Monday, November 4, 2013

Charice wants to live in Bohol! Inabanga's odd case of tourism




• Inabanga’s odd case of tourism
Charice wants to live in Bohol!

Wake-uppers:
Scene: The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) recommends immediate relocation and evacuation of residents with houses near the newly developed sinkhole in Purok 7, Barangay Poblacion 1, Tagbilaran City. The landslide susceptibility rating is very high. Barangay Captain Arlene Karaan conducted an emergency general assembly to inform the residents of the findings of MGB. The sinkhole in Poblacion 1 is one of the 50 sinkholes in Tagbilaran City which emerged after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol last Oct. 15.

Madonna and Child appears in Calape, Bohol Photo by Leo Udtohan
Scene: An image of the “Madonna and Child” reportedly appeared on the floor of the multi-purpose hall at Calape Central Elementary School in barangay Sta. Cruz in Calape town. The multi-purpose hall is used as an evacuation center. People from neighboring towns have started to flock to the school to get a glimpse and pray before the image. Rev. Fr. Aurelio Luzon, Jr., parish priest of St. Vincent Ferrer, clarified that it will take a while before they can verify if the image is indeed an apparition. “People visit the place because of curiosity,” said Fr. Luzon. “Let's keep praying. There's nothing wrong with the floor or the apparition, what matter is our faith."

Scene: LGU Loboc banned Loboc Riverwatch from taking off  and barred guests from riding the floating resto of Tessie Labunog-Sumampong last Oct. 25. “Kita mo naguba among docking port so duha lang nag-operate, so si Miss Tessie nakahibaw na siya nga karun nga paagi turno-turno pa. Wala man siya mo-coordinate sa LGU. So ako siya giingnan nga it’s an order nga dili ka makaoperate ogma para walay gubot unya imong mga bisita dili mauwawan,”  Loboc Mayor Helen Alaba told reporters. However, Tessie denied that she received a suspension order from the Mayor. “Walay order. Wala mi kadawat order or advice, wala man. As usual lang among operation pero nananghid gihapun mi.”  The mayor’s brother, ex-Mayor Leon Calipusan, was there at the Complex to drive away tourists. One tourist Rachel Acedo complained saying, “This is our choice, you can’t dictate the guests where we want to eat ...ginamit ang issue ng earthquake na kesyo nasira ang docking area...dapat take turns. Why allowed us to get inside the boat and we have our lunch and we will wait for our turn to cruise?”

Scene: Bangon Bohol posted on Facebook that a network of local artists, musicians, photographers/videographers, writers, is currently doing a video documentary and a music album and a new Awit sa Bohol music video. Bb. Pilipinas 2006 Anna Maris Igpit also shared that their group “SugBohol” is planning an all-star "Balik sa Bohol" music video to promote Bohol tourism.

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Down-trodden by the tragedy, singing sensation Charice Pempengco will hold a benefit concert for the earthquake victims and survivors in Bohol. Dubbed as "One Voice," the said event will be held on November 5 (Tuesday) at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila.

Charice and her Bohol connection: Her “One Voice” benefit concert for Bohol quake victims is on Nov. 5.  Courtesy: Charice
When asked why she considers Bohol as the beneficiary, Charice told reporters in a presscon last Tuesday that she had developed a connection with the place.

Charice and her girlfriend Alyssa Quijano visited Bohol one week before the earthquake for their first anniversary.

“First time ko po sa Bohol nu’n. Three days po kami ro’n and then, naging espesyal siya sa akin kasi pinaka-touched talaga ako sa mga tao.” Charice told reporters.

She said unlike other places, Boholanos never judged her gender preference and accepted her with open arms.

“Kasi, sorry to say, pero alam naman natin na may mga tao, like sa Manila, na medyo tagilid ang mga ugali. Pero doon, sobrang totoo sila, alam n’yo po ’yun? Sobrang friendly and marespeto. Grabe po talaga. First night ko pa lang, nagustuhan ko na talaga sila. Na-touch ako the way they treated me. Hindi ko sila kakilala pero sobrang parang close ko na agad sila,” added Charice.

“Doon ko po na-realize na gusto kong tumira sa Bohol, maski na nagkaroon ng earthquake, e, mauudlot ang plano ko. Kaya ko po gagawin ang concert na ito kasi gusto ko pong makatulong para mapabilis ‘yung pag-recovery nila,” said Charice.

Charice said that she wanted to live in Bohol than to settle down in the United States.

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Inabanga has been garnering major media mileage as the home of the “faultline.” It was Gerwin Yudelmo, a youth leader of Inabanga, who informed me about the five kilometer ground rupture in barangay Anonang.

The surface rupture (faultline) which appeared after the killer quake in barangay Anonang, Inabanga town invites tourists to explore nature.  Courtesy: Gerwin Yudelmo
“It’s now a tourist attraction,” said Gerwin. “From a disaster to a blessing!”

Last Wednesday, Liza Macalandag, Jocelyn Pilayre, and yours truly, decided to visit the place after we visited barangay Maitum, Catigbian town for a stress debriefing

The entry point to Anonang is Bogtong Market. Along the way, we delved into the tastes of the place as we experienced Anonang with its breathtaking rolling hills and foliage.

“The place is enchanting,” gushed Jocelyn, who like us, visited the place for the first time.

After the killer quake, there are new discoveries in Bohol. Watch for it!

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Here’s “Is There Still A Way Out?” from Ana Liza Abao of Loboc who is sharing VRS readers her thoughts on the quake which hit Bohol and Someone who’s mighty up there. Here it is:

A week after the 7.2 trembling earthquake hit Bohol, I found myself alone in a room of my aunt’s home in Burgos St. Tagbilaran City trying to exercise total silence and contemplation, bringing my head down to my knees as I used to, hoping that it can prevent me from any distraction. I started to reflect why these have had to happen. Bohol – the heart of the islands is now bleeding and even the deafening silence of the hills from town to town cried out to the wilderness. For a moment, Boholano senses have refused to believe that it had happened in just a click.

Yes it was. October 15 had been a day to remember, an unimaginable disaster ever realized by every Boholano and other neighboring inhabitants in the region as well. Each has his or her own story to tell.

As I wanted to look back across that terrifying day, I was awakened at almost 8:00 in the morning trying to be obedient to the call of nature but decided to roll back in bed as it was the first week of semestral break in one of the universities in Cebu City.

My co-boarders most of whom are Bol-anons were still in bed trying to enjoy the two week vacation. Putting my head set on, as my way of making myself back to sleep and off to wonderland, I closed my two round eyes and started to listen to the song “Ikaw ang among Gabayan” by Sheryn Regis when in an instant my bed shook and my senses told me that it’s an earthquake. I didn’t move at once in the hope that it will eventually stop.

Alas, to my disbelief it continued to shake like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour and I could hear the audible running steps from my co-boarders and joining them, we run as fast as we could outside from the three-storey building we rented in. While running, I wondered why it lasted for several seconds and my feeble mind told me that woe to us as it was God’s wrath. Mighty goodness, God wanted His presence felt at that moment.

As my fourth time to experience an earthquake, the mental prayer taught by my late mother who passed away 2 months ago on the same date had been my instant refuge and uttering the words “Yes Lord You Exist”, it halted for a moment. Only did I realize that I went out barefooted.
My sister who lives in Inabanga with her family called me at once and to my surprise that tremor hit Bohol and Cebu at the same time.

My co-boarders who are residents of Loon, Carmen and Batuan were also busy with their phones trying to connect with their beloved families. And the rest were followed by various destructions of homes and heritage churches including my home town’s St. Peter’s Parish Church in Loboc.

Two days after, my co-boarder and I went home to quake-torn Bohol and it was a heartbreaking scene before my very eyes. Bohol bleeds.

I went to my hometown Loboc and the church where I was baptized was no longer the same two weeks before the tremor occurred when I went there capturing different views and angles inside the beautiful and famous Loboc church hoping that I can use those photos for my photojournalism class.

 I supposed that I was the last Lobocanon who had different shots from its ceiling to the ground including the museum before that destructive quake happened and forever will it be saved in my file much more to my memory.

Had it not been on a non-working day, it would be a different story. Had it been on a Sunday, it would be Bohol’s most fatal day.

In an instant our lives are threatened that seems dark ahead but God in His supreme greatness still spared us from His mighty wrath. Just as God’s ways are beyond imagination and His reasons are not ours to complain, we have to face it in faith that we are indeed blessed in some way or another.

This passing life is a labyrinth of darkness and uncertainty and how many of us have ever asked if there is still a way out.

The deafening ‘bang-bang’ of guns in Zamboanga faction, the never-ending bloody and floody areas in Metro Manila, the pork barrel sequel, violence, name it, we all have it.

Rich and poor alike we can never escape from these human and natural disasters while we are still on this earthly journey.

Like a river that flows ever onward toward the sea truly it is certain that the current of daily life moves ever onward the Day of Judgment.

Knowing that most of us are all united in prayers before the living God, I unite myself to God’s holy angels in deep adoration before the throne of the Highest. May the praise that is sung in heaven resound in the heart of every Boholano particularly those who are deeply affected.

I came out of that prayer time knowing that God loved us so much amidst our human frailties. It was an hour of total silence. No asking. No intercessions. No habitual prayer. Absolutely nothing. Just silence.

Now that my ears are closer to my chest I can feel the shaking of the bed that surely confirms that another aftershock occurs. And there is no way out.

Truly, God wanted His Presence felt. Anytime. Anywhere. “Yes Lord, You Exist”!
               
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Ray of hope & quake-licious in Bohol

Tomorrow marks the two-week anniversary of Bohol’ devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that affected thousands of Boholanos.

Bayanihan spirit Photo by Leo P. Udtohan
Images of hardships are still flooding your TV screen especially in the towns that were the epicenter of the disaster. Many families lost their properties and loved ones and some just disappeared in an instant.

The effects of this dreadful quake are visible everywhere in tent cities where people are still living without proper homes, clean running water and food.

As I went to barangay Bagtic in Catigbian town, I saw people harvesting crops near the tension cracks. There was “Diskwento Caravan” of the DTI in Loon town last Thursday. And despite the quake, the people of Antequera had celebrated their town fiesta yesterday. It was those little things –I’ve realized these are signs of hope.

I salute many amazing people and organizations that are making things better. I’ve realized that there are many young people who care about other people and the province keeping the bayanihan spirit alive. They have volunteered to pack and deliver relief goods to far-flung barangays.

A lot do voluntourism on Facebook and text messages to help promote the affected tourism of Bohol.

Yes, there is still great suffering from the horrific quake, but resilience and a passion for life still dominate the Boholano people.

As you're reading this, you can do something.

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Loboc Riverwatch offers quake-licious

I saw how the 7.2 magnitude earthquake damaged the kitchen of the Loboc Riverwatch, owned by Tessie and Libby Sumampong.

Madame Susan Laguras (Tessie’s right hand) and crew were cleaning the area where a big tree collapsed and destroyed the kitchen. They were saving some stuff.

Loboc Riverwatch floats again!
“The earthquake may have left us devastated after our property sustained damage but our spirits were not dampened to rebuild again,” says Tessie. 

Other floating restaurants are now operational last week but Loboc Riverwatch Floating Resto rises up and brings new menu with a twist.

Tomorrow, Oct. 28, starters on the new menu include  the primary wave: soup of the day which is the linog-gaw, guso salad, manga-nitude with 7.2 bagoong, the epicentre has plain rice, pancit especial, humbang nangka, earth quickquick, chopseuy ni ondoy, battered chicken, seafood kurog-kurog, intensified shrimp, grilled fish tuna-mi, dinakdakan or pork bbq.

The quake delights includes aftershock-koy, bingkang niliki, banana flitters, lindol-dol, faulto cheese, suman, dagandagan fruits in season with one round softdrink.

We aim to give the earthquake a lighter note despite its heartbreaking effects to Bohol. We decided to introduce our new menu so that diners can treat themselves while enjoying the Loboc River,” adds Tessie. 

It can be noted that Tessie started serving authentic Boholano cuisines last summer.

“50 % of the income will be donated to the Loboc Church,” says Tessie.

(Note: Loboc Riverwatch: Tel. No: (038) - 537–9460, (038) -537–9460; Mobile: +63918 - 510 – 4032/ +63917- 306–0010/+63917-382–2254; Email: lobocriverwatch@gmail.com)

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While we are at it, Prof. Marianito Luspo shares his thoughts on Bohol and the killer quake:

 BAMBOO FLOWERS. If you notice this was the title of Maryo de los Reyes’ latest film project. He told me he got the title while cruising along the Abatan River where some bamboo groves grow. He obviously heard about how the bamboo flowers only once in its lifetime – just before it dies. A poignant tale indeed and this inspired him to develop the storyline of his movie. Seeing the preview, however, I was struck by the fact that nowhere in the entire movie –all about Boholanos and shot mostly in Bohol – is the lesson of the bamboo flower reflected. I did not see beauty preceding extinction, of reality taken for granted until just as it started to get noticed and admired death comes to take it away forever.

Then the cataclysmic earthquake happened and as I tried to grapple with the reality of our Boholano heritage either ruined or lost it dawned on me Maryo J’s tribute movie Bamboo Flowers may have, albeit inadvertently, presaged the fate of Bohol.

Imagine this, for the past several hundred years this island and all the wonders in it stood at the edge of nowhere. It was even bruited about for quite some time that nothing good ever comes out of this backwater of a province. Yes, even us, its inhabitants, used to be the butt of national jokes, it led some enterprising individuals, the likes of Yoyoy Villame, to simply say “Cebu” when asked where they come from, just to avoid the inevitable ribbing.

Then not so long ago, Bohol suddenly hit the limelight and was touted about as the next exciting tourist destination. It took us sometime to adjust to our new found fame, the new monicker as the beautiful province. Overnight, it seemed, we have become like the ugly duckling grown to become a splendid-looking swan. The splendor of our hills were written about; the whiteness of our beach sand is marveled at; our churches touted as exemplars of conservation and heritage sensibility. Yes, even the tiny tarsiers became giants in the eyes of an appreciative world. It took us sometime, yes, but soon we became convinced ourselves we truly have a beautiful province to call home.

The bamboo has flowered, after centuries of flourishing as an overgrown grass species along the banks of the Abatan river. How long did its season of flowering last – twenty years? No, it was much less than that. When the earth groaned and went into paroxysms of sub-tectonic readjustment that fateful morning of October 15, 2013, changing the face of our accustomed topography and cultural landscape just as we were just learning to appreciate and take pride in them, we were just ten years as a tourism frontliner, fifteen years cherishing our natural and cultural inheritance and close to eighteen when we started on the road to cultural rebirth. Now, most of beauty of that short-lived flowering are but sad memories. But other bamboos are still there and someday soon they will also come to flower.

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Bohol will rise again!

Need to say more? The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the province last Tuesday damaged infrastructures, pulverized historical monuments, polarized commerce, destroyed livelihoods and killed people.

Photo by Leo P. Udtohan
Hours after the quake, my heart broke when I saw the centuries-old churches destroyed by the killer quake. Oh, very sad! 

The quake was a great equalizer, sparing neither rich nor poor, neither the famous nor ordinary mortals.

Environmentalist Boy Ancog and friends are right that for being good and prayerful people, we are still lucky that:

. . . the calamity did not happen on a Sunday when all churches should have been crowded with churchgoers;

. . . the incident did not happen after 10:00 am, when all the malls should have been opened for jam-packed shoppers;

. . . that day was a non-working holiday where schools should have been full of children and offices and workplaces are full of working people;

. . . that it was daytime and everybody was awake and alert. . .

Truly, it is the nature of Nature to follow its course no matter what it cost . . . but it is God's nature to bring us miracles.

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Bohol is also famous as a wedding destination.  Our old churches give timeless and precious memories for those who want to seal their love in the province.

On July 15, this year, Mikel and Eden Ceballos (nee Descallar) got married at the famous Our Lady of Assumption Church or Dauis Church.

“We chose Dauis because the church itself is timeless. It was a privileged for us to hold our special day in Dauis,” said Mikel.

Joan Jagonos and Benjie Oliva
Three months after, the couple woke up last Tuesday and learned that the Dauis church severely damaged.

“We visited the Church and I cried. The place is very memorable for us where we promised to love each other,” said Eden, who is down-trodden by the tragedy.

The other day, the couple went to Loboc and Maribojoc to give relief goods together with their Globe Telecom family.

Dream weddings don’t happen easily.

It took former Commissioner of the National Youth Commission (NYC) and Department of Agriculture administrative officer Benjie Oliva and his wife Joan Jagonos over a year to prepare for their dream wedding which was supposed to be held yesterday (Oct. 19) at Dauis Church.

What the Oliva couple was not prepared for was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that would shatter their wedding unforgettable.

“We decided t postpone the wedding considering the damage cost by the earthquake that hit Bohol. The Dauis Church was totally damaged,” said Benjie in an interview while he and Joan are volunteering at the St. Joseph Cathedral for the relief goods.

Mikel and Eden (nee Descallar) Ceballos
“We have no choice, I think it will be awkward to celebrate while there are countless people who are suffering because of the earthquake,” said Joan. “We can celebrate anytime but helping other people in times of need, you cannot postpone it.  You have to help now.”

They held relief operations in the affected areas of Catigbian, Loon and Maribojoc.

Even their honeymoon in Australia, scheduled for a few days after their wedding, was already set. But the couple decided to donate the money for the affected families.

“Joan and I decided that our budget for our honeymoon will be used to our relief operation,” said Benjie.

On the other hand, I heard that actor Cesar Montano is now finalizing a fund-raising concert for the quake victims and survivors.

GMA News: Click here.

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