The Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort opens

Last Sunday we took a SuperCat fast ferry from Cebu City to Tagbilaran (a two-hour trip) to grace the formal opening of the Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort, owned by Austrian Honorary Consul Arcadio “Dodong” Alegrado, who told his guests that his boss is not only his wife Marley, but also Ms. Julie Alegrado Vergara who runs the Bluewater Resorts, Inc.

The blessing was aptly timed for the Sandugo Festival of Bohol, which celebrates the famous Blood Compact or Treaty of Friendship between Datu Sikatuna, the chieftain of Bohol and Spanish Conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, wherein the blood of the foreigner is mixed with the local people, which is why this festival is called Sandugo. Contrast this to what happened in Cebu, when chieftain Lapu-Lapu killed Ferdinand Magellan whom we should have considered to be our first foreign tourist.

Notice also that in those days Bohol was ruled by a Datu named Sikatuna, which means he must have been a Muslim, while Cebu was ruled by Rajah Humabon, which means that his roots came from the Majapahit Empire which has original Hindu roots. This tells you that the Philippine archipelago was ruled by different cultures, peoples who called themselves as nations on their own. It’s something to think about if you want to know why Filipinos cannot unite as a nation, which is true here at home and more truer in Filipino communities abroad, where you will see Filipino communities that are grouped on cultural and language lines.

Anyway, my good friend Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto was on hand to grace the opening of the Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort. Gov. Chatto is like his predecessor, former Gov. Enrico Aumentado who puts their tourism industry in a special place in their hearts because it has provided an unparalleled growth in the economic and social development of Bohol. Because of this attitude, tourists who visit Bohol return to their homes with pleasant memories of their vacation. Bohol is unlike many tourist destinations where tourists get mired in bad traffic and get pestered with beggars on the street.

Also seen were Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim who was with Usec. Ma. Victoria Jasmin, who recently wrote us in response to our articles on tourism a couple of weeks ago. I reminded her that she also met my sister Mrs. Adela A. Kono who gave them a lecture on Barrier-Free Tourism (BFT), which the DoT has promised to adopt. Few people realize that most tourists (especially those who take ship cruises) need ramps and grab bars. So adopting BFT should be a must for the Tourism industry.

Call Sec. Lim lucky that the Bluewater Panglao was inaugurated during his watch, because this resort was planned and constructed before the Aquino administration came into power. If Sec. Lim wants to make his mark as Tourism Secretary, all he needs to do is either ask the local government units (LGU) to clean up their streets from the filth of garbage and those beggars... or he can entice his friends at the Makati Business Club to invest their money in places like Bohol, Palawan or in Bicol.

What is of great importance to us Filipinos is that the Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort is owned and operated by the Alegrado family, a local Cebuano entrepreneur who originally was in the furniture industry. Thanks to the stiff competition offered by China in the manufacturing sector, our furniture industry has gone down, while the Bluewater Beach Resorts continue to expand. Ms. Julie Alegrado Vergara told me that they’ve already opened a resort in Surigao and they are planning to open in Palawan.

While I heard that the Alegrado family plunked in some P400 million to build the Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort, it should be enough to encourage our top 20 corporations in this country to put some of their investments into this industry. All they need is a nice beachfront property, a good architect and to make sure that the place is accessible to tourists. That’s exactly what the Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort is offering. Kudos to the Alegrado family for this wise investment in our own country. More power!

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It was indeed a close call for some 178 passengers and crew of the M/V Asia Malaysia of the Trans Asia Shipping Lines, Inc. (TASLI) that sank off the Calabasas Island in Panay, some 80 kilometers from the Port of Iloilo. Thanks to the presence of the Bantay Dagat group operating near the area, including the M/V Filipinas of Cokaliong Shipping Lines who rescued the passengers. This is one incident where a passenger vessel sank, but there were no fatalities. But the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) should do its task in investigating what caused the M/V Asia Malaysia to sink. After all, the waters last Sunday were a bit rough, but not enough to sink a ship.

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