Chocolates, churches and Cesar

If you grew up thinking the Chocolate Hills were the stuff of Bohol dreams, wake up, sister.

The island province of Bohol has chocolate hills, white sands, angelic voices, centuries-old churches and Cesar Montano. I don’t think you can leave Bohol without falling for any of the above.

The island is also rich in historical and religious landmarks. On virtually the same row of pristine white-sand beaches in Panglao Island is a bronze monument marking the blood compact between Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Sikatuna on March 16, 1565. The bronze monument was carved by no less than National Artist Napoleon Abueva, who hails from Bohol.

And why shouldn’t Boholanos be proud? It has on its shores the Philippines’ oldest stone church at Baclayon, six kilometers east of Tagbilaran (Baclayon is known for another treasure – actor Cesar Montano whose calendar is hung virtually in every sari-sari store and bakery in the town).

About an hour away from the capital is a sanctuary for tarsiers, the world’s smallest monkey. They have the most soulful eyes and the gentlest touch. Their rubbery feet and light frame make it easy for a person to hold them up – on one’s wrist, even on one’s head.

And you thought Bohol was all chocolate hills?

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My son Carl and I took a 90-minute ferry ride from Cebu, where we had a heavenly stay at Plantation Bay, to Tagbilaran.

The van that met us at the pier took us through the scenic route to the Panglao Island Nature Resort, where we were billeted.

"Bohol’s beaches are more beautiful than the Bahamas," swear Frederick and Babs Ong, the owners of the Metrocentre, the premier hotel in Tagbilaran City, and the Panglao Island Nature Resort.

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When you enter Bohol’s centuries-old churches, time stands still. You are in world devoid of deadlines. You are transported back in time to an era where the places of worship were places of grandeur. Way beyond the reach of looters, these churches’ domes and ceilings are as original as the day they were built.

I had a chance to visit only two churches – the one in Baclayon and the one in Dauis. The Baclayon Church has a museum, thanks to Purificacion Alas, a retired teacher who decided in 1970 to protect the church’s ivory statues, silver candelabras, gold altar vestments and other artifacts from looters.

Constructed in 1596, the Baclayon Church was declared a National Historical Shrine in 1994. Built of coral (of Bohol’s over 40 churches, more than 30 are made of coral), the church has an adjacent rectory which is now a school. The museum is also part of the rectory. A tour of the museum takes one through solid wooden planks that are more than a foot wide.

On display in the museum (pictures are not allowed) are a brass bell dated 1886, dozens of statues and icons of porcelain and ivory, gold tabernacles, ornate candelabras (according to curator Rita Pendoy, candelabras with floral designs served a dual purposes – they were both candle holders and floral offerings). The original gilded altar of the church now stands in the museum. Rita pointed out to me a statue of San Blas (St. Blaise), which was stolen in 1997 from the museum and returned two years ago by a conscience-stricken Manila-based antique collector who had bought it for P200,000 from an unscrupulous dealer.

Another church you should visit is the Dauis Church. On the altar itself, near the communion rail, is a well! Dauis old-timers say the well has been there from Day One, and the fresh water that comes from the natural spring below the altar is miraculous! On the day we visited, people were filling up bottles of water, to drink and for therapeutic purposes. The water had no smell or taste – the way clean water should be.

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Fast becoming a tourist attraction in Bohol is the Loboc children’s choir, a choir of boys and girls from 10 to 13 years of age. The choir has performed in Manila, and is hoping to go on a European tour arranged by Bohol-born musical director Gardy Labad. The choir was organized by Alma Fernando Taldo, with Lina Jala as accompanist. When Cesar Montano proposed to Sunshine Cruz, he took along with him the Loboc Choir to serenade her.

After listening to the choir’s angelic voices, Carl, my sister Mae and her son David went on a cruise down the pristine Loboc river, so clean and green women still wash clothes on its banks. No plastic bottles or cigarette butts floating. Our boat served a delicious lunch of inihaw na tanguige and boiled shrimps, which we washed down with fresh buko juice, still in its shell. The cruise ends on a mini waterfall amid a lush tropical jungle.

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The Chocolate Hills are about two hours away from Tagbilaran, and are a wonder for their symmetry. According to our able guide Mark Jason Raganas, there are exactly 1,268 chocolate hills.

Our party of four took a PAL flight (PAL now flies six times a week to Bohol, compared to thrice-weekly flights before the summer) back to Manila from the Tagbilaran Airport, a terminal badly needing a replacement. The plane took off at the exact time printed on our tickets and arrived in Manila an hour later, on the dot, too.

We had stuffed toy tarsiers, peanut kisses, some antiques (bought at Marling’s in Tagbilaran City) in our luggage. We didn’t bring back a Cesar Montano lookalike, but hey, we still had a great time.

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