NEWSFLASH

BEGUILING BOHOL

Manila, July 11, 2000 - I visited historic Bohol island last summer with some colleagues and friends, and came home with a lifetime of memories.

Coordinating with the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) through its media relations man Ariel Digma, our dear "Tita" Jane and the ever-patient Jewel, I arrived at the island province for the first time, jittery and excited. We were headed for the famous Balicasag island resort, which has become a by-word among tourists, both local and foreigners alike.

But first, the PTA arranged for a side trip to the tarsier conservatory, which is one of the environment-friendly projects of the Authority. Traveling from the pier straight to the conservatory, I sat in awe as we sped through winding roads made beautiful by the lofty trees which grew in abundance along the mountain sides. I inhaled the sweet, cool breeze that wafted into our service vehicle. The trip took more than an hour.

Finally, we arrived at the conservatory. The main building was surrounded by mountains and trees, where the fast-disappearing tarsiers peacefully reside. A guide from the team preserving the small, big-eyed animals escorted us among the trees. I saw at least three shy and wet tarsiers hiding among the bushes. The look in their luminous eyes reflecting their surprise at our visit. The number of tarsiers, which used to abound in the country's forests, dwindled after both local and foreign entrepreneurs caught them for commercial purposes for resale as exotic pets.

Tired but still raring to proceed, our group traveled the long way to Aloha beach resort where a one-hour pump ride boat would then take us to the renowned Balicasag island diving resort. We arrived at the island haven just as the sun was setting. The spectacle was awesome! One could see the oranges, the violets, the reds and the yellows mixing with each other to form a sunset which I have never seen before. The scene, plus the tranquillity of the island and the splash of water on the seashore made me heady with a mixture of feelings of serenity, joy and glee.

A diving haven. Foreigners, particularly Japanese divers, go globe-trotting every year and travel to the Philippines to enjoy the scenic views offered by the province of Bohol.

The Balicasag Island diving resort, operated by the PTA since 1989, boasts of mouth-watering delicacies and virginal sea which has become one of the country's prime foreign attractions.

The 1.5 hectare diving resort is a 30 to 45-minute boat ride away from the island municipality of Panglao. It lies on the sprawling Balicasag island which has a total land area of 25 hectares. It is surrounded by towering coconut, palm and pandan trees which contribute to its natural beauty.

The diving resort has ten duplex cottages with each cottage containing two rooms. Average room size of each native-inspired duplex room is 19.64 square meters, with private toilets and baths and, of course, electric fans. Each room has an individual veranda where guests may enjoy the beauty of nature, especially the exhilarating view of the sunset.

The PTA-operated island resort offers a variety of aqua sports, including, of course, snorkeling and scuba diving. It has a dive shop complete with regulators with submersible pressure and depth gauge, air tanks, masks and snorkels, fins, wetsuits, booties, 15 cfm Baeuer air compressor, dive safaris and paddle boats. Expert scuba divers and snorkeling connoisseurs offer basic scuba and snorkeling courses to first-time visitors, for free. Houses made of nipa huts are also scattered in the island. Residents here thrive on fishing and shell collecting.

The Stela Maris, the world’s most expensive and rare shell, abounds in the waters around the island, along with other rare sea shells.

Electricity is also already available, thanks to the Bohol electric cooperative. I enjoyed myself immensely just sitting by the shoreline, watching the waves cover my feet with pristine water while sipping on cold, sweet banana shakes. And though I do not know how to swim, I ventured at snorkeling. And even from this surface, I saw fishes peacefully swimming and coral reefs lying beautifully at the depths of the water.

The peak season for dive-hungry visitors is from December to May. But Japanese divers visit the island year-round.

An estimated 1,000 visitors come to the island every year, with local tourists comprising at least 50 percent of the figure. Transient boats earn most from the flourishing diving business of the island resort. These boats charge as much as P1,000 per trip. >From Balicasag island, we visited one of the country's scenic spots: the Chocolate Hills of Bohol. More than 1,000 brown mounds looked like women's breasts scattered throughout the island. From the top view, one could see endless hills rising in varying heights. Some were low, others of medium height, and still, there were a few high ones.

Legend has it that the once used to be a plain, flat land surrounded by a lake. Two giants were supposed to have lived in this site. The two lived harmoniously for a while but later on became engaged in a fierce fight. The two giants allegedly became so mad with each that they started throwing "handfuls" of mud to each other which subsequently became the famous Chocolate Hills.

After this breathtaking sight of the hills, we proceeded to have lunch in one of Loboc's riverboats which offer a free trip around the river while visitors take their lunch. First-timers liek ourselves typically vie for Balicasag island and Chocolate Hills when heading for Bohol but the panorama from the riverboat once again took our breaths away.

The low, man-made waterfalls which met us at the end of the river was exquisite. After an hour of delightful view and delicious lunch of shrimps, chicken, tortang talong and fresh buko juice, we left the riverboat fed and content.

We flew back to Cebu City then and waited for our flight back to Manila. Reminiscing on our four-day escapade, my friends and I vowed to go back to Bohol someday and once again enjoy the beauty of nature and the cool waters of Balicasag island resort. (By Joan Dairo, MALAYA)