Bohol’s charms
Tagbilaran City—Here for a weeklong official business-related activity, I am once again awed by the brisk economic development I am seeing in my home city, Tagbilaran, the capital city of my home province—Bohol.
The last time I visited my home city was in 2022, when I was invited to speak at a conference organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. I was then experiencing serious mobility problems as I had to be in a wheelchair; I was slowly recovering from a bad injury a year before while doing fieldwork in the municipality of Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur. While recovering slowly from the injury, my osteoarthritis set in a year ago, making matters worse for my aged, wobbly knees.
In 2022, many resorts and vacation places have literally sprouted like mushrooms near the beaches of Panglao, its neighboring town like Dauis, and of course, in my home city. Two of these are in Tagbilaran City proper and another one in the once-sleepy barangay of Ubujan, just a few kilometers away from the city proper. Both have been the result of the collective efforts of two of my siblings and their respective families. These latter two were opened early last year (2024) and are now doing brisk business with the highly increasing number of tourists who arrive from different parts of the globe, including Russia and Israel.
I was told that daily, no less than four to nine direct flights from two places in South Korea, Jeju Island and Busan, arrive at the Panglao International Airport. This is a feat that even the “premiere” city of Davao in Mindanao has not yet achieved.
My colleagues—all of whom are Mindanao (Cotabato City)-based for work—were all praises when we had a short tour of key locations in Bohol, which showcased the province’s unique charms. They all noticed that no firearm-bearing police officer patrols the city’s major thoroughfares even though a lot of people imbibe alcohol in many entertainment joints late in the evening up to the wee hours the following day. They were also amazed at the clean side streets, with no garbage strewn all over the roads and vehicles parked according to the city’s ordinances.
At night, vehicles are running with their head and backlights on, in contrast to what we experienced traveling from General Santos to Cotabato City. I often do this when I go back to my workstation in Cotabato City on Sundays to ensure that I can be present in early morning workshops and meetings the following day, which is a workday. Whoever drives the vehicle I am in must have quick reflexes to spot an unlighted vehicle from a distance to evade a possible collision. I wonder why members of the Highway Patrol Group on the highway from Sultan Kudarat province to Maguindanao del Sur and del Norte are not present along this route to apprehend those who do not follow traffic rules.
Persons bearing small and light firearms that are conspicuous in many places, including army trucks and other military vehicles with soldiers in full battle gear, are not seen here in any locality in Bohol.
Streetlights in the city and its neighboring towns like Dauis and Panglao are also well-lit to assure security among tourists who enjoy the nightlife in bars and restaurants along the white beaches of Alona in Panglao and other towns where tourists sign up for whale shark (butanding) watching or if they prefer, they can swim with them early in the morning starting at 6 a.m. They can also do island-hopping, with the pleasant prospect of watching dolphins playfully doing their jumping and spinning stunts.
On the popular Loboc River cruise, my colleagues savored the delicious dishes prepared for us in the exclusive boat we hired; we had the whole boat occupied by 18 of us in our team. Majority of the team members are Muslims, so we wanted to ensure that the food prepared for our lunch on board one of the boats are non-pork. The food may not be completely halal in the strict Islamic sense, but at least it was something that all of us can eat, without violating the Islamic injunction on haram (forbidden) food. We learned later that the cruise is being managed and supervised by the Loboc municipal government through its local enterprise and development council.
But perhaps, the greatest charm of the province lies in the way locals treat visitors—they are accommodating and helpful when visitors ask for directions to go to other tourist sites.
Space is not enough to list all the charms that make tourists come back to bask in the relaxing atmosphere in the province’s many resorts and places. You should make a visit to the province a key part of your bucket list. Visit Bohol and experience its lovely charms. Now.
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rcguiam@gmail.com
