The Bohol Chronicle

I just want to share my experiences while having an educational working tour with our project beneficiaries in some tourist attractions and some peoples organizations operating in Bohol. We, at CLAD, Inc. were very much thankful with the help extended to us by PROCESS Bohol personnel that without them that successful trip would not had been made possible. Special thanks is extended to our tour guides Mrs Liza Flores and Mr Mario Limocon.

Our trip started last May 21, 2009. Riding the Jonathan Bus, we arrived Bato, Leyte and were able to catch the first trip of the ferry boat plying Bato-Ubay route. We take our lunch at Ubay, Bohol with Mario Limocon as our tour guide. After our lunch we proceeded to one of the greatest destination in the Philippines and probably one among the greatest natural wonders of the world- the Chocolate Hills in Carmen. Our participants who had their first time visit in the area were really amazed of the beauty and really wondered how such beautiful hills happened to be scattered around that place. I noticed that there were plenty of visitors in the area, be it local and foreign tourist can not just resist of visiting this amazing beautiful place. After we satisfied our curiosity and after buying some birthday gift for my daughter Babe Joan who accompanied me during the trip, we proceeded to Bohol Bioderversity Complex to our Dormitory at the Soil and Water Conservation Foundation (SWCF) office at Bilar where the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape was located. SWCF personnel briefed as about their involvement of the project and brought us to their Vermiculture project. The serenity of the place provided us a very pleasant environment for us to recharge to be ready for the next tiring trip. We were very thankful to Brod Condring Brigoli for facilitating our stay at the SWCF dormitory.

The following day, Mrs. Liza Flores took over as our tour guide. We proceeded to our first organization to be visited, the Farmers Association of Owac. The members of the group were engaged in wild honey collection- in fact we were able to buy some for our own consumption. One thing we appreciated in maintaining this organization is that both barangay and municipal local governments were working hand-in-hand in helping this peoples organization to grow without thinking politics and without thinking who will earn the credit. That's one value of the Boholanons that Calubianons do not have. This association even manage their own water system, although with the help of some NGOs. Before proceeding to LOBOC, we dropped by the Butterfly Farm and enjoyed seeing some of its exotic species.

Before lunch, we arrived at Loboc and enjoyed the river cruising. Our festive mode inside the floating restaurant was so timely that the affair same to be the birthday party of my daughter Babe, actually it was really her birhtday but the celebration was just a coincident with our trip. We requested birthday song from the entertainer and the participants sung along with him. The lunch was so satisfying due to the abundance of the different kinds of food including different types of fruits. Along the riverside, there were entertainers in the floating huts portraying different Filipino traditions and showing various folk dances. We really enjoyed the trip that we considered it as one of our greatest opportunities that we must grab and not let it go.

Our next destination was one of the women's organization in Albur, the Kapunungan sa Nagpakabanang Inahan (KNI). Members of this organization taught us how to make "Buli" soft broom. They demonstrated the step-by-step procedure in preparing the Buli fibers until it was being made into broom. Since the raw materials were available locally, some or our participants were very much eager to establish their project adopting the technology being shared to us. Some of our companions bought some brooms as souvenir. Before proceeding to our next stop, we had a side trip to one of the biggest python in the world located still in Albur.

The group proceeded to our last association to be visited, the "Kapunungan sa mga Inahan alang sa Kaugmaran (KIK)". The group was involved in making pastries and successfully marketed it in the province. The trip was really exhausting yet we can not just let the day passed without visiting the Sandugo Shrine, the site where the blood compact between the Conquestador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Rajah Sikatuna was held. We proceeded to ATI office where we take some rest for while.

The following day, we visited the office of the NGO- PROCESS BOHOL before proceeding to our next destination, the Board Walk at SAVIMA in Maribojoc Bohol. We appreciated the interventions made by this peoples organization towards development of their mangrove area. After acquiring a Community Based-Forest Management Agreement from DENR they were able to expand the mangrove area through mangrove reforestation. The area was so typical in our place that we are tempted to replicate the same project in our municipality. After we had taken our lunch with some native delicacy specially after tasting "Takla", we proceeded to one of the local shopping center in Bohol, the ICM or the Island City Mall. Few souvenir items added in our collections.

Our tour ended at Panglao Beach where the group witnessed the setting sun. Although it was at very low tide and the group were not able to swim, it was so refreshing at Panglao. Everbody in our company were very thankful of the experiences they gained during the three visit.