MikeLigalig.com

There's one Tocmo family in Hinunangan, Southern Leyte. One of the children is a good friend of mine and he told me his father is from Corella. I just can't recall the name. My friend is a senior staff of Metrobank.

The church was completed in 1855. Compared to other churches in Bohol, the one in Loon is quite recent.

Church of the Nuestra Señora de la Luz. Established by the Jesuits in 1753, the Our Lady of Light Parish was ceded in 1768 to the Recollects who built the first stone church in the 1780s. The churches built in 1815, 1850 and 1853-54 were devoured by fire. The present façade is believed to have survived the last one. This "Crowning Glory of Recollect Architecture" and "Queen of All Heritage Churches in Bohol" was constructed when Fr. Jose Garcia was parish priest from 1854 to 1890. Domingo de Escondrillas, director of public works in Cebu, drew the plans. The extremely elegant Baroque facade of this biggest church edifice in the Visayas is the finest in Bohol. Consolidating the Moorish tendencies are the bas relief carving, wooden balusters guarding the bell tower windows, and the pointed roofs. The sophisticated architectural styles of the Baroque, the Moorish and the Plateresque are evident in the Corinthian columns and fine details of the lace-like capitals. The painted ceiling of the interior, done by Reynante Francia in the 1930s, is perfectly in step with the tiled (now GI sheet) roof and the main "retablo" embellished with roundels in bas relief depicting scenes from the life of Mary. The faux dome depicts popular saints venerated by Catholics. Beside the church is the old convento, now Sacred Heart Academy, which was built during the term of Fr. Pedro Polo (1844â€"46).

Naay mga potential tourist spots sa Cortes pero wala pay klarong tourism activities or tourist traffic.

Quote from: hubag bohol on July 06, 2010, 08:26:30 PM
He he, hangtod sa 1897 ra man ang lista so far. Basin maapil...

Shalan ba diay, No. 31 pa man diay na kutob. Atangan na lang nato ang sumpay. Pero sure ko dili nila iapil ang ilang pagpamatay sa mga lumad apil na ang pagpangsunog sa mga lungsod ug pagpatay sa mga hayopan aron lang gyud moyukbo ang mga Pilipino sa mga Amerikano.

Obviously, absent ang carnage perpetrated by the Americans when they took over the archipelago right after the Spaniards left the country.

17. Sugar industry in the Philippines. 1859 Nicholas Loney from England pioneered the sugar industry that contributed to the economic growth of Iloilo and Panay.

Mao diay nga ang street sa pier sa Iloilo City ginganlan og Muelle Loney. Diha tingali gipangkarga ang mga tubo. A few minutes across is Jordan, Guimaras where there is an abandoned sugar refinery nga daplin sa dagat. In fact, mora'g naay conveyor padung sa cargo ship.

14. Surnames for Filipinos. November 21, 1849. Governor Narciso Claveria y Zaldua issued a decree that provided for the use of Spanish surnames by Filipinos to facilitate census, tax collection and administration.


It may be worth knowing why some Boholanos still bear Binisaya last names, like Bucag, Jubac, Laway, Mag-uyon, Dalagan, Lood, Bajao, etc.

?Cuando, Señor Lorenzo?

Sinugbang tamarong gitunlob sa mawos nga ginamos bulinaw nga gisukaan og ha'ang.

You're welcome, Lorenzo.
Welcome to Loon soon.

"Makita ang katag" = See the scattered? ha ha ha

Humay nga puwa
Law-oy
Mawos nga ginamos

Paliya with egg
Inun-onang mulmul

Maribojoc-made banana chips in three flavors:
. cheese
. hot and spice
. original sweet

Loon-made rosquillos

Bahin adtong among float para sa among Miss Town, gisakyan man sa Miss Balikbayan bisag klaro kaayo ang ngalan sa among town sa atubangan sa float. Dihay babaye nga nagmandar.mandar, mora gyud mig mga basang pisu nga gikasab-an nga wala man unta miy sala. Mora intawon mig mga bata nga giilogan og duwaan. Maayo na lang dihay concerned citizen, gipagamit mi sa iyang topdown jeep. Gigabaan ang nangilog kay eliminated dayon sa contest. Ang among Miss Town na first runner-up. Full-fledged nurse and flight stewardess na siya karon sa usa ka international carrier.   

Quote from: bugsay on June 29, 2010, 10:58:06 PM
may pag sinigang diay ang iyang lami?

Mora-mora, dili lang daghan ang sabaw.

Tagalog man na nga dish.

Mga isda sa bato, hinimbisan
Pug-an sa daghang hinog nga kamatis, iapil og luto ang kinupusang kamatis
Pug-an og 2 o 3 ka lemonsito
Sabwan og gamay
Panakotan (sibuyas)
Asinan

Pinangat nga mulmul ... slurrrp !!!

Kana gyud Islander, agree ko ana.
Nabiktima na mi anang mga balikbayan nga way batasan.
Tiaw bay gigastohan namo ang float para sa among Miss Town unya pag parade na, ilang gipasakyan sa ilang Miss kay dapat kuno kaming taga local maoy mo provide nila og float. Grabe gyud. Kami pay giaway nga kami ang tag-iya sa sakyanan ug maoy naggasto sa tanan.
Wa gyuy batasan !!!

Panihapon:

Sinugbang sawasid
Mawos nga ginamos bulinaw
Odong nga gisubakan og sardinas
Saging tundan

The Buzzz at ICM and Bohol Bee Farm in Dauis (same owner) serves corn coffee with an-an.
Mature okra seeds can also be roasted, ground and used to substitute coffee.

Pamahaw: piniritong lapulapu

Paniudto: ginamos, piniritong isda, bulad nukos, bulad bulinaw, linat-ang munggos - maka HB tanan, taas uric acid.

Panihapon: ginisang kalabasa, dayok I made myself, inun-onang bulinaw 

Quote from: Koddi Prudente on June 20, 2010, 09:43:27 PM
Darunday Manor House across PNB

Na OT na ta ani. Pagsugod og thread bahin sa drama MsDabs kay mosumpay ra ko. Tawon tong avid Guindulman defender wala na man mobalik. Pirti baya nakong kurata kay nag-uros-uros man tong iyang kasuko. Ang iyang grabeng hatred gyud tingali maoy nakatukmod kaniya sa pagladlad sa mga attributes kunohay sa mga Guindulamanon nga, para sa kadaghanan, naa man pud sa ubang Bol-anon. Let's enjoy life samtang hapit na summer diha sa Aremikah. 

Wa may laing lingaw MsDabs kay kon gusto gyud motan-aw og TV moadto pa man mi sa laing balay, usahay a kilometer away pa basta lang gyud makakita sa Wild Wild West ug Tawag ng Tanghalan. Imagine, 1980s na baya mi nakapalit og TV, so drama jud sa radyo ang kalingawan. Uso pa tong "For Adults Only", retitled "Verboten: Minors Not Allowed". Wa gyuy magduka bisag ala una na sa palis.

Casa Rey Pension House near Matig-a Lodge. P700per room. There are rooms that you get a good view of the sea and Dauis on Panglao Island.

Pamahaw: piniritong bulad nga "goodbye head", unpolished organic red rice, scrambled egg, inun-onang tamarong, espeson nga sekwate

Paniudto: iced tea, liempo, pinakbet, green mango juice

Snacks: buko halo-halo sa Payag at Level 5 of BQ Mall

Panihapon: linat-ang baka, kinilaw nga bulinaw, beef steak Pinoy style, dayok with lemonsito

Hapit wa ko makasabot sa "mohabol" kay ang akong na imagine unlan pud tungod sa katulgon, he he he. Mas maayo nang naa pay ipaapas aron mas interesting ... sa sugilanon pa ... atangi ang mosunod nga gula !!!

A recently retired staff of BPSTEA can help you. Call her Ma'am Inday and her number is 09195237043.

Quote from: jig37504 on June 03, 2010, 10:18:24 PM
posible pud Koddi. nag-rely lang kos sa storya sa akong amahan sa gamay pa ko nya wa man pud ko mangutana. pero sigon sa akong nahibaw-an ang Culajao diha ra sa Cortes na sija. unta naay makasuta mas maajo.

I met some Cuajaos long time ago, taga Valencia sila.

Sa pagsugod og ka inila sa Bohol tungod sa tourism, wala nay taga laing dapit nga magbugal-bugal sa mga Bol-anon. Ang mga nahibilin na lang nga magbugal-bugal nato karon mao na lang ang atong isig ka Bol-anon.

Melai Cantiveros of ABS-CBN's PBB. Taga GenSan, pero taga Dauis iyang mother.

He's from Loon but he, his mother and sisters have been residing in Manila since gagmay pa sila. Like many Loonanons, naninda iyang mga ginikanan og panapton sa Quiapo. I know his mother and elder sister. Kanunay bitaw na siya nato makita sa TV. The Lacierdas are from Barangay Badbad Oriental/Occidental. Some are in San Miguel, mga Loonanon nga nag migrate didto pag implement sa Homestead Law.

Atty. Edwin Lacierda - legal adviser of the new president, Noynoy Aquino

Quote from: windgate on October 18, 2009, 08:55:15 PM
naa ice oi.  kanang moingon nag sapagkat tinood lang.... hehehe

Kana pong sapagkat katsa bukid ... he he he

Quote from: bol-anon nga cebuano on June 02, 2010, 02:26:42 AM
bart cloma is famous in the showbiz world.

Unsay mga movies niya?

Milabay na ang panahon nga ang Bohol ug mga Bol-anon maoy sumsuman ug bugalbugalan sa mga pakatawa. Talagsa na lang kaayo nato kini madungog o masinati.  Anugon kaayo kon ang atong pag-ija-ija-aho-aho (nga kuno ang taga dinhi nga lungsod mas hawud o mas abante kay sa taga didto nga lungsod) mao na usay makapahimo natong kataw-anan o bugal-bugalan sa uban. Ang atong gugma sa Bohol kinahanglan nga kaluhaan usab sa atong pagbaton og garbo sa tanang lungsod, no matter how unique one is compared to the other, ug sa atong pagka Bol-anon.   

Recent achievers: Brigadier General Joseph Sevilla (Loon) and Fr. Milan Ted Torralba (Tagbilaran). The latter is an expert in cultural heritage especially the cultural patrimony of the Church.

There was a Dr. Nayga from Jagna nga na president sa Isabela State University.

Nganong dili na man ta maka delete sa mga read topics?

Quote from: kaanindotsab on April 13, 2010, 05:46:50 PM
Abi ko ug ang Eskaya tribe tua magpuyo sa Taytay, Duero duol duol sa Bangwalog?

Taytay is in fact an extension of the Eskaya community in Biabas.   

Quote from: Mike Ortega Ligalig on June 01, 2010, 11:21:56 PM
Kanang binagow na-deprived jud ko ana sa gamay pa kong bata kay dili jud mi pakan-on ni mama kay madaot among ngipon. maayo pud kay perfect akong teeth karon.

Since gamay pa gyud ko tigkaon og binagow. Mao tingali ning naay misiwil nakong ngipon, ha ha ha !!!

Wow !!! We Boholanos should be very proud !!! Coincidentally, tourism development for the island of Cabilao is Priority No. 1 in Loon's Municipal Tourism Master Plan. 

Quote from: taga tigbao on April 22, 2010, 05:29:36 PM
luwa - bulging as in Luwa man ijahang mata, though more on Tagawog ni sija.

Lugwa pud.

Quote from: jig37504 on May 22, 2010, 07:44:58 PM
. . . ang Culajao sa Cortes originally Cuajao na sila.

It is most likely nga Culajao ang original, kay sa Binol-anon, mahimo mang "w" ang paglitok sa "l".     

Binagow nga kinamayan

Sorry ... nawani na ko sa mga issues dinhi. Nakurat ko sa first posting. Unsa man diay nahitabo nga giyagyag man gyud didto kon unsa gyud kintahay ang kalidad sa mga Guindulmanon. Mora man og kalidad nga wala pud sa uban. Anyway ... salamat sa tanan tungod sa mga diskusyon nga makalingaw. 

Tuba was part of my childhood. Mga paryente nako mga mananaggot. Paimnon mi sa among amahan kaniadto og tunga sa tasa nga tuba kada gabii, kon naa, kay maka brayt kuno. Tuod man, na brayt. Og pangopya, ha ha ha !!! Bitaw ... makatawa kong maghinumdum ... sa una, kon naay oration piece nga akong sag-uhon, magparok gyud intawon ko kon mag memorize na kay nalipong na man sa tuba, hangtud nga makatulog. Pukawon na lang ko ... aron pakatulgon na gyud, he he he.

It looks like a ribbed condom.

Pamahaw:

Kapeng mais
Humay puwa
Labtingaw nga burot

Paniudto:

Fried chicken Bisaya
Escabecheng kitung
Pinoy beefsteak
Lambay
Pork chicharon
Pork menudo

Paniudto:

Humay puwa
Sinugbang baboy - tambok, unod, atay, dunggan
Lukot
Fruit-salad ice candy and buko pandan mix

Snacks:

Kamote nga orange kaayo ang unod, with Star margarine
Coke

Panihapon:

Init nga dukot sa kan-ong puti
Kinhason omelette
Bulad pinikas

Haaaaaay ... mdb.  Maghimo na lang ko'g dayok. Labon gilain na to nako tong bihud sa kitung.

Pamahaw:

inun-onang tulingan nga giprito

Paniudto:

linat-ang munggos gigisa, gisabwan
inun-onang tamarong
beef loaf
buko-pandan

Panihapon:

piniritong burot
kinilaw nga turnos
amba'ang
aninikad
manggang balbangaan
singkamas slices
Coke & Sprite
Goldilocks ubi cake

Paniudto: humay puwa, pork barbecue, inun-onang katambak, RTO

Panihapon: humay puti, pinigsat nga boiled tawong mixed with ginamos and spices, inun-onang tulingan, piniritong inun-onang tulingan, nangka nga tam-is pas dugos 

Being originally from Samboan, Cebu and residing most of the time in Cebu City has been an issue hurled at VG Herrera.

From the article:   ". . . Bohol Island State University, the first and only of its kind in this part of the country." If the author meant Bohol, yes. But if Visayas, or Central Visayas, no.

Quote from: bol-anon nga cebuano on April 12, 2010, 10:54:46 PM
taga cebu diay ni si mayor goring kay sa cebu man ilubong dili sa batuan.

Ang iyang bana sure ko nga taga Cebu. Baga kaayo na nga pamilya sa Consolacion, Liloan ug Daanbantayan. Naa pa man gani sa Ormoc.

Quote from: Vistabel on April 11, 2010, 05:56:46 PM
ahhh impossible'g manihapon pa bai.. good for 2 days na ng pagkaona hehehe

Ha ha ha !!! See the modified feast of the day !!! Nanihapon pa gyud, Bai uy !!!

Clash of the Titans nga 3D, starring Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes; didto sa BQ Mall

Paniudto:

Lomi nga inimbento using odong, unod sa manok, sikwa, itlog ug uban pa
Kinilaw nga bulinaw, dagko na kaayo, mora nag tulakhang, mao nga gihimukgan before gi.mix
Tortang bulinaw (kauban sa gikilaw, gipili ang gagmay; hinatag sa higalang mananagat, busa ... libre !!!)
Okra nga gipabukalan lang, gituslo sa toyo
Bulad pinikas
Slices of apple mango and singkamas
Coke

Panihapon:

Eggplant salad: cut crosswise and lengthwise, fried flesh down, mixed with vinegar, toyo, and kinilaw spices
Piniritong inun-onan nga ta'ad
Piniritong danggit
Mga salin sa paniudto
Homemade cookies
Coke

Snacks during TB time: bahaw nga kan-on puwa, ug ginamos turnos. Hapit na alas 3 sa kaadlawon. Mo-exit sa ko.

Quote from: chicogon on April 11, 2010, 02:04:43 AM
Patan-awa mis t-shirt apil na ang tag-iya... kay wa jod mi kaila ana ni Koddi Go!!! 

Quote from: ms da binsi on April 11, 2010, 01:17:09 AM
Di man ka kaajo dako Kods! more pah! i like your shirt diay oi! very summery.

mdb, ato-ato sa ning atong mga faces, ha ... kay naa pa koy kaso ... ha ha ha !!!

Quote from: ms da binsi on April 11, 2010, 01:17:09 AM
di man ka kaajo dako Kods! more pah! i like your shirt diay oi! very summery.

He he ... thanks. Asa man adto nga shirt. Time sa kay bisitahon nako akong CaraLibro (FB). 

Quote from: ms da binsi on April 11, 2010, 01:04:33 AM
Kods, bisan diay kag pala kaon kay seksi japun ka Kods!!! honest! pah! hijak lang jutay payts na! hahaha!

Ha ha ha !!! ... Mao nay joke nga akong nabantayan karong mga pipila na ka mga recent instances. Hilig kuno ko og gagmay nga t-shirt ... of course euphemism ra na sa akong pagdaku. Tiaw bay 38" na ang buy-ay !!!  Hiyak gyud pirmi labi nag naay bisita sa office.

Trivia: In some towns in the Visayas (like Baybay, Leyte - now a city), the flagpole area is called "bayangan" after "Bayang", the first word of Lupang Hinirang.

Kuyawa anang fried rice ni mdb kay naa may mga stars !!!

Pamahaw: piniritong buwad bulinaw, boiled egg, kapeng mais, red rice

Paniudto: pure carrot-orange juice

Snacks: bingka; budbud with fillings (one with ubi, another with mangga, and the last one with chocolate); nilambiran; biko nga ubi; dinumugan; ug sekwate

Panihapon: litson manok, ginamos nga tagum-tagum, humay nga puwa

Unya kay wa man tingali na ma rehistro sa Qatar kay gihuwat pa man nga mauli sa Pilipinas usa pa girehistro ... technically mahimo na siya nga stateless !!! Walay yutang natawhan, dili citizen sa either country. Calling mga abogado, please elucidate.

During the screening period it was already known to the organizers that she was born in Doha and they, too, had a copy of her birth certificate. They just did not do their job. Sayang ang bata kay daku og potential nga ma notice sa international competition.

In regard to earlier postings, a few corrections:

This is the land I love,
The land God gave to me,
Caressed by the sun,
Bathed by the sea,
And kissed by the cool breeze
Night and day.
Here’s where the early heroes lived,
Here’s where they wrought peace and here they bled,
Here rise the marvelous cone-shaped hills,
Here’s sweet kinampay grows. HERE SWEET KINAMPAY GROWS


Blessed with white sandy beaches,
Rivers that water valleys,
Seas teem with fishes and cows graze SEAS TEEM WITH FISH AND COWS GRAZE
on the plains,
In ev’ry home love reigns,
God keep my homeland always free,
Let her forever be,
I pledge my strength, my heart and soul,
To my dear home, Bohol

Quote from: fdaray on April 09, 2010, 09:05:14 PM
Karong tuiga, ang kantahon sa mga bata during the flay raising ceremony is Bayang Magiliw, 2/4 na ang time signature, usa  na ka kamot ang gamiton sa pag beat.

Correction gamay: "Lupang Hinirang" ang title sa atong national anthem. "Bayang magiliw" is its first line.

Pamahaw:

fried chicken nga Kabir
sinugbang ulo sa manok
fried batikulon sa manok
fried atay sa manok

Paniudto:

bingka sa Painitang Bol-anon

Pamahaw: pinirito nga inun-onang tulingan

Paniudto: pansit, pork chop, Coke

Snacks: Mister Donut doughnuts

Panihapon: SUgbang pugut (tikus or paku in other places), TUwang pugapu, and KInilaw nga turnos

Was Al Gore really here in Bohol? He was supposed to be with, among them, "Joe Ofame". Is this a typo error? Because there is a "Joe Ofamen" who comes to Bohol very often and rubs elbows with those in power including philanthropists.

This has happened even in more prestigious events like the now defunct annual short story writing competitions of Asiaweek where Boholano Clovis Nazareno, a three-time Palanca Award winner, was at one time shortlisted in the top 40. In one edition of the contest, a Filipino writer was declared among the winners, but National Artist for Literature Edith L. Tiempo was quick to note the similarities between his work and that of a published one. Gibawi gyud ang award. Ulaw kaayo sa nag plagiarize.

After reading all the comments, I conclude that "Go." is indeed the shortest sentence. Emphatic form ba toy tawag ani ... nga mora'g nag-order or nag-command to do something ... and then understood na ang subject, which is "You" (singular or plural).   

Quote from: fdaray on October 30, 2008, 09:22:56 AM
Not a short sentence, but a sentence with all the letters: The quick brown fox jump over the black lazy dog.

Walay "S".

Maka pa guilty man sab nang hulagwaya uy.

Quote from: hubag bohol on April 03, 2010, 08:03:31 AM
Usahay, ang ilabay kanang by-product sa LBM...

Unsa man diay gikaon ?

Quote from: hubag bohol on April 03, 2010, 07:38:16 AM
Peligro diay sa red tide...

Sigi ma'g ulan diri sa Bohol. Wala kaayo ta maapektohi sa El Niño. Mag red tide ma lang na kon extended ang ting-init.

Pwede sab to magpari tong bataa uy kay kadtong tulo man gyud ang iyang gikuha !

Quote from: bol-anon quo nyur! on April 03, 2010, 01:56:58 AM
Sir Koddi, mangutana lang. From SALT WATER ba kining OYSTER dinhi sa Cambuhat?

Naa sa suba. Brackish kay maabot man sa taob.

Where I studied in college ilang gipanglubong ang tanang wire. Wala juy obstruction sa view. Pag diha nay expansion sa connections, gitapulan nag lubong. That corner sa Rose Pharmacy kinadaghanan og wire. Samok kaayo tan-awon.

TB snacks: polvoron ug bagumbayan

- Mga tambalan mangawat og tudlo sa santos kay gamiton sa horem-horem
- Moilog sa mga ha'ad sa mga karo, labi na ang mga sabungero, sa karo ni San Pedro, para swerte sa sabong o panagat  
- Mosawo sa confetti sa mga anghel ilabi na ang gikan sa gibitay o gipang-itsa gikan sa ibabaw, kay gamiton pud pangswerte; hasta ang mga dekorasyon sa Hugosan panglangkaton pud
- Mangayo og buhok sa gihugos o balhibo sa iyang pako para pang swerte ghapon, usahay naa gyuy magdala og gunting !!!

Maibog man sab ta ani. Mobalik na sab tingali ko ani sa photography. Inspiring kaayo inyong mga photos.

Abi nako'g ang kanta ni sa Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.

To Admin: If it is possible to merge all similar topics, please do it. Kay nagbalik-balik ra ang mga comments sa mga hot kaayo sa politika. Daghang salamat !!!

Wasabe !!! Wasabe !!! ... pagka lami baya ana.

Walay Green Perico sa Cambuhat, pero hapit tanan makita green kay kanipaan man, naa pay katunggan ug kahumayan. 

Linat-ang munggos nga gituno-an, with tawong, kalabasa, bago, gabi and pinikas buwad. Naa poy tinuno-ang nangka, tagum-tagum (kudjug and padas to others) with Sukang Pinakurat (SK), and sardinas in tomato sauce straight from the can, gibutangag gamayng SK and asin.

Ma'am Nila Itac now teaches at Mater Dei College in Tubigon. I think she still reports to HNU.

Quote from: ms da binsi on April 02, 2010, 01:45:21 AM
now i learned something... thanks Kods!

The article was written in 2000, so dili na jud tag P15 ang kada strand sa oyster. The activities and features, however, remain the same. Two years ago the package cost about P450 per person in a group of at least 10. That's for those travelling from Tagbilaran to Buenavista and back. Included na ang rower, food, and village tour.

The Cambuhat River and Village Tour: Packaging What Comes Naturally

In some places, people go to great lengths in the name of tourism development. In Cambuhat, we discover a charming village that need not reinvent itself.

^{By Reigh P. Monreal, CRM/IEC Specialist, CRMP (2000)}

We cautiously sidle down the side of a bridge and into small outrigger canoes. The harmony between the canoes' bright yellow hulls and the translucent turquoise-green water of the Daet River is, like most things about Bohol, out of the ordinary.

We are a group of six local adventurers egged on by a common friend to try Cambuhat for a different nature trip. After a two-hour drive from Tagbilaran City southwest of Bohol to Buenavista town on the north, where Cambuhat is, we now brace ourselves for this novel excursion into a neighborhood by the river. Buenavista, we learn, is a young and vibrant municipality whose current development efforts are hinged on participatory governance.

Why Cambuhat?

Having experienced Bohol’s other attractions - the beaches on Panglao Island near Tagbilaran, the Chocolate Hills in Carmen and adjacent towns, and the Loboc River cruise - we reckon exploring the northern border of Bohol passing through the western towns will be an eye-opener. Despite having many sites of great tourism potential, the western and northern municipalities, as well as the easternmost rim, have been left out in provincial tourism promotions.

This rustic community is the site of probably one of Bohol’s first eco-cultural tour packages. Called the Cambuhat River and Village Tour, the package was developed and launched last year through a partnership between the local government of Buenavista, the village folk of Cambuhat and the Coastal Resource Management Project. Bookings are coursed through the Tagbilaran-based FCB Foundation, Inc.

Downstream ride

With two of us sitting back-to-back on a small platform onto which the outriggers are tightly fixed, our paddler, Romulo Opalla, tells us that the boat ride 1.8 kilometers downstream along a nipa-fringed watercourse takes about 30 minutes. But with the ebbing tide, this ride over placid waters may take a shorter time.

Romulo attributes the occasional flotsam to yesterday’s heavy rains. The debris we saw near the jump-off point is nowhere in sight. I can imagine how sparklingly clean the river would be during the summer months! Even now, with the heat of the mid-morning sun causing little sweat beads to run down our brows, I feel the urge to dive into the water. But the cool refreshing breeze must be relished, too.

Farther down, the river and the waterways form an intricate labyrinth, punctuated by fish corrals set up at almost every junction. These net-and-bamboo contraptions catch shrimp and mud crabs that stray into the channels during high tide. Romulo points to young mangrove trees between nipa stands that thrive on the embankments. These trees, he reveals, were planted by community members, including himself.

Our good-natured oarsman offers to let me steer the boat, but I opt to enjoy the serene environs of the meandering tributary. After 10-15 minutes, I now see on my right about two or three houses huddled in what seems like an inlet where a boat is docked. Romulo tells us that this boat carries mainland water for sale to residents of nearby Cabul-an island.

Best-kept secret

A few meters down the river is a small hut without walls sitting atop stilts. According to our paddler, this nipa-thatched shack serves as a watchman’s house. The oysters have to be guarded from poachers, he adds.

The mere mention of the mouth-watering oysters excites me no end. These delicious bivalves used to be Cambuhat’s best-kept secret, and it seems they have become the most popular attraction of the village.

Gliding round a bend, the boat slices through the wider expanse of the river and passes by Ambakan, a riverbank whose name means “a place from which one jumps into the river.”

After only a few paddles onwards, our tireless boatman delivers us to Tugbungan, a promontory that marks the end of the river cruise. Atop this limestone cliff that juts from the riverbank is a bigger hut, also with nipa roofing and without walls, where some members of the local organization of women have been waiting to welcome our group. In one corner is a little store bedecked with bougainvilleas lining a fragile bamboo bridge that extends a few meters into a mangrove area.

The sweet smell of grilled seafood greets us amid expressions of welcome from the local folk. They immediately usher us to a long bamboo table filled with steamed shrimp, fried native chicken, vegetable soup, “puso” or rice wrapped in woven coconut fronds and, of course, the fresh oysters of Cambuhat. Served raw, grilled with butter or cheese, or pan-fried omelet-style, the once lowly mollusk has become a prized catch for those of us who cannot find them in the wet market.

While our hands are busy picking here and dipping there, the hosts sing with fervor Buenavista’s official hymn. Ellen, our organizer, tells us that a local resident can dish out poetic lines impromptu, but he is not available today to entertain us. More songs, then one of our hosts explains how oysters have changed the way of life of some households in Cambuhat.

Oyster culture

The culture of these delicious bivalves was previously introduced to the community in 1989, but because of various technical and financial problems, it was not sustained. With the help of one of CRMP's aquaculture specialists, Andres Amejan, the practice of oyster culture was successfully revived.

Oyster culture does not require any complicated procedure. Four or five empty oyster shells are tied to a nylon strand about one meter long. The strands are then suspended underwater, either beneath bamboo rafts or from a suspension line set up near the riverbank. The strands are installed six inches apart, with the topmost shell about one foot above the water level at the lowest ebb tide and the lowermost shell about one foot from the riverbed.

If the oyster hangings are place at the right time (during the spawning season of oysters, which happens only twice a year), reddish spots, which are actually oyster juveniles, will appear in a week and cling to the empty shells. After a month, the muck excreted by the growing oysters must be removed, or it will bury the developing oyster colony. More frequent cleaning-up is required as the oysters mature. In six months, the shellfish is ready for harvest. Each strand now supports four or five bunches of oysters and is sold at a farmgate price of Php15-25, depending on quantity.

Oyster production in Cambuhat is done by families. Each of the participating 38 households is assigned a portion of the river, at least 50m2, for shellfish culture. With a larger area, a household can suspend as many as 4,000 strands. If each strand sells at an average of Php15, 3,500 strands can generate about Php52,500 in gross earnings. The 500 strands deducted from the total serve as adjustment for household consumption and poaching.

An oyster grower tells us that more than 80,000 strands have been harvested from the river since May 1999. Because of the high demand, each household has to set aside about 1,000 strands as source of empty shells for the next production cycle. Thus, to retain the shells, the growers process the meat into ginamos, a popular meal appetizer, which they also sell at Php25 per lapad (rum bottle).

Looms and brooms

Uphill from the promontory, we discover more of Cambuhat’s charms. Walking past buri palms lining the road, we learn that a weaving industry utilizing strips from buri leaves have been preserved by some families. Indeed, we see the womenfolk strip young palm leaves and weave saguran cloth using age-old looms set up under their houses.

At our next stop, an old woman demonstrates how a broom is made from fiber processed from the stalk of the buri leaf. Her husband tells us that the community also produces starch from the pith of the plant’s trunk. The starch is made into palm pearls or landang, an ingredient in many coconut-flavored snack foods. In this community of unassuming residents, the lowly buri has actually replaced the coconut as the “tree of life”. The old folk swear they survived on buri during the World War II, and the intermittent periods of famine in the ensuing years.

In a carpentry shop several meters away, a young lad fashions back-scratchers, spoons and forks from coconut shell and wood from a local fish-tail palm called patikan.

Meanwhile, we notice that some backyards have separate garbage pits for biodegradable and non-biodegradable materials, something that amazes and humbles those who are environmentally aware yet do not practice proper garbage disposal.

Pastoral scenery

Nobody gets hungry in this resource-rich village by the river. Banana, pineapple, root crops and a variety of vegetables are planted in every nook and cranny. Growing abundantly in the wild are sagisi palm, tipolo trees and several bamboo species, all of which have great economic potential. For those looking for something more exotic, a local vine called unlan-unlan sa halas or snake’s pillow is a good conversation piece.

We stray into a lowland area where young and old villagers harvest irrigated rice and thresh the cereal bundles beside the paddies and under a coconut grove where goats, cats and dogs cavort in wild abandon.

Cambuhat lives up to its name. Buhat means make, create, work and toil. Here in Cambuhat, we see joy, self-sufficiency and dignity in the faces of villagers keeping their hands busy with productive endeavor.

I think there is an error sa information. Dili ingon niana ang price per head. It could possibly be for a group with a minimum number of persons.

Usik kon dili makadaug si Dr. Shalom Mula-Labra. She's a good catch as a councilor. It is rare for any town to have a young and progressive thinking lady with a PhD degree (Iowa State University) and whose advocacies cover livelihood, women and children, environmental conservation, and empowerment of the marginalized sector.

Pamahaw: Inun-onang lapulapu, kapeng mais

Paniudto: corn soup, fried chicken wings, pansit, sweet/sour pork, tiramisu

Panihapon: sinigang na baboy, fried chicken, four seasons juice

Luoy pud bitaw siya kay walay machinery. Walay sinaligan in most towns. In other words, maglisud siyag daug.

Quote from: willmerit on March 28, 2010, 12:23:58 AM
mukaon diay pod ka ana Koddi?

Unsay pagtoo nimo ... ikaw ray tigkaon ana ... ha ha ha !!!

Pan burikat . . .  kay bisag kinsa pwede motilaw !!!

Pamahaw: kapeng mais, Greenich pizza, lakatan banana

Paniudto: adobong kubotan, kalderetang kanding, talong gisugba'g gisalad, kinilawng lukot, utan kalbasa ug hatong, Sprite.

Snacks: Selecta 3-in-1 ice cream, pansit palabok, sinugbang bariles, kinilawng isda, sinabwan nga gisadong pagi, puto, pan, etc. (graduation sa plumbing and tour guiding training)

Panihapon: adobong Kabir, linat-ang manok with kamunggay, ripe mango, inun-onang burot-burot, orange fruit