Bohol News, Hotels, Travel and Real Estate Property

By Joe Espiritu So a fast craft now serves the Jagna – Camiguin route. They ply that route three times a week. We sincerely hope it will last.  We are sure it will last. Statistics are favorable. Even when the population was scarce, this route had been once maintained and there s no reason why it will not only be constant these days. It may yet grow. The route not only serves the province of Camiguin but places in northern Mindanao near that island.  Boholanos were a seafaring people. They were merchant traders selling everything, from tobacco to kitchen ceramics to nipa shingles – every Boholano product saleable. Sloops or single sailed, outriggered bancas locally called bilos and ketches, the double sailed version called dos bilas carried merchandise from Bohol to northern Mindanao from as far southeast as Surigao to as far southwest as Misamis Occidental.  Those traders may have brought information about productive lands they had seen prompting adventurous Boholanos to settle ther...

By Ric Obedencio This predominantly agricultural town, about 70 kms. north of capital Tagbilaran City, had been the base of a revolt known to be the longest in the country, led by Francisco Sendrijas, a.k.a. "Dagohoy" against the Spanish regime.  The town, led by Mayor Jose Jono Jumamoy, eyed for the Guinness Book of Records when it unfolded the 24-inch by 1,813.5 meters long hand woven raffia fabric during the town's vesper last June 29.  Hundreds of students and pupils, teachers and personnel of different offices unfolded the fabric along the national highway. Media men in the region, including the two giant TV companies covered the event. Tourism Undersecretary Phineas Alburo officially declared amid public applause the length of the hand woven. This length of 1,813.5 meters practically overshot the target of only 1.6 kilometers.  Engr. Greg Sayson of the Department of Public Works and Highways personally measured and certified the length of the fabric with DTI rep...

A new strong Bohol alliance of habal-habal (motorcycle for hire) drivers and operators supports the bill of Rep. Edgar Chatto legalizing operation which has provided them livelihood, fed their families and sustained education of their children. A resolution of the Habal-habal Association of True Operators and Drivers in Bohol (HATOD Bohol) endorsing House Bill 3726 will be transmitted to the Senate for its parallel urgent positive action on the measure.   The leaders of different habal-habal groups in Tagbilaran City and municipalities across the province assembled in a consultative forum at JJ's Seafod Village here on Friday, forming HATOD Bohol as the umbrella organization. The alliance expressed hope that in solidly supporting the habal-habal bill and being united in their cause their two-wheel transport industry can finally get legal basis. The consultative assembly was attended by Chatto himself, Yvonne Campoamor who is the assistant of Land Transportation Office (LTO) – Ta...

By Romy Teruel Sunday Post Panglao Mayor  Benedicto Alcala's political will has made him man of the hour. Lack of allies in the Sangguniang Bayan is a major setback but this did not deter Mayor Alcala from enforcing the 20-meter salvage zone initially at the Alona beach area of Panglao.  He ordered the demolition of structures that were constructed within prohibited zone, something his predecessors did not even think of.   Those affected hated him but he has shown that he is made of sterner stuff and he has gained the admiration of those who not only want the law enforced but also those who want to preserve and continue to enjoy the best tourism asset of Panglao.   The 20 meters salvage zone in beaches is mandated by the Water Code of the Philippines and reinforced by Executive Order No. 13 of Gov. Erico B. Aumentado, and the Sangguniang Bayan of Panglao itself when it adopted into an ordinance the guidelines set by the Panglao Island Tourism Development Inter-agency Task Force...

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-Bohol (TESDA-Bohol) awards Pangulong Gloria Scholarship (PGS) coupons to 150 deserving scholars during the 111th Philippine Independence Day celebration last June 12. Awarding of scholarship coupons happened during the Commemorative Program at Plaza Rizal, as one of the highlights of the celebration. The Pangulong Gloria Scholarship is part of the Economic Resiliency Program of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo with the leadership of TESDA Director General Secretary Augusto "Boboy" Syjuco. The scholarship program provides free training, training support fund and free competency assessment to support job creation and job preservation. With the Pangulong Gloria Scholarship, the country will be able to produce a pool of qualified and globally competent workforce who are job-ready. It will enable the unemployed and the underemployed to develop skills and competencies through training programs for pre-employ...

The move to make Bohol public and private business establishments friendly to "differently-able" persons and compliant with applicable national law on accessibility gets to the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) and it takes a blind man to show the mayors the way.      Bohol Federation of Disabled Persons (BFDP) president and sight impaired Mateo Quilas pointed to the Bohol mayors that a tourism destination, apart from being a wholesome experience for the normal tourist also needs to be friendly to the physically impaired as well.    Quilas, an active advocate for the rights of the differently abled appealed for the physically challenged persons during the LMP bimonthly meeting in Inabanga town.    The appeal was for the BFDP to partner with mayors in implementing the provisions of the accessibility law and press establishments to do the necessary changes before the local chief executives grant building and business permits and licenses.    The appeal also ...

     GOV. Erico Aumentado's convergence strategy targets to build 34 more two-classroom school buildings each year starting this year at only P780,000 each.       Aumentado attributes the low cost of the project to the savings from the labor cost that the army shouldered. the provincial government and the Department of Education (DepEd)       Now on its phase 2 of the school building construction program, the Provincial Engineer's Office has programmed five more projects to be implemented from June to July, while two were started this month and two were done from March to April.       In March the task force led by 1Lt. Polinar constructed a two-classroom school building in Cabul-an Island, Buenavista and the group of 1Lt. Macutay constructed another one in San Roque, Mabini.       In April, the group of 2Lt. Sinoy started constructing the school building for Kauswagan, Trinidad, while the group of Major dela Cruz started the one for Tomoc, San Miguel, and the group of TSG M...