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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Explore Bohol

Think you’ve seen enough of Bohol beyond Panglao and the Chocolate Hills?

November 17, 2011, 9:31am

Panglao Nature Park

MANILA, Philippines — Beyond the Chocolate Hills and the beaches in Panglao, is there actually more to Bohol than what ends up in travel brochures and high school textbooks?

Rep. Arthur Yap (3rd District, Bohol) answers a resounding yes—animatedly talking of a yet-to-be-explored side of Bohol that awaits the eager, adventurous tourist.

“Bohol is to Chocolate Hills as Chocolate Hills is to Bohol—and Panglao’s pristine beaches are a microcosm of the beauty that is our province,” he said. “But after you’ve seen these tourist favorites, the challenge is—what other adventures are just waiting to be seen, heard and felt by the many daring travelers that flock to our province?”

Yap excitingly notes that everyone will be surprised at the multitude of experiences available.

“Bohol is a teeming hub of never-before-seen experiences—whether you’re a history geek, a culture vulture, or a nature buff, you definitely won’t leave the province without something to brag to your family and friends.”

Himself having taken a journey through Bohol’s towns, dirt roads and clear waters, Yap recounts how he himself fell in love with the majestic views and interesting history associated with each destination. “Take for example, the man-made forest that connects Loboc and Bilar—who would suspect that this thicket of mahogany trees is the result of the hard work of hundreds of laborers who reforested the area, after it has been cleared and converted to farmlands during the war?”

He vividly describes the solemn, captivating sight of the lush greens with the sun languidly streaming through the haze. “People who pass through this road surely can’t help but be smitten by the otherworldly atmosphere,” he says.

The Blood Compact site in Tagbilaran, where chieftain Datu Sikatuna and the Spaniard Miguel Lopez de Legazpi sealed the two countries’ friendship during a momentous event on March 16, 1565, is a venue Yap believes will enchant locals and foreigners interested in the Philippines’ colonial past.

“Apart from this spot which marks how the country opened up to the outside world, Bohol’s many colonial architectural wonders, like the Baclayon church and the incomplete church in Dimiao dubbed the Ermita Ruins, as well as Lamanoc Island’s petroglyphs in Anda, are echoes from the past which prove how Bohol figures in the rich and multifaceted history of the Philippines.”

Yap hopes that, like him, many more tourists will discover the hidden side of Bohol, firsthand. “With Explore Bohol, District 3’s very own tourism program, we are giving travelers wishing to go beyond the popular tourist spots the chance to create their own adventures,” he said.

(Photos from: www.bohol-philippines.com;www.bohol.ph; www. wikipedia.com;www.theboholstandard.com; Chocolate-Hills by Jeroen Hellingman )