Bol-anon

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 du...

Finding a the phone number of a friend or an establishment in Bohol used to be a hassle. Each of the telephone companies operating in Bohol has their own directory. Someone looking for a phone number usually ended up checking all the available directories. Now, thanks to BoholDirectory.info , it is already very easy to find phone numbers of friends and acquaintances in Bohol. In fact, the site is very helpful to people searching for someone in Bohol or planning trips or vacations to the province. Just by searching, one can immediately get the telephone numbers of the taxi company in Bohol, some van-for-rent establishments, pension houses, hotels and resorts, and many others. Isn't that a great thing? Try the site out to better appreciate it.

The City of Tagbilaran prides itself of being a city of friendship. This claim is based on the historic blood compact between Rajah Sikatuna and the Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. The agreement between the Spanish conquistador and a native chieftain has been described as one of the first, if not the first, treaty between the east and the west. This tradition of hospitality and friendship continues as the city gives warm welcome to visitors and tourists especially through its port. We got to observe this hospitality when the ship we were taking to Dipolog City made a stop at the Port of Tagbilaran on - what better day - Good Friday. One would think that, considering that it was Good Friday, there would be little activity at the port. Wrong. The first to greet us was the the pilot boat which met our ship to "deliver" a pilot who will assist in steering and docking. The boat's approach provided brief entertainment to us passengers who have been watching the sea for around a day a...