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Loon: Bohol's emerging prime tourist destination
Source: Municipal Tourism Council of Loon, Bohol

Turn back the hands of time and walk through a profusion of built heritage and a community steeped in a wealth of traditions in culture and the arts.

Explore an underwater paradise in one of the world's most amazing dive sites, sunbathe on white beaches and sand bars, come face to face with mangrove monkeys and myriad birds that fly in wild abandon in sylvan surroundings, and marvel at the biodiversity of Bohol's only island lake.

Give yourself an adrenaline rush as you paddle through a labyrinth of mangrove thickets, cross a winding river that reveals a secret paradise, scale mountains and craggy cliffs, and discover mystical caves that have remained unexplored for many years.

Finally, soothe your weary body by immersing in nature's spas complete with springs and waterfalls.

Experience all of these in Bohol's westernmost town where 67 barangays are evenly spread in beautiful plateaus, lofty mountains and two karst islands.

Named after a crystal-clear spring that gushes from the bosom of the earth, Loon is blessed with plenty of natural resources and built heritage complemented by warm-hearted people whose folkways and beliefs have been nurtured by family and religion.
      
Built heritage

Loon is almost always associated with its imposing church. Completed in 1855, the church of the Nuestra Señora de la Luz, more popularly known as Birhen sa Kasilak, is considered the "Crowning Glory of Recollect Architecture" and "Queen of All Heritage Churches in Bohol".

The extremely elegant Baroque facade of this biggest church edifice in the Visayas is highlighted by delicate bas relief carving nowhere found in the province.

Visitors are awed by the Corinthian columns and fine details of the lace-like capitals on the façade and the main altar.

The painted ceiling of the interior, done by Reynante Francia in the 1930s, complements the turn-of-the-century tiles on the floor, while the faux dome depicts popular saints venerated by Catholics.

Serving as main gate of the fortress-like church is a four-column platform called Hugosan. It is the venue of the annual Easter Sunday rites observed by the local Catholic population.

Behind the huge church is Inang-angan, a grand stairway of four flights and 174 steps made of coral stone blocks.  It leads down to the coastal village of Napo, Loon's original settlement. This grand structure was constructed between 1847 and 1849 to improve contact with the present sawang or town center.  

A fifth flight of 38 steps leads to the convent, now Sacred Heart Academy. The promenade concludes in the old wharf popularly called Tulay where a visitor gets a majestic view of the sea, the mangrove clumps on white sand, and the mountains of Loon and Cebu.

Directly facing the church is a hexagonal two-storey stone structure made of coral stone blocks or tinableya put together by a mixture of sand, lime and water.  In olden times, mass was not celebrated for the remains of the dead.  Instead, they were brought to this mortuary chapel for final blessing before they were buried at the foot of the hills of Cogon Sur where the ruins of a Spanish colonial cemetery still exist.  

The circular layout of the burial place is unique in Bohol. The stone walls called kuta are also made of coral. The internal layout of its small chapel, which has six burial chambers, is cruciform with a transept or pair of arms across the nave.  

A stone bridge in Sombria near the municipal hall has been identified by the Sites and Monuments Division of the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage (BACH) Council as one of the most imposing and having the highest elevation among colonial bridges in the province.  

The public plaza serves as the centerpiece of the town. Completed in 1929, it features an impressive monument dedicated to the national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. Of particular interest is a miniature Statue of Liberty atop the monument attesting to the era it was constructed.

Another highlight of the public park is a big fountain that features four caryatids forming a column that supports a disk. Evenly spaced on the rim of this circular platform are four gargoyles that serve as water spouts.  Figures of two women, one carrying an urn and the other drinking water from her scooped hand, complete the whole structure.  

Monumental art

The town is also a haven of visual artists one of whom is the late painter and sculptor Zosimo P. Relampagos. A master of huge art pieces, he created the monument of the risen Christ standing on a three-sided column at the center of an ornate and multi-layered circular base.  

Another masterpiece of his is a replica of the grotto in Lourdes, France where Mary appeared to a girl named Bernadette. It is a favorite backdrop for the annual reenactment of the Last Supper and many other photo opportunities.  

In Barangay Cabug one finds the Big Cross, a pilgrimage site that offers a majestic view of Cebu Strait. A road leading to the place features replicas of the 14 Stations of the Cross.

Historical sites

The abundant source of spring water found north of Napo after which the town is named is also located below the municipal hall. This spring and the nearby fish ponds and mangrove areas are frequented by quite a large number of birds.  

Farther north a river and a bluff overlooking the wide expanse of mangrove are mute witnesses to the most successful ambush staged by the Boholano guerillas led by Capt. Francisco Salazar against the Japanese aggressors during the Second World War.  

On this site the local government unit commemorates the Battle of Moalong River every year and hopes to develop a Philippines-Japan Friendship and Peace Park.  

A few kilometers upstream is Barangay Cantaongon, a major supply camp of the guerrillas, where Salazar captivated the locals with his agility astride a galloping horse.

Most heritage houses in Loon have been replaced many years before heritage conservation became an advocacy. Being a premier town of adventurers and professionals, Loon experienced economic progress earlier than most other towns. As a result, a construction boom ensued that required tearing down the old houses built of wood.

One family, however, has withstood the temptation to let go of their ancestral abode. The children of Pio B. Ferandos, former Loon mayor and Cebu RTC judge, have retained the town's finest example of a chalet built during the American period.

This white-painted house located opposite the big acacia tree on the churchyard allegedly served as residence and office of the Japanese during the war.

Nature's bounty

The Loonanons have been known as the most itinerant among Boholanos, engaging in the retail business in Samar, Leyte, Negros, Palawan, Siquijor and most provinces in Mindanao. On the other hand many of those who graduate from its seven high schools opt to go to college and practice their professions elsewhere. These cultural aspects are compounded by the rugged topography that deters large-scale agriculture from doing well. As a result, much of what Mother Nature has blessed Loon with has retained its pristine state.  

Around the island of Cabilao divers are drawn to the hammerhead shark, coral gardens, and pygmy seahorses. A tourist can swim, dive, snorkel, take underwater photographs, jet-ski or fish.  

The island has two enclosed bodies of water. The bigger one, Cabilao Island Lake, is frequented by migratory birds and fringed with trees growing below slopes of solid rock marked with fossils of marine organisms.  The other one, called Green Footprint Lagoon, has a lakebed where the seaweed latu (Caulerpa sp.) grows in abundance. The lagoon is also home to a species of red shrimp.  

Marine protected areas also abound. Those in Basdacu and Cabacungan are frequented by divers because of its rich flora and fauna. Suggested activities at the buffer zones of these MPAs include swimming, diving, snorkeling, underwater photography, hook-and-line fishing, and gleaning for seaweeds and shellfish.

The white beaches on the mainland, the Rock Island Cove on Sandingan, and the sand bars of Cabilao are attracting picnickers from nearby municipalities.

During high tide, the interlinked passageways on Tajang Pass seem to separate the mangrove thickets into small islands. The mangrove gardens that line the coastal villages of Cantomucad and Pondol are inhabited by macaque monkeys.

The Moalong River serves as the main catchment for the water coming from all springs, streams and waterfalls of Loon's uplands. The watershed to which the river belongs is also a habitat of diverse species of plants and animals that include endemic birds, mamag (tarsier), kagwang (a lemur-like species), and tinggawong (bearcat).

Caves of karst origin are found almost everywhere. In the village of Cantam-is Baslay alone, a spelunker can explore at least 30 caves.  These subterranean niches are home to thousands of bats and nocturnal birds.

The mountains of Canmanoc and Tan-awan are prominent landmarks that offer a commanding view of the sea, town center and neighboring mountains.  They are also ideal venues for trekking and mountain biking.

Water flows from the fringes of the hidden valley of Danicop in Barangay Ticugan where there are lagoons and a diving platform of solid rock. The raging waters that soothe a trekker's aching back must have gouged the softer parts of the rocky cliff above the riverbank and created huge pockmark-like holes on it.

The Pi-ong Falls situated between Nagtuang and Canmaag drops like a bride's veil onto a lagoon. Nearby the Kabantian Falls found between Nagtuang and Bongco seems like a water stairway as it drops six times before reaching a pool of water.  

Festival of Lights

Every September 8, Loon celebrates its annual fiesta in honor of its patroness, the Birhen sa Kasilak. The ten-day celebration is highlighted by nightly cultural activities the most awaited of which is the culmination of SidlaKasilak, the town’s festival of lights.

Two days before the fiesta, the image of the Kasilak is brought to Napo via a fluvial procession that starts in Sandingan Island. Kasilak devotees, with parol on hand, meet the entourage in Napo and the whole congregation ascend the Inang-angan creating a magical scene of dancing lights in mesmerizing colors.  

At the church plaza, hand-held lanterns of varied colors gracefully float in the dark as the Loonanons pay homage to the Kasilak through a dance of lights offered to the Lady.  

Sleeping giant no more

As Loon braces for the opening in 2010 of the country's first and only international cruise ship port at Catagbacan wharf, the LGU, with Mayor Lloyd Peter M. Lopez, MD at the helm, initiated the drafting of a municipal tourism master plan, now for implementation.

People’s organizations like the Cabilao Romblon Weavers Network (CROWN) and Pundok nga Nag-ugmad sa Kabiling Loonanon (PABILO) have been strengthened to become frontliners of a craft village within a tourism zone and as interpreters and service providers of a heritage walk tour package, respectively.  

To be established very soon is a center of Loonanon craftsmanship at the public market where all products made locally are displayed and sold.  Now in full operation is the Center for Developments in Culture, Heritage and the Arts (CHARTS), a venue for the training of artists and for research on and promotion of Loonanon heritage.  

Realizing that some tourists have the habit of exploring local stores, the LGU is currently renovating the public market. It also identified parking spaces for vehicles to promote order and smooth flow of traffic.

To increase food production in response to the need of the tourism sector, the LGU established plant nurseries in strategic barangays to enhance access to planting materials of crops and ornamental plants. It also organized the farmers and sustained a farmer-scientists training program and a fertilizer subsidy scheme.

Meanwhile, coastal law enforcement has been intensified to protect the town's marine biodiversity. The enforcement of the user's fee ordinance has been sustained in the diving areas around Cabilao.

Launched last year is Buhay Dagat, a project that aims to train qualified members of fishing households in sustaining their marine protected areas where they can charge fees for diving and snorkeling.

Meanwhile, necessary legislative support has been provided by the Sangguniang Bayan especially as regards protecting the marine and terrestrial resources of Loon for its communities to manage in a sustainable manner through tourism-based livelihood projects and activities.
  
Bohol's sleeping giant as regards tourism potential has indeed opened its eyes, albeit gradually, to face the challenges and opportunities that the tourism industry offers now and in the future.




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