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Written by Arnoldo dela Cruz

Take a breeze flight to Bohol’s Tagbilaran airport. Then roll up a trip 14 kilometers going up north. It’s the opposite route from the world famous Chocolate hills, so that keeps you far from the maddening crowd.

The town of Maribojoc stands humble in its beauty and sits quietly in its majesty.

A bit of trivia: Maribojoc got its name from a tree that is abundant in the area. The tree is very much like the Pine tree… except that its needles are a bit thicker and firmer like wild hair. Thus in the ancient times they call it Maria Buhok, which literally translate to Maria’s Hair. Hence Maria Buhok uttered from generation to generation became Maribojoc.

Back on the road: It isn’t that long a trip, while you check out the eye-refreshing and spirit-energizing scenery. On the road, peek out the car window and check out the enticing Palm-tree-and-mangrove-lined Abatan River. The river’s calmness and quietness whispers sweet poetry to one’s ears. Going to Maribojoc is like receiving an RSVP invitation of quiet yet exciting adventure and amazing discoveries.

Check this out, at the edge of Maribojoc, in its last Barangay, is the Punta Cruz Watch Tower of “Castillo de San Vicente”.  Built in 1796, the tower stands as a look out point for the inhabitants for pirates and other invaders. Today, it stands as a regal monument that withstood time and elements. Just beside it is the equally magnificent ancient cross that watches over the waters of Maribojoc. Boldly romantic is an understatement to describe its surroundings.

Move on and check in at the nice resorts tucked in at the seashore stretch of Maribojoc. From the beaches of Maribojoc, take a boat and proceed to enter Abatan River and cruise along five towns (Maribojoc, Cortes, Catigbian, Balilihan and Antequera). Inside the Abatan River stands the Postan mangrove forest barely touched by human feet and inhabited by exotic colorful birds and fauna… whoa… cruising inside Postan Forest makes you feel like canoeing along the Amazon River minus the anacondas. Truly it is totally a different encounter than paddling along the more known Loboc River also in Bohol. The Abatan River has its own personality… its own character and a peaceful attitude. The Abatan River has many traits all too inviting for one to discover and conquer its many possibilities.

Mesmerizing scenery

One travelling in this river can’t help but be mesmerized by the mirror reflections cast in its deep emerald green waters . The river water juxtaposes a mirror image of everything facing it, the skies, the palms, the trees, and even the boat. And the result is an artwork only nature can create. Go! Look straight at the river and greet your own reflection.

It is such, the river is littered by nature’s scraps justifying the abundance of growth all around the river. Various leaves, palms, bamboos, tree branches and fruits all add up to the river’s litters. Yet no matter how much of these you see around, the river has a totality of virgin cleanliness.

And the trip doesn’t end there…

Somewhere along deeper on the boat ride a traveller is welcomed by the roaring of the hidden Kawasan falls (Balilihan Town).

Experience and feel the energy as the crystal clear waters of Kawasan Falls powerfully cascades down and drops straight to a basin of equally crystal emerald green river water and burst into a mystic explosion of sound and colours reflected by sunlight.

Tranquil yet bursting with serene life… the Abatan River is a place to be. It lies waiting to be conquered and experienced.

Indeed discovering the Postan mangrove forest and the hidden Kawasan Falls and just relishing the sight of the abundance of growth and life along the Abatan River is enough to keep a traveller unmindful of time.

Maribojoc doesn’t run short of places to discover. The Maribojoc Church is one spot to visit. Its serenity is an open invitation for one to commune peacefully with the Creator. And tucked at the second floor of the ancient church is a modest museum. Yet, it has a great collection of antiques and religious artifacts. The museum is a one room affair. One can spend hours inside it just looking, scrutinizing, and admiring its collection.

Maribojoc is blessed with a variety of landscapes surrounding it. It has mountains both for trekking and climbing. Just moving around closely in the mountains one can hear the cries of monkeys fooling around criss-crossing tree branches.

Truth is, a day or two is a bit too short for one to explore and get acquainted with Maribojoc. It is a town gifted with a wonderful river full of surprises and with so many curves and bends that getting lost in it is a delightful experience. It is a town blessed with many breathtaking beaches shrouded with beautiful skies and graced with equally breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. It is a town whose people have warm smiles and honest hearts. It is a town waiting to be explored, discovered, and conquered.

Maribojoc is a town so graced with a God-sent Mayor whose simple lifestyle is emancipating… a mayor that has a heart open to its people and its visitors… a heart that loves his native Maribojoc and its people… the way any son would love his mother and his siblings. The Mayor? Who? Mayor Leoncio B. Evasco, Jr. the Renaissance man. Believe me… I’ve been a visitor and I will keep on visiting.

Be there! Be an explorer. Be a conqueror. Rediscover ancient roots.

Get wet, wild, daring and start combing Maribojoc. <  

Jerome Auza is a graduate of Divine Word College High School Department and received his BS ECE degree from the University of San Carlos in Cebu City.  He also holds a Diploma in Business Administration from De La Salled University - Dasmarinas.  He works as the Director of Manufacturing Systems for MfgVision, Ltd., and is also the Technology Consultant for Auza.Net, a technology firm in Bohol.

Chylene Pacatang hails from CVSCAFT and received her BS CompE degree in March 2007.  Pacatang underwent a rigorous on-the-job (OJT) program at Auza.Net during her senior year.  She works as a software developer for MfgVision, Ltd.

At present, the association is solely dependent upon the collection of the Alumni Fees from graduating students every semester to finance its operations. To sustain its programs, the association has launched the search for the HNU Alumni Diamond Jubilee King and Queen with the following objectives:
1.To raise funds to finance the various programs of the association, including the forthcoming Diamond Jubilee Homecoming in February 2008;
2.To reach out to as many alumni as possible; thus, enhancing relationship and bonding; and
3.To animate the February 2008 Alumni Homecoming, which also marks the School’s Diamond Year celebration.
All inquiries pertaining to the HNU Alumni Association-Tagbilaran, Inc. and the mechanics of the search for the HNU Alumni Diamond Jubilee King and Queen may be addressed to and requested from the following address: euriegutierrez2@yahoo.com.

Ms. Josephine Cimeni, Research Associate of the HNU Research Center, expertly facilitates one of the sessions of the workshop as members of the HNU Alumni BOD keenly await the next steps of the planning process.

Fourteen alumnae were chosen to compose the Board of Directors half of which will serve a full two-year term while the other half will be in for a year.

The members of the BOD unanimously elected Judge Suceso Arcamo of High School Batch ’86 as president of the Board. Here is the complete list of the officers and members of the BOD:

President: Judge Suceso Arcamo
VP for Internal Affairs: Atty. Raul Barbarona
VP for External Affairs: Atty. Ramon Cimafranca
Secretary: Jose C. Nazareno
Treasurer: Meinard Butalid
Auditor: Mariano Paras
Press Relations Officers: Richard Bompat and Nicandro Pagaran

Members:

Nila Itac
Emmanuel Tubo
Aniceto Corales
Princesita Bumaat
Raulito Manuel Tugonon
Idelfonso Maslog
Jose Edencio Borja

Fr. Ernesto M. Lagura, SVD, President of Holy Name University, administers the Oath of Office to the new officers and members of the HNU Alumni Association-Tagbilaran, Inc. The event was held during the Eucharistic Mass held on June 26, 2007 at the Lesage Chapel (HNU Main Campus).

The conference with the theme, “ecoBudget: An Instrument to Good Local Resource Management and Governance,” which was organized by the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) of the Provincial Government of Bohol, convened the ecoBudget-Asia Project Consurtium comprised of the cities of Bologna (Italy), Guntur, (India), Vaxjo (Sweden), and the Province of Bohol through the municipality of Tubigon. The four cities and municipalities together with international experts on sustainability management tools shared their experiences, achievements, and impacts in using the ecoBudget as a tool for resource management and governance. For the part of Bohol, the Municipality of Tubigon shared their experiences with the program, which started in April 2005 after having been chosen through a consultative meeting involving representatives from 14 municipalities from the Provincial Government of Bohol, Non-Government Organizations, and the Academe.

Among the distinguished guests welcomed by Gov. Erico B. Aumentado during the opening ceremonies include: Mayor Khanna Nagaraju of Guntur, India, Mr. Andrea Burzacchini of ICLEI- Europe, Ms. Pamela Lama, the commissioner of Vaxjo, Sweden, Mr. Anders Franzen, the Development Manager of Vaxjo, Sweden, Mr. Emani Kumar and Mr. Vic Acquitania of ICLEI- Southeast Asia as well as the different mayors and municipal planning and development officers  of the different towns in Bohol, which are potential implementors of the ecoBudget.

ecoBudget is an environmental management system developed by the International Council for Local Environment Initiatives or ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability and is aimed to be utilized by local governments. The system follows the financial budgeting procedure and allows local authorities to keep track with its environmental spending within an environmental budget. It does not, however, assign monetary value to environment but allows quantitative long term and annual targets that the local council may ratify, which in turn may influence the direction of local environment policies and programs. With an environmental master budget, targets are oriented toward sustainable management of the environmental resources of the municipal territory. The ecoBudget-Asia is a project co-funded by the European Union’s Asia Urbs programme and coordinated by the Municipality of Bologna. It aims to transfer the knowledge and experiences of ecoBudget in European cities and municipalities to their Asian counterparts. (VMOT-PGMA)

A learning handicapped student of the Special Education (SPED) Center at Tagbilaran City Central Elementary School brought honors not only for the Province of Bohol, but the whole country; when he represented the Philippines in the Track & Field Event.of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China.

Jesus Verano Pacaldo of Junction, Bool this city together with his coach and trainer Mr. Frank P. Echalico, a teacher of Manga National High School, were in Shanghai, China on October 2 to 11, this year. There Jess showed his mettle by besting participants coming from one hundred and sixty (160) other countries.

According to his (SPED) teacher Ms. Consuelo L. Arreza and (SPED) principal Ms Rhodora I Tadena, Jess has the body of a man of 20, with a mental level of a 7 year old boy. Nowadays, this mental handicap is not referred to as a disability or retardation as these terms create a negative impression and which may affect the performance of these special children. They are instead given mental level grades designated as gemstones, Jess is an Emerald level student.

Sports has been an anchor in the education of special children such as Jess. This has given them pride and a sense of achievements. SPED students who have progressed are given a chance at a normal life, Jess has started his mainstream studies now as a Grade II pupil, this is a part of the integration process with the hope that, special children like Jess might finally be able to function effectively as an ordinary person in mainstream society.

Jess and his Coach’s trip to China was made possible by the assistance of the Vice Governor Julius Caesar F. Herrera through the intercession of BM Ae. Damalerio.