Bangon Bol-anon blog

Just to say, this blog is back. (",)

Enjoying Halohalo in Bohol

In (warm) summer afternoons, who can resist the halo halo? Wikipedia defines halohalo as "a popular Filipino dessert that is a mixture of shaved ice and evaporated milk to which are added various boiled sweet beans and fruits, and served in a tall glass or bowl." But my favorite halo halo in Bohol, for quite a number of years now does not have those boiled sweet beans. It does not even have ube haleya or leche flan. It's just tons of diced fresh fruits interspersed with shaved ice, bathed in milk and topped with your favorite flavour of ice cream.

For several years now, nothing comes best to me than Garden Cafe's halohalo. The restaurant, run by the IDEA Philippines, an NGO working for the welfare of deaf-mute, is located right next to the St. Joseph Cathedral in Tagbilaran City. It has been renovated and "re-themed" since it opened more or less 20 years ago, but the friendly service, and the halohalo still remains the same and to my liking.

However, it seems like Garden Cafe will face a competition this year for the best halohalo in town.  My wife and I tried the Buzz Cafe's halohalo and it was a blast. (The cafe is located at Island City Mall.) Buko strips mixed with fresh mango, banana, watermelon, and avocado cubes lined the bottom of the bowl where the halo-halo was served. A generous stream of milk made the shaved ice float and home-made malunggay ice cream completed the very tempting dessert.

The price was almost twice what you will pay at Garden Cafe, but I really didn't mind. In the next few days, I need to make up my mind.

Bohol and this blog in 2011

I can't believe my last post in this blog was in May of 2009. I think that was the last time I was able to go home to our beloved province. Long time.

Well, I resolve to make this blog active again in 2011. To begin with, I have registered the domain www.bol-anon.net for this blog, still about Bohol and the journeying Boholanos around the world.

I have a lot of things in my mind. So, I hope you drop by once in a while. God bless.

Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Dauis, Bohol

I have just came from a brief vacation in Bohol. Before I went home, I listed a few sites I planned to visit during my stay. One of them is Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Dauis, Bohol.

I was not able to visit many of the sites I listed, but Dauis Church I did. I would like to share with you some pictures I took of the very amazing place recently declared by the National Historical Institute as a "national historical landmark".

Bohol Towns Online

I took the time to search for all working official websites of the various Bohol towns or municipalities and ended up with the following list. Some of the websites are clearly still being constructed but a few are quite well developed. All except one are using gov.ph domains. Batuan is still using a .com domain.

• Anda - http://anda-bohol.gov.ph/
  
• Antequera - http://antequera-bohol.gov.ph/
  
• Baclayon - http://www.baclayon.gov.ph/
  
• Batuan - http://www.lgubatuanbohol.com/
  
• Bien Unido - http://www.bienunido.gov.ph/
  
• Calape - http://calape-bohol.gov.ph/
  
• Carmen - http://www.carmen-bohol.gov.ph/
  
• Catigbian - http://www.catigbian.gov.ph/
  
• Cortes - http://www.cortes.gov.ph/
  
• Dimiao - http://www.dimiao.gov.ph/
  
• Guindulman - http://www.guindulman.gov.ph/
  
• Inabanga - http://www.inabanga.gov.ph
  
• Jagna - http://www.jagna.gov.ph/
  
• Loboc - http://www.lobocbohol.gov.ph/
  
• Loon - http://www.loon.gov.ph/
  
• Mabini - http://www.mabini.gov.ph/
  
• Maribojoc - http://www.maribojoc.gov.ph/
  
• Pres. Carlos P. Garcia - http://www.carlospgarcia.gov.ph/
  
• Talibon - http://www.talibon-bohol.gov.ph/
  
• Trinidad - http://www.trinidad-bohol.gov.ph/
  
• Tubigon - http://www.tubigon.gov.ph
  

May 1, Feast of St.Joseph, Patron Saint of Tagbilaran

Elsewhere in the Philippines, May 1 will always be known as Labor Day. But in Tagbilaran and in the rest of Bohol, we know it as the feast of St. Joseph, patron saint of the city.

But in the church's calendar, March 19 is really the original feast of St. Joseph. They say that the reason why we celebrate it on May 1 is that the people want to celebrate it after Lent. I guess no one wants to hold a feast during that period.

Jes Tirol, our dear Boholano historian, tells us there is a deeper story behind it. According to him, the May 1 feast was designed to lessen the rivalry between Poblacion 1 and 2 who before were celebrarting different fiestas.

There is hardly no hint of such rivalry in the May 1 fiesta of Tagbilaran these days. The residents of the city, at least those living in the poblacion and in the adjacent barangays, celebrate it with as much pomp as everybody else.

It is really our way of thanking the Lord and our patron saint, St. Joseph, for all blessing received during the year. Advance happy fiesta everyone.

Tigum Bol-anon Tibuok Kalibutan (TBTK) 2009

Come July 16 to 26, the province of Bohol will again host Tigum Bol-anon Tibuok Kalibutan, a gathering of Boholanos from around the world, a continuing testament for our love for home and for going home.

The gathering will commence with an audience with the President at Malacañang on July 14 but will officially start in Bohol only on July 16. The ten-day program includes school reunions, pageants, a medical mission, a tree-planting activity, even an international cockfighting derby, and the famous Sandugo Festival.

The Sandugo Festival Street Dancing which will be held on Sunday, July 19, promises to be a really grand event not only because of the expected influx of foreign tourists but also with the presence of hundreds, if not thousands, of our province-mates who will be coming home in time for the TBTK.

For details of the activities, visit www.tbtk.org, the official website of the ten-day event. (Photo from www.tbtk.org)