This is a post Tubag Bohol birthday reflection.
From 2000-2002 I was editing and writing for a travel magazine in Davao City. Your Guide was the name of the magazine. It was published by Midtown Printing Company, Inc., the sponsor of my Silliman scholarship (1996-2000).
During those times I used to send emails to resorts, hotels, business establishments in Bohol. I introduced the magazine and offered to them free write-ups. But walay mo-"tubag" to my emails and letters. (I can truly empathize with Balong's feeling when he tried to get in touch with Panglao Island Resort.)
When I came to Thailand in 2006, I felt for the first time a profound pain of being uprooted from our homeland. I had been living in different cities and provinces outside Bohol, but living in a foreign land is entirely a different experience. There is always this longing for news or any info about home. To cure the longing for home, I would browse Philippine websites and Bohol-related websites. I wrote several emails to website owners asking them if they have this and that information. But walay mo-"tubag" to my emails. (Jeroen Hellingman of bohol.ph is an exemption. I really like this man from Netherlands, the webmaster of bohol.ph. I was so encouraged when he placed Tubag Bohol in bohol.ph without question. He is the only webmaster who accommodated my request to place Tubag Bohol link in another website.)
I am not a computer science graduate (I completed a degree in Mass Communication from Silliman.) I didn't have a computer/laptop and neither did I have an Internet connection in Anda or in Tagbilaran. I was thinking that there must be a way in the Internet where people can share information and get in touch with each other at a deeper level of friendship and intimacy. But I am not a computer science graduate. So I took up BS-BS (Bachelor in Basa-Basa).
In 2007 I had a little saving and I used it to buy the domain mikeligalig.com and rent a server. I just used this domain to house my resume/biodata and contact information.
The secret frustration nga walay mo-tubag to my emails to Philippine websites gave me an idea to use "tubag" and attach the word to "bohol," thus "tubagbohol." I was only experimenting how things would work if I posted information in tubagbohol site and invited others to read my own collection of research. I had this passion of sending emails to friends whenever I stumbled an excellent research material. I no longer send emails because I can now post any information in Tubag Bohol.
The frustration only deepened because whenever I posted something in Tubag Bohol, walay mo-tubag. I had to endure long nights of solitary confinement in Tubag Bohol posting any info that I deemed important to Boholanos and Filipinos. I sent invitation emails to my contacts in Bohol but my emails got lost. Maybe. The stats was: Most Online Today 1; Most Online Ever 1. But one day the number became 2. Her displayed name was "jeweloftheorient." Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome "Mari." She was the jeweloftheorient nga nasaag diri. She registered in TB but she never came back until 5 or 6 months later.
I felt so alone online. I could only imagine of my mother, my father, and my sister having an Internet connection in Bohol so we could all communicate without incurring a shocking cost. To call to the Philippines from Thailand is horribly expensive.
For months I felt so alone online. I almost gave up. I had posted hundreds of topics but TB's only reader, jeweloftheorient, was nowhere to be found.
Bob Parsons, founder of GoDaddy Inc., said, and I quote:
"Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity."
Mike, I love reading your story about your discovery of Tubag Bohol. It was sad and frustrations indeed. But it's all gone now, here we all are. Always giving "Tubag" whenever we possibly can. Thank you a million times Mike.
In my curiosity, I clicked it, then read lots of news. I forgot when did I finally decide to register, anyhow when I did, I wasn't very active to all conversations what the members were talking about, it didn't interest me. It was early this year that I finally decided to hey why not give it a try, maybe these people are real, and there it was, yes indeed, real people with real hearts and soul.
From that time on, Mike knows how much I gratefully appreciate what he has done. Without any hesitations, I did it so he will be more inspired to continue this site a much better place for everyone to enjoy. And of course with the other members who help him out and was appointed Global Admin, my thanks to you too. As far as I can remember, you were there when Mike needed you the most which was during his father's death. It was so great of you guys.
So Mike, thank you again and again and may God continue to shower blessings upon you and your family today and always.
