North B delegates assemble at the Bohol Institute of Technology (BIT)
We arrived at the island of Bohol by dawn’s early light.
Tagbilaran City…it wasn’t far from what I had expected. Now classified a 2nd class city, it is the capital of the province composing of 15 barangays situated some 630 kilometers southeast of Metro Manila. Chosen as one of the eight Philippine Dream Cities (a prestigious list that includes the Island Garden City of Samal, Ilo-ilo City, Marikina and Naga, among others), Tagbilaran is also known as the “City of Peace and Friendship”.
From the port area, fellow North B sector delegates boarded a chartered vehicle to the accommodation venue assigned to our sector. That place was the nearby Bohol Institute of Technology’s (BIT) Main Campus along C. Gallares St.
Anticipating difficulties in many of the accommodation venues due to the great number of delegates, many coordinators opted to book themselves in other venues like hotels or pension houses. Likewise, I made prior reservations with a local inn named Meridian Hotel for my son and myself. We checked into the hotel that morning but just left our bags there and proceeded to the IKV venue itself to register and join the second scheduled countryside sight-seeing tour for delegates.
Tagbilaran City…it wasn’t far from what I had expected. Now classified a 2nd class city, it is the capital of the province composing of 15 barangays situated some 630 kilometers southeast of Metro Manila. Chosen as one of the eight Philippine Dream Cities (a prestigious list that includes the Island Garden City of Samal, Ilo-ilo City, Marikina and Naga, among others), Tagbilaran is also known as the “City of Peace and Friendship”.
From the port area, fellow North B sector delegates boarded a chartered vehicle to the accommodation venue assigned to our sector. That place was the nearby Bohol Institute of Technology’s (BIT) Main Campus along C. Gallares St.
Anticipating difficulties in many of the accommodation venues due to the great number of delegates, many coordinators opted to book themselves in other venues like hotels or pension houses. Likewise, I made prior reservations with a local inn named Meridian Hotel for my son and myself. We checked into the hotel that morning but just left our bags there and proceeded to the IKV venue itself to register and join the second scheduled countryside sight-seeing tour for delegates.
Venue of the 11th IKV: the
The venue for this year’s International Kids’ Village was the Holy Name University. Run by the SVD Fathers in the country, it’s has a sprawling campus located at the city’s northeastern district called Dampas.
After registration, it didn’t take us long to be grouped with other delegates to be on our way to the sight-seeing destinations.
After registration, it didn’t take us long to be grouped with other delegates to be on our way to the sight-seeing destinations.
At one of the Tarsier viewing sites
First stop was at one of the Tarsier viewing sites in Loboc.
About 21 kilometers from the provincial capital, Loboc is simply a must see place in Bohol. It is home to the second oldest church in the province built in 1638. The parish is also famous for its renowned (Loboc) Children’s Choir. It wasn’t part of the tour, but I’m sure food loving travelers like me would have surely enjoyed the highly recommended sumptuous lunch aboard the floating restaurants cruising the pristine waters of the captivating Loboc River.
The world famous Tarsier of
Tarsiers (Scientific name: Tarsius syrichta) are the smallest primates in the whole world, measuring up to only about five inches with tails longer than their bodies. Unfortunately, these cute nocturnal monkey-like creatures are very frail and if not taken cared of very well, easily die. It is then not surprising to hear that the Tarsier has become an endangered species.
Note to first time photographers of Tarsiers: Don’t use your camera flash. It agitates them and disrupts their sleeping pattern.
Various souvenirs were sold at the viewing site. Always the avid collector I bought one coffee mug and some food items Bohol is famous for.
Never make the mistake of leaving Bohol without tasting and buying Peanut Kisses for your loved ones back home. Manufactured by Bucarez Food Processing Corporation, these crunchy delectable cookies are made up of peanuts, cane sugar, egg whites and vanilla. Another tasty variation of the Peanut Kisses you may want to try, are the less known Star Peanuts cookies by BQ Breadbasket. But if you’re diabetic like me, you may want to prefer the Peanut Kisses which has slightly lower sugar content per recommended serving as well as fat and calorie count.
More than halfway from Loboc going to the town of Bilar, we passed by a man- made forest primarily composed of Mahogany trees. Numbering in the thousands, they provided an awesome display of forest cover over an extensive land area. Unfortunately, the lack of diversity in tree species have kept most of the endemic animals from making this reforested area their place of habitat.
Note to first time photographers of Tarsiers: Don’t use your camera flash. It agitates them and disrupts their sleeping pattern.
Various souvenirs were sold at the viewing site. Always the avid collector I bought one coffee mug and some food items Bohol is famous for.
Never make the mistake of leaving Bohol without tasting and buying Peanut Kisses for your loved ones back home. Manufactured by Bucarez Food Processing Corporation, these crunchy delectable cookies are made up of peanuts, cane sugar, egg whites and vanilla. Another tasty variation of the Peanut Kisses you may want to try, are the less known Star Peanuts cookies by BQ Breadbasket. But if you’re diabetic like me, you may want to prefer the Peanut Kisses which has slightly lower sugar content per recommended serving as well as fat and calorie count.
More than halfway from Loboc going to the town of Bilar, we passed by a man- made forest primarily composed of Mahogany trees. Numbering in the thousands, they provided an awesome display of forest cover over an extensive land area. Unfortunately, the lack of diversity in tree species have kept most of the endemic animals from making this reforested area their place of habitat.
Appreciating a 360° degree view of the world renowned Chocolate Hills
“God’s little paradise.”
That’s how some people described the province of Bohol. Even with the limited exposure we’ve had so far during our first morning on the province, it was obvious that God had spent a little extra time creating this part of the world. It happens to be the 10th largest island in the Philippines and definitely one of the most alluring.
Entering the municipality of Carmen, one encounters yet God’s most unique creation in Bohol. Synonymous to the province is its biggest attraction – the Chocolate Hills.
That’s how some people described the province of Bohol. Even with the limited exposure we’ve had so far during our first morning on the province, it was obvious that God had spent a little extra time creating this part of the world. It happens to be the 10th largest island in the Philippines and definitely one of the most alluring.
Entering the municipality of Carmen, one encounters yet God’s most unique creation in Bohol. Synonymous to the province is its biggest attraction – the Chocolate Hills.
The hills turn brown during the summer months 
A natural geological formation believed to be millions of years old AND the only one of its kind in the whole wide world, the Chocolate Hills is made up of around 1,268 cone shaped mounds whose heights ranged from a low of 40 meters to a high of 120 meters and spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometers at the central part of the island.
The mounds are covered with green grass that turns brown during the hot summer months which accounts for its well known name.
The Chocolate Hills has been declared the country’s 3rd
The Chocolate Hills view from another angle
Before leaving the view deck complex, I bought some souvenir shirts for the kids and another coffee mug for my collection. It was a good thing we got the morning tour and left there when we did as more and more tourists were going up the view deck causing a heavy build up in vehicular traffic in the uphill road.
Declared a Heritage Province by the Philippine Government due to its rich history and culture, the province is the site of many Spanish colonial period churches. Four and a half kilometers away from Tagbilaran is one of the country’s oldest, the Baclayon Church.
Originally made of wood, the Baclayon Church was built by Jesuit priests Juan de Torres and Gabriel Sanchez during the first mission of Christianity to the island in 1596, in honor of the Blessed Virgin, the Immaculate Conception. The current structure made of coral was constructed in 1727. The Augustinian – Recoletos started administering the parish in 1768. Declared a national historical landmark in July 27, 1994, Baclayon Church is a must see heritage site for religious pilgrims and history buffs.
Originally made of wood, the Baclayon Church was built by Jesuit priests Juan de Torres and Gabriel Sanchez during the first mission of Christianity to the island in 1596, in honor of the Blessed Virgin, the Immaculate Conception. The current structure made of coral was constructed in 1727. The Augustinian – Recoletos started administering the parish in 1768. Declared a national historical landmark in July 27, 1994, Baclayon Church is a must see heritage site for religious pilgrims and history buffs.
At the
The sight-seeing bus from
All this wonderful sight-seeing had worked me a voracious appetite for lunch. A stone’s throw away from the Meridian, we saw a decent looking restaurant. We decided to check the place out and try on its food. We were not disappointed.
When in Bohol, I highly recommend that you visit Payag Restaurant and try out their mouth-watering specialty, Jo’s Chicken InatÔ (grilled marinated chicken) at the second floor.
Also check out their Kilawin Tanigue, a native delicacy of raw fish ‘cooked‘ in spicy vinegar with ginger and onions. A traditional favorite among Filipino beer drinkers, their Kilawin will surely satisfy even the most discriminating palette of non-drinking food lovers alike.
When in Bohol, I highly recommend that you visit Payag Restaurant and try out their mouth-watering specialty, Jo’s Chicken InatÔ (grilled marinated chicken) at the second floor.
Also check out their Kilawin Tanigue, a native delicacy of raw fish ‘cooked‘ in spicy vinegar with ginger and onions. A traditional favorite among Filipino beer drinkers, their Kilawin will surely satisfy even the most discriminating palette of non-drinking food lovers alike.
Making new CFC friends (Bro. Daruel and Sis. Sharon Porlares –
Family Ministry Area leaders in
Payag Restaurant exudes the old World rustic charm one would imagine of Bohol
One glass shelf contained a collection of chicken memento
The restaurant’s al fresco area at the second floor
Payag Restaurant’s main branch in Tagbilaran is to be found at the corner of C.P. Garcia East Avenue and Matig-a St. They have a branch inside the Island City Mall (ICM) at the Dao district.
In front of the Meridian Hotel After lunch, went back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the opening of the IKV later that day.
The Meridian Hotel located at # 4 S. Matig-a Street, Tagbilaran City is a good destination for the budget conscious traveler. The staffs are friendly and courteous enough. On the hand, though reduced to the bare essentials, our accommodation in one of its 16 existing rooms was clean and tidy.
However, I had the unfortunate experience of sitting at the throne inside the bathroom for a good 45 minutes to an hour waiting for the water to come back. Apparently, they had some problems with their water pump or distribution system and that this wasn’t a regular occurrence. Lucky me.
At the venue’s main site 
Since 2001, the International Kids Village or IKV has been an annual gathering of Kids for Christ (KFC) members, their parents and coordinators from all around the country and the rest of world. KFC is a family ministry of the Couples for Christ (CFC) community established around 15 years ago to provide Catholic Christian education and pastoral formation for children aged 4-12. The Wikipedia now describes it as “the largest Catholic child organization in the world”, having its presence felt in 160 countries.
Since 2003, this had been the third time I had gone to an IKV. The two previous ones were when it was held in Pasig (2003) and in Ilo-ilo (2004).
Since 2003, this had been the third time I had gone to an IKV. The two previous ones were when it was held in Pasig (2003) and in Ilo-ilo (2004).
Participating in the Holy Mass
We heard Mass in the late afternoon at the sports oval. After the Holy Mass, we had some time to roam around the venue and look at the various booths and meet old and new friends in the community.
With KFC Coordinator Bro. Bong Chichioco and
KFC International Coordinator Bro. Kirby Llaban
Eating Friday's dinner with Bea and other Big North Praise Parade participants
Dinner was distributed by sectors to designated food representatives who in turn distributed it to its component clusters and respective chapter coordinators. We had Jollibee meals all throughout the IKV.
This classroom was Big North’s ‘home base’ “We are the Big North!” That was part of the chant North B kids shouted with gusto during the IKV, a catchy phrase that kept on ringing in my mind long after the creative, sports and special competitions, workshops, fun games and power activities have come to pass.
The Praise Parade begins….
Back at the
We had quite a day today. We needed all the rest we could get for tomorrow’s new challenges.
The adventure (and misadventures) continues….
No comments:
Post a Comment