Wake-uppers:
Scene: The art classes (De Juan School for Music and the Arts
Recreational Training or The One SMART School) will start on April 6.
Enrollment will be on March 30. The Tambahayan Cafe and the school are located
at the basement of Garcia-Sarmiento Building along Ma. Clara Street, Tagbilaran
City. It's between Cristal E-College and the UB gym.
Scene:
Dr. Freddie Bernal, director IV of the Commission on Higher
Education, is the guest speaker of University of
Bohol’s 146th Commencement Exercises on March 31.
Scene:
Atty. Julius
Gregory Batausa Delgado posted on Facebook: Announcing
the Bohol Football Summer Camp brought to you by Football and Futsal
Association of Bohol, Inc. (FFABI), ClassAct Philippines (formerly Oplan Bangon
Bohol), Kaya F.C. and Stallions F.C. on April
14-16, 2014 in HNU Football Field and CPG Grandtstand. Featuring the following:
1) Free Football Clinic for Boys and Girls with UFL Players; 2) Coaching
Seminar with Australian Kaya F.C. Coach David Perkovic and National Women's
Football Team Coach Ernest Nieras; 3) Football Festival; and 4) Exhibition
Match: Kaya-Bohol East Team vs. Stallions-Bohol West Team. For more details
please contact FFABI Officials: Coach John Torregosa (President), Coach Erwin
Angalot (EVP), Coach Clarence Rosco (Auditor) or Coach Bruce Zabala (PRO) or
Bb. Pilipinas World 2006 Anna Maris Igpit or Atty. Greg Delgado. See you
Boholano Footboleros!
***
Perfect
beaches. Interesting places. Friendly locals. Fascinating history.
 |
| Lourdes Sultan Photo by: Ric Obedencio |
That
is how tour operator and businesswoman Lourdes Sultan of Travel Village Tours and Travel (inside
Bohol
Tropics Resort Club, Graham Avenue, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines; Tel.
No: (+63 38) 411.4023 / 411-5928/501-8078; Mobile: tvillage@yahoo.com.ph) wants to sell Bohol to
boost the province’s tourism using her expertise in marketing, advertising and promotions.
Last week, Lourdes was very busy entertaining her
guests onboard
the luxury ship Happag Lloyd’s Ms Europa 2. With her was Bohol
tourism officer Josephine Remolador-Cabarrus (“Bohol is a place and is back to
normal and back to
business again.”) who welcomed MS Europa’s second visit to
Bohol this year.
But despite her busy schedule, she still had time
to answer our queries.
“Thank God! Improving ang atong figures although we
are not expecting to hit the same figure last summer but we are going
there,” shared the hopeful Lourdes.
Our tourism industry was affected after the
killer quake last year. There were renovations, twists, and a facelift of our attractions
to invite tourists to come back to Bohol.
“We never lose hope,” said Lourdes. “We just
have to work hard for promotions, telling our friends and everyone we are up on
our faith.”
 |
|
Lourdes Sultan (2nd from left)
with Ric Obedencio, Leo Udtohan, Bohol Tourism Officer Jo Remolador-Cabarrus and
Edward Guyano. Courtesy: Ric
Obedencio
|
As
a tourist destination, the island-province of Bohol in the Philippines is
loaded with the attractions travelers dream of: clean and white-sandy beaches, interesting
places, friendly locals and fascinating history.
 |
|
Antequera’s majestic
Mag-aso Falls...so cool this summer. –LPU
|
Yet
for all its advantages, the province has a big problem attracting travelers
after the quake.
“We
need expertise in hospitality management for us to be competitive,” said
Lourdes who also owns the Travel Village floating resto in Loboc.
The
biggest challenge, according to Lourdes, is the need of a bigger airport to
accommodate the expected tourism influx with updated airport facilities. Five
star resorts and hotels in the province can magnetically attract visitors.
Lourdes
also shared that rebranding and selling Bohol should begin with Boholano
themselves.
“Believe
in the beauty of our province of Bohol. We are a beautiful place to sell at
every turn. Sell it to all your friends on Facebook and Twitter,” encouraged
Lourdes. “We should also help each other especially the tourism stakeholders.
At the end of the day, it will not be Loboc River, it will not be Travel
Village but Bohol. It’s still Bohol.”
 |
|
One
of Bohol’s enchanted rivers, Makapiko remains beautiful.- LPU
|
The
Mag-aso Falls in barangay Can-umay in Antequera town is back to normal. Belyn
Omila, the caretaker of Mag-aso Falls, shared that their guests have tripled
this year. Most of them are European visitors. Entrance fee is Php 20 pesos for
adults and Php 10 pesos for kids (and there is a toll fee of 10 pesos per
vehicle), you will enjoy the falls to sawa.
Last
Friday, we went to Chocolate Hills Adventure Park in barangay Buenos Aires,Carmen town. I’d found the place so relaxing. If you like nature trek, you will
love this place. It has a well-manicured garden with different species of
plants, trees and flowers. The entrance
fee is Php60 pesos.
Check
“serpentarium” which houses pythons and oriental whip snakes. They are
extremely slender snakes.
If
you have Php 400, you can try Bike Zip to experience the excitement and thrill
riding a mountain bike on a zip line.
 |
|
Ang
Pinaka host and model Rovilson Fernandez at the Chocolate
Hills Adventure Park. ‘Zip-line? Nope. Zip-BIKE! Cycling above the Chocolate
Hills cause' that's how I roll.’ Courtesy:
Rovilson Fernandez
|
While
I had my muni-muni at the top of the
hill, Inday Charity convinced me to visit Makapiko Nature Park in barangay
Rizal in Batuan town. Inday visited the place in 2005 where adventure trip
using tubes, paddles and life vests were necessary to float down the Makapiko
River. But when we checked the place, it’s already abandoned. However, the
river remains beautiful.
...What’s up?
Last
week’s VRS about a former queen who is battling the Big C drew a lot of
reactions from our readers. An email from Erma Sarigumba: A diagnosis of cancer, or even being told of a suspicion of cancer, can
make you extremely fearful. You reflect on friends or family who died of cancer
or of celebrities with cancer that died. Cancer is one most feared disease in
the world. I advised women to have a regular check-up. Lumps are usually visible on a mammogram long before they can be seen
or felt. Although lumps are usually painless, pain or tenderness in the breast
can be a sign of breast cancer. Another reaction from beauty watcher James Obedencio
who shared that 1977 Most Beautiful Bohalana Ellen Campbell has
succumbed to cancer, too. “She would always be remembered as one of the
loveliest Miss Bohol winners,” said Raul Gatal on Campbell in his blog.
***
Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at
leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohan at Twitter /Facebook.
