calape town. The experiment was to determine the impact of blast fishing at the different development stages of fishes as well as the various damages caused by blast fishing.  BFAR Dir. Asis Perez says, “We have a small country, we are totally dependent on fisheries and BFAR will do everything to stop it.”

 

Scene:  Exactly 30 days after she was born, Arriane Athena Toroy made her formal entrance into the Christian world last Feb. 12, 10 a.m.,  at the San Antonio De Padua Parish , Ubujan District, Tagbilaran City, the place where she lives with her parents, Aris and Venus Toroy.

 

 

Scene: The 80 pregnant mothers on “Buntis Party” of the Island City Mall held last week. From nurse Junjun Karaan: The event was for the pregnant employees of Alturas Group of Companies whether agency based like pregnant lady guard and tenants or promodisers or Alturas employees like sales clerk or cashiers, etc. They are given importance by the Alturas Company with the effort of Alturas Group of Companies Medical team midwife and nurses. We are conducting Buntis Party yearly; however, it was just this year that it was held at the ICM Activity Center to accommodate public pregnant mothers. There was a lecture from Dra. Formilleza about pre-natal care and family planning. There were games such as the largest tummy, bring me a picture of your husband and the sexiest pregnant mom. The event was sponsored by Trust company and IMAP lying centers.

 

***

Sixty looking Sweet Sixteen is Gloria Penales Pabualan who celebrates her 60^th birthday. Photo by Mikey Gatal

 

 

 

 

Unfazed by her back-breaking job as a nurse, Gloria Penales Pabualan, amazes many people by looking forever young. Looking at her, it seems unthinkable that Gloria, still called simply and fondly Glo for short, is sixty last Feb. 18.

 

How does she manage to look so young?

 

“Laugh often, be with friends, love more, love everyone, sleep well and lots of sunscreen,” she said.

 

And exercise and a healthy diet.

 

She doesn’t feel 60 at all. “Sixty? I don’t feel 60. It’s just a number to me. I act young, I dress young. I only think I’m 60 when I see my gray hair and some wrinkles,” said Gloria, who wanted to become a businesswoman and a singer. (Well, she could carry a tune but she eventually turned out to be not a singer but a great nurse.)

 

Gloria with hubby Manny Pabualan Photo by Mikey Gatal

 

She has a great husband Manuel "Manny" Pabualan who loves her dearly. Their son Jr. and daughters Glyness and Maegan are successful in their chosen fields.

 

Glo thought she could get away with letting her 60th birthday slip by unnoticed. But her family believed she deserved to celebrate it – with a bang.

 

“We had a big group celebrating a birthday event. Service went well and we did family style. The food was very tasty,” said Glo’s friend, US-based Boholano socialite Mikey Gatal, who’s busy in line dancing (which is very famous in America).

 

There was a surprise birthday song from the grandkids.

 

“I thought I was going to cry,” she said, touched by the show of affection.

 

Gloria and her friends

The birthday girl’s wish? “I am happy to have all my kids finished college already, having a wonderful husband and happy people surrounding me. When I arrived here in America, it was my dream of getting my sisters and brothers to see America, so I petitioned them and now they are here.”

 

Here is Mikey to share her story:

 

Gloria Penales Pabualan was born in Dauis, Bohol on February 18, 1952 but moved to Panglao where her mother (Baning) was a teacher. She went to school at Tawala during her elementary days and finished high school at Divine Word College now (HNU).

Her father Agustin Penales wants her to become a nurse so that she can go abroad (America), the only way she can help her family and younger brothers and sisters to go to school. They are nine in the family, she doesn't want to be a nurse, says Gloria because she likes to be in the business world or accounting where she can have her own office and a personal secretary someday.

She went to study nursing at the Bohol Provincial School of Nursing per parents wishes, graduated at the age of 20 and then worked at Cebu Doctors Hospital at the same time went to Southwestern University Cebu City to finish her BSN.

Gloria came to United States of America unexpectedly. She was sleeping at that time because of a night work shift when a friend of hers woke her up to go to Magellan Hotel for an interview to go to America. She passed the interview, arrived in Arkansas on March 1974 at the age of 21 and the rest is history.

She recently celebrated her 60th birthday in Texas, USA with family and friends. She is married to Manuel "Manny" Pabualan with three successful kids. I personally thanked the family and especially to Lilia Penales Olano for bringing me to Texas, my first time ever. The Penales Hunks Venn Maderazo Penales, Neal John Penales Romero and Marvin Penales Olano performed "Moves Like Jagger."

I'm looking forward to coming back and visit H-town again!

 

***

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohan at Twitter or email at Facebook.

Bohol: Beyond the Chocolate Hills

Note: Today's issue of the Manila Bulletin, August 14, 2011) talks about the town of Dauis. It tells about Aling Irma Bunachita of Dauis who is the last of the jewelry artisan. Dauis is the only town in people whose people are jewelry makers.  Bring your old 1 Rizal peso and they would make it into rings, bracelets, etc.. About the "mysterious well" there is no reported person who's cured from illness because of drinking the water from the well inside the church. The well they said was already there before the church was constructed.

 
Bohol: Beyond the Chocolate Hills
By MA. GLAIZA LEE
August 14, 2011, 8:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Aling Irma Bunachita wasn’t trained in any jewelry school. She didn’t even take any course in designing. But she could create fine pieces of jewelry using the traditional “stamping” technique which she had learned from her mother and grandmother, which they, in turn, learned from their forebears.

She created her first rosary when she was 14 years old under the strict guidance of her lola. She experienced mishaps along the way, which earned for her a disapproving glare from her grandmother.

Experience is her best teacher. From then on, she makes it a point to learn everything there was to know. She handles everything from melted silver to beaten gold. She learns how to move the metal into the draw plate to have fine gold wires, sizes them up depending on how much gold or silver the design needs, and draws designs for the necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and traditional hairpieces.

She knows how to melt the gold and silver, create a design from scratch, polish them, and bathe the jewelry in gold and silver solutions to give them a sparkle.

Piece by piece, she would guide the looped and wired gold wires into the tambour, a frame used for needlework, before soldering them. This process means meticulously melting the components of the design using torch to assemble them together into a necklace or earrings.

All that glitters

In Dauis, one of the two municipalities comprising Panglao Island, and one of the oldest municipalities of Bohol, there is an industry probably as old as the town itself — fine jewelry making.

History has it that the island adjacent to Dauis, which was known as Bool (where the province got its name), had a quite a thriving pre-Hispanic kingdom. When a datu passed away, his body and his worldly possessions were carried across the island and buried in the present-day location of Dauis.

Later on, sometime in the 1600s, when the Spaniards came and established the town of Dauis, people started digging the area so they could build their houses and they would find gold everywhere.

Being the masinop that they are, the Bol-anons would keep the treasures to themselves. They would scarcely use the gold nuggets to buy the things they need, and instead, they would just hide them in their baul.

But when the Spanish regime ended, they realized that they couldn’t use the gold nuggets as monetary tools anymore because the American government had already issued new currency. And when one had amassed such a huge quantity of gold, what else was there to do but melt them and create fine pieces of jewelry; hence, the birth of the jewelry industry in Bohol.

According to Aling Irma, the pieces of jewelry were used not just solely for aesthetic purposes, but as a way to propagate Christianity during the Spanish era. The friars condemned the indigenous amulets and talismans and started replacing them with devotional jewelry such as the crucifix and the rosary.

While the Filipino Christians wore them as an act of faith, the plateros (jewelers) believed it was no less an act of faith to create them. Aside from having a ready market, it was their way of going around the royal decrees that prescribed for jewelry owners to declare their personal belongings, and jewelry with religious theme was a way of getting around the restrictions.

Jewelry designers during those times concentrated on making scapulars, relicario pendants which were designed to protect the Agnus Dei seals made from wax, and reliquaries which were labeled with the saints’ names and embroidered with gold threads, among others. Modern-day tambourin necklaces are an off-shoot of the early rosary designs which were created using the filigree technique.

But Aling Irma admits that jewelry making in Dauis nowadays is not as lucrative as before. As early as the '80s, there were less than 100 artisans left in Dauis (and even less today). Most of the jewelry makers left for Cebu and Mindanao, for greener pastures.

One of the few remaining jewelry-makers in Dauis, Aling Irma makes it her life’s mission to carry on the tradition that has been passed on in her family throughout generations. But she’s not one to keep it a secret because she plans to share the knowledge to anyone who wants to learn, if possible the whole community.

A miraculous well

A stones’ throw away from Aling Irma’s jewelry shop is the Dauis Church, also known as Our Lady of Assumption. The church was first built using light wood materials in 1697, but it burned down in 1795. The present church was
built in 1863.

According to Marianito “Nits” Luspo, a local historian, professor and director of the Office of the Cultural Affairs Development of the Holy Name University, when the local artisans were building the church, an unexplainable incident happened.

“During those days, when the people would build a church, they would construct the façade first, followed by the back area, then the side walls, and finally, the central tower. So, when the people were building the central tower, it wouldn’t stand. No matter what they did, it wouldn’t stand. It would collapse, and they didn’t know why. So, they left it unfinished,” shares the local historian.

He continues: “During the Spanish era, Dauis was the center of commerce. Merchants went here to conduct business. There were rowdy crowds and brothels everywhere. When the Spaniards left, the locals continued building the church. And it didn’t collapse. They thought that the reason why they couldn’t build the tower before was because the Lady of Assumption was displeased with the unscrupulous activities around the church.”

The mysterious lady

Another widespread narrative in the province is about the Mysterious Lady. This is how the story goes:

In the early 1800s, a group of fishermen from Argao, Cebu was busy preparing to cross the sea to Bohol. A beautiful pregnant lady went up to them and begged for a ride to Dauis.

The fishermen refused her request because they believed that it would be very unlucky to have a pregnant woman aboard. But the lady insisted. The fishermen asked why she wanted to cross the sea despite her condition. She answered them that she wanted to be near her husband. Feeling a little sympathy for the lady, the fishermen relented and let her ride with them.

At the back of the Dauis church, along the sea bank, there are two palm trees. And it is believed that the space between the two palm trees was where the fishermen and the lady landed.

Upon arriving, the fishermen had forgotten about the lady and went about their business. After concluding their transactions, the fishermen decided to visit the church and give thanks for the bountiful harvest. As they entered the church and saw the altar, they were astounded because the religious image looked exactly as the lady who begged them for a ride. The lady was none other than the Lady of Assumption.

“The Dauis church is situated on the shores of Panglao Island, opposite Tagbilaran City. From the Dauis shore, one can see the St. Joseph Cathedral, whose patron is St. Joseph, the husband of Mary,” says Prof. Nits.

Tagbilaran might be a much newer town than Dauis, but the two towns share a common history. In the 1700s, Dauis was not the safest town in Bohol. Situated near the Mindanao Sea, the town would often be raided by pirates, especially during the monsoon months.

When the raiders would come, the people would shout “Tago bilaan” (where Tagbilaran got its name) and run to Tagbilaran island.  In 1774, the people built a watch tower so that people could be forewarned about the raiders. The remains of the watch tower can still be seen near the Dauis Church.

Over a cup of sikwate

It doesn’t sound appetizing, but sikwate is really sinful. When prepared in the right way, one can taste the rich flavor and aroma in just a sip. Or even the love that goes with it. Creating sikwate is a labor of love – from buying the cacao seeds down to the molding of the tableya.

As early as four in the morning, 70-year-old Inang Magi (Magina Enriquez) would wake up to prepare the cacao seeds she bought from Tagbilaran the day before. She had to travel all the way to Tagbilaran because there was no one selling cacao in Panglao. Most of the cacao seeds she bought came from Mindanao; only a few came from Bohol.

She would sort them out one by one, separating the big pods from the smaller ones. This was to ensure that the seeds would roast evenly.  Bigger pods take a long time to roast.

When all the seeds are perfectly roasted, her brown aging hands would slowly and carefully peel them one by one. Using a bilao, she would winnow the seeds to eliminate the unwanted particles.

After all the seeds were peeled, she would put them again on a sack and bring them back to Tagbilaran to grind them.

When night falls, she would start molding the paste using a small steel molder (like the one used for pulvoron making) that she herself has made.  “Mainit kasi sa hapon, mahirap i-hulma. Lumalambot ‘yung tsokolate. Hihintayin ko mag-gabi bago ko i-hulma,” shares Inang Magi.

It would take her four to five hours to mold all the paste, depending on how much paste she made from the cacao seeds. Depending on the quality of the seeds, she could make at least one thousand tableyas. And she has been doing this since 1986, for 25 years now.

“Nung nag-umpisa ako, mga tatlong kilo lang ginagawa ko. Ang pinakamadami kong nagawa, 45 kilos. Ngayon, R150 na ang isang kilo. Gumagawa ako ng sikwate isang beses sa isang linggo kasi mahirap gawin,” shares Inang Magi, who is living alone in her house and does everything by herself. She was married once, but her husband passed away and left her with no children.

Inang Magi sells her tableya from her house. If people want to buy some, they need to get the sikwate from her house. And Inang Magi only makes small batches once or twice a week, just enough for her to earn money to sustain her needs.

There’s a place that serves traditional sikwate and other Boholano dishes in Panglao – Amorita Resort. Perched on a cliff, overlooking Panglao Island and with a great view of the Bohol Sea and the craggy outlines of islands far off the horizon, Amorita is not your typical corporate resort hotel. It is a resort whose owners have a heart for Bohol.

“When people talk about Bohol, the things they usually mention are the Chocolate Hills and the tarsier. This is something that we want to change because, in reality, Bohol is an experience – distinct, incomparable, and special,” says Ria Cauton, Amorita Resort general manager.

Ria first encountered Bohol as a student. A traveler at heart, she went to Bohol and fell in love with the province. She would visit off beaten paths and  unusual destinations, eat in most kept-secret dining places, and chat with the locals.

While born and bred in Manila, Ria is nonetheless a Boholana at heart. When she and her husband Nikki had an opportunity to settle down in Bohol, they did so with a glad hearts.

The couple wants to share their love for Bohol with their guests through the Beyond Bohol Series. “It is not your usual itinerary. It introduces tourists to a Bohol with shamans to tell mystic tales, artisans who learned their crafts at the feet of their grandfathers, centuries-old houses that whisper secrets of the past, and specialty cooks that safeguard recipes refined through generations,” shares Ria.

Amorita Resort is located at #1 Easter A. Lim Drive, Brgy. Tawala, Alona Beach in Panglao Island, Bohol. For inquiries and reservations, visit www.amoritaresort.com.