Bohol's piped-in Christmas joy

The Baclayon Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Bohol (built in 1727 by Jesuits) is the proud home of a pipe organ that was installed in the choir loft in 1824. The third oldest pipe organ in the country, it is of Baroque style, and had fallen into disrepair until its restoration earlier this year. Bea Zobel, Jr., as proud a Boholano as you’ll find since calling the province her “second home” a few years ago, recruited her sister, Patricia, and the Ayala Foundation, to spearhead this successful restoration. Diego Cera Organbuilders, Inc., took on the monumental task, and Cealwyn Tagle of the specialist organ-building outfit, assumes that Fr. Diego Cera — builder of the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ — may have also taken part in the construction of the Baclayon organ. To celebrate the restoration on the weekend before Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a grand event was held with renowned Spanish composer and conductor, Cristobal Halffter, and pianist Maria Manuela Caro, flying in to play the organ. It is no coincidence that Patricia Zobel is the daughter-in-law of Halffter; and so it warmly became a family event, with the Zobels and the Ayala Foundation, embracing Bohol, and the indefatigable efforts of Bea Jr. to bring sustainable community development to the province.

Along with her parents, Don Jaime and Bea, her brother Jaime Augusto and Lizzie, sister Sofia and Patxi, and Patricia with her husband, Bea took on the task of playing host to a bevy of media people and friends who had descended on Tagbilaran, to show appreciation and support for all she, Joel Uichico and Ino Manalo, have carved out with the cooperation of the local government. Bohol truly occupies a unique position in our tourist trade (whether for local visitors or overseas tourists). It has the pristine white sand beaches and ideal dive sites, and flora and fauna to attract visitors; and on top of that, the island and some of the towns, can boast of a very rich cultural history and tradition. It is specifically with this history and tradition that Bea developed entrepreneurial possibilities, and kicked off community-based businesses that relied on local heritage and traditions in craftsmanship.

One main area for these livelihood endeavors is housed beside the Dauis church in Panglao — jewelry-making, relicarios and ecclesiastical art, fans, and other really tasteful souvenirs, they’re all on display in a structure beside the Church, and it is an impressive array of what one single-minded woman can do when she makes Bohol her “mission.”

We stayed at the Peacock Garden, a truly unique experience. Nestled on a mountainside, it is owned by a German who now calls Bohol “home,” and there’s a little bit of Weisbaden, transplanted to Bohol, via this resort and spa. We also dropped by a Bee Farm, and Amarela, an exciting boutique resort, that specializes in supporting the work of the local artists. For me, it was some eye-opener to the infrastructure and possibilities that have risen on Bohol since the last time I was there. This rich cultural legacy has given Bohol something very special; and am grateful to people like Bea, Joel and Ino, that I had the opportunity to share in this, and understand better why this love affair between Bea and Bohol began, and continues to grow.

Modern times

If novels also act as reflections of our times, then these three novels are wonderful depictions of the social mores and conduct of today in specific places. London, Los Angeles and Moscow — these are the settings of these novels and there are great stories packed within the pages. Past Imperfect is about the upper class of today’s London, while the frenetic world of Television and La-La Land is skewered in Whacked. The Unpossessed City is modern day Moscow, with all its capitalist warts and wrinkles.

Past Imperfect by Julian Fellowes (available at Fully Booked and National Bookstore): Writer, film director and actor Julian Fellowes was responsible for the screenplay of Robert Altman’s Gosford Park, and regaled us a year ago with the novel, Snobs. He’s back with one of my personal must-read’s of the season — Past Imperfect. Spanning some 30 years, the story revolves around the idiosyncrasies and prejudices of the upper crust English. Fellowes entertains while dolloping trenchant social commentary. Damian Baxter, uber-millionaire, is dying, the burning question in his mind is whether or not he has an heir. He enlists his mortal enemy to do the detective work, and a totally engrossing plotline emerges, taking us back to the heyday of the ‘70s, the social mountaineering that would transpire during the Season. It’s a tale of privilege and class, of leftover aristocrats and the New Order of merit that emerged.

Whacked by Jules Asner: I ordered this novel on Amazon, based on the reviews, and the facts that Jules Asner was the host of E! News Live and is married to acclaimed movie director Steven Soderbergh. While bordering on chicklit, there’s enough black humor and insider knowledge to make this a unique foray into the pitfalls of dating in Hollywood... or Holly-weird. Dani is a successful writer on the True Crime TV series, Flesh and Bone, and she’s obsessed with Hollywood murders/deaths, like the one of Marilyn Monroe. With her motto of “If you can’t find Love, find Success,” the novel becomes an excursion into Dani’s world of LA and the television industry as seen from the trenches. She hacks into the e-mail accounts of her boyfriend; and assorted dates after the break-up, and while remaining a sympathetic character, is chockful of insecurities that would drive anyone insane. A wonderful creation, and wait for the story’s twist!

The Unpossessed City by Jon Fasman (available at Fully Booked): Author of The Geographer’s Library, a history suspense novel that’s mentioned in the same breath as such novels as The Da Vinci Code and The Rule of Four, Jon Fasman is back with a contemporary tale that blows the lid off post-Soviet Russia. Jim Vilatzer is the son of Russian immigrants who run a neighborhood restaurant in New Jersey. To escape gambling debts and the syndicate, he moves to Moscow to work with the Memory Foundation, a US-funded institute that interviews those who had survived the gulags of Stalin. A “Finnish” girl named Kaisa hooks up with Jim “the Naive,” and what follows is a messy world of crime gangs and black marketers, dealing in everything from imitation icons to bio-engineered weapons of mass destruction. Mixed into all this are the old-fashioned elements of coercion, vendetta, and the search for redemption.