Manila Guide Online

Bohol as a tourist attraction holds one the most interesting caves in the country. There are several caves in Bohol which is opened for the public. These caves have been well known and has gained tourist both locally and abroad.

Bohol Philippines summary of their caves:

The Hinagdanan Cave is the most popular and easy to reach among the caves of Bohol province. Classified as a karst cave, it is located in the town of Dauis in Panglao Island.
The cave boasts of a large number of stalactites and stalagmites and leads to an underground spring pool where visitors can take a dip. Water is icy cold where the spring gushes forth yet a bit warm at the outlet where it meets the sea.

The Kamira Cave is one of three caves in Danao declared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as safe to explore. The area where the cave is located is a sanctuary, protected by the municipality in a careful attempt to preserve the natural beauty of the place. Even at the cave site, only ropes are allowed to be used to maneuver in and out of the cave and not ladders.

The Buhong Tiawan Cave is located one and a half kilometer from the town center of Antequera, Bohol. The entrance of the cave can be found in the wall of a limestone hill and to reach it one has to walk one kilometer through dense vegetation. The entrance is estimated to be 3 by 5 meters wide, and leads to a cavern that is less than 100 meters long. Dripstones, of various types, can be found inside. In the annals of history, this cave served as a hideout of the locals during the Japanese occupation. At present, the cave is the home of birds and bats.

The Hagakgak Cave is located two kilometers from the center of Antequera town. The cave can be reached via a dense trail whose entrance is estimated to be 15 meters wide at the base of a sinkhole. The cave is literally undisturbed and is difficult to maneuver because the inside can be wet and muddy at times. There are portions where one has to pass thru narrow passages in order to enter a cavern where majestic formations of stalagmites and stalactites can be viewed. The rare albino crabs of the species sundathelphosa Filipina and fishes have adapted themselves to this dark habitat.

There’s more at http://www.bohol-philippines.com/

Watch dolphins at play and get close to friendly whales near Pamilacan Island guided by former whale and dolphin hunters whose boats have been refitted for tourists.

For only Php3,500/head for 3pax and much lower if you are more in a group. Package price may differ slightly during peak season. Be billeted in an air-conditioned room at our partner hotel based at Alona, Panglao Island for a 3D/2N stay. Package covers daily breakfast, all transfers (RTT port and tour), tour guide, river cruise lunch, all entrance fees, other charges and government tax included. Tell us how many you are and we will quote you the price per head.Best season is from March to June and early in the morning for positive results although one can see resident dolphins and whales the whole year round. Get on board local outrigger boats that are covered and can accommodate up to 7 passengers. Feel safe for life vests are provided.

The large whales most often spotted are the Bryde’s whales and the sperm whales. Bryde’s whales are massive yet plankton eaters that can grow up to 15 meters. The sperm whales, the largest predator, reach up to 18 meters. The later is the prime target of whalers the world over.

Smaller whales found near Pamilacan are the short-finned pilot whale, the melon-headed whale, and the pygmy killer whale. Dolphins commonly sighted are the Risso’s dolphin, the playful spinner dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, the spotted dolphin and the Fraser’s dolphin.

One of my favorite places in Cebu is Boljoon. I’ve been there almost every summer, and it never forgets to surprise me with wonders. Last summer, my friend bought us to a haven I would never forget. It was called Granada Beach resort owned by a foreigner and a Filipina. The resort was very peaceful, inviting and relaxing. They also offer a spa massage with overlooking sceneries.

The resort lies on the south eastern coast of Cebu Island, a two hour coastal drive from Cebu’s Mactan International Airport. The drive takes in the local sites through the lush greenery of coconut and banana groves and the occasional flurry of color from the very popular bougainvillea trees of the coastal villages. Alternatively, you can take a four hour banca-boat cruise across coral reefs, passing small islands along the way. We generally make a stop to dive, snorkel or relax on one of the islands on route… a great way to start your vacation.

Air-conditioned rooms: We have eight bedrooms available, all with ocean views, their own private balcony and en-suite facilities. Five of the rooms are situated on the second floor and the remaining three are on the ground floor. All rooms also have fridges.

* Dining: The resort has it’s own open-air restaurant, complete with ocean views. Private in-room dining is also available. Alternatively, barbecues on the beach can also be arranged. The menu is a mix of Asian and Continental cuisine. The restaurant also includes a bar stocked with a range of spirits, wines and beers.

* Swimming pool: The private pool is situated in front of the hotel and overlooks the ocean. Sun lounges lie around the pool and the beach for your comfort. Cool beverages and light snacks are available pool-side at your request.

* Open Air Relaxation: The hotel has a large flat roof in the tree canopy for relaxing in the sun or romantic evenings under the stars. Light meals and beverages are available here at all times.

* Baluarte (stone watch tower): There is a stone watch tower set on the grounds of the resort (which dates back to the 1600’s) It has been restored in order to provide guests a place of sanctuary, with spectacular views from the top floor. A space where you can relax, enjoy the ambiance and even dabble in the arts.

Visit Cebu and learn how to see the beautiful places in our provinces.

Just an hour from Cebu would allow people to witness the spectacular the Imperial Palace at Mactan. It is filled with different pools and long slides. The entrance fee which is 1500 allows tourist and locals to have a buffet and enjoy the beach and pools.

The Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa, located in Lapu-Lapu City, is confident it will perform well this year despite the declining number of Korean tourists in Cebu.

The P3-billion project, developed by Philippine BXT Corp., will be operated by Korean hotel chain Imperial Palace. The hotel and resort is registered under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority as a tourism economic zone.

Amando Huh, general manager-designate of Imperial Palace, told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday that the waterpark will allow the resort to attract not only the leisure travel market, but also local and foreign water sport enthusiasts.

mperial Palace sits on an eight-hectare property in Barangay Maribago. It will have 557 rooms, including 48 pool villas.

Its fitness and wellness facilities include the Caracalla Spa that has nine spa suite rooms, 11 treatment rooms, separate sauna for men and women, steam room and a plunge pool. Meeting facilities and function rooms will also be available.

Visit Cebu and enjoy Imperial Palace and enjoy the beauty of nature.

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Imagine sitting bellow a spring with waters flowing from your back. The euphoria is simply addictive and it is one of the greatest things to do, especially on holidays. At Bohol, same as Cebu has Springs that allow tourist and locals to enjoy the waters and relax while cold water run through their body. Badiang Spring which is situated in Bohol has a resort with pools for friends and family to unwind.

he Badiang Spring is located along the coast of Valencia town, at barrio Anas, in the province of Bohol. This is one province of the Philippine archipelago that has developed into a tourist destination.

Valencia town is 42 kilometers away from Tagbilaran City, the lone city of the province and its capital. It lies east along the coastal highway. The town is a 4th class municipality with a population of over 7,000 spread into 35 barangays.The Badiang Spring Resort is relatively small and fenced in. At the top level and thru openings in between trees and dense foliage, one sees the blue sea beyond. Wide cement steps provided with metal handrails lead down a cliff towards two (2) swimming pools: one big and the other designed for children.As you go down the steps, the waterfall is at your left-hand side. The water gush forth from two pipes and the side of the falls, instead of a rugged cliff, has been landscaped. It is now easier to rest on the wall and allow the cool rushing water to engulf oneself.

Badiang Spring is an underground freshwater spring that gushes forth over a cliff only a few meters high forming an attractive waterfall. The water is icy cold and flows directly to the sea which is only a few steps away.

The area where the spring is located is scenic. The top of the cliff is full of trees and from there you look towards the mesmerizing blue expanse of the sea. Under and on the sides are rugged cliffs with intermittent tall coconut palm trees, old talisay trees, and other tropical foliage.

The area is a favorite haunt of the locals, who either bathe under the falls or go swimming in the crystal clear water of the sea beyond. It is also a source of drinking water of the surrounding neighborhood. Likewise, the water that flows to the sea is where the locals wash their soiled clothes.

The beach is not of fine sand. It is a beach of round and smooth stones – a joy for pebble collectors. The crystal clear blue sea beyond is ok for swimming and for snorkeling. The water is icy cool near the spring’s outlet and warmer further off.

Nowadays, the area where the spring is located looks different: more attractive and convenient to bathers. Gone were the days when I bathe in the spring under its natural surroundings . . . and for free
Before, only a small pathway leads down a rugged cliff towards the spring’s natural outlet. Coming out from the top side of a cliff, the rushing water flows naturally over it, forming a waterfall. The water then winds its way thru a stony ground towards the sea.

Now, due to the ever increasing influx of tourists, local and foreign alike, the LGU (Local Government Unit) and the eco-tourism council of the town where it is located developed the area into a tourist haven.

With an entrance of P20 per adult and rental fee of cottages, huts and shelters, the municipality earns and is able to give jobs to some of their constituents. With the resort as an initial project, the government is aiming to develop more income-generating ventures and turn the sleepy town into a tourist destination.

There is never a moment wherein you doubt God about miracles in everyday lives. It may be impossible to other people, but to those with great faith will always remain possible. Everyday, people flock down to visit Simala, a church in Argao which has done wonders to everyone. Simala is a place for worship, prayers, offerings and love masses. Every 13th and on weekends, the church is jam-packed with so many people that so many times, the line goes beyond the church. The line is made for people who would like to viist the Virgin Mary.

In south Cebu, thousands of Cebuanos and other visitors from far and wide, climb up a hill to the Mother Mary Shrine in Simala, Sibonga town, bringing their faith and petitions for cures and other divine aid.

Each year, the crowd of devotees and first-time pilgrims seems to grow bigger.

January 1 is marked in the Christian calendar worldwide as a solemnity in honor of Mary as the mother of God, a day of obligation for Catholics to attend Mass.

At the Mother Mary Shrine in upper Lindogon in Barangay (village) Simala, Sibonga town, 48 kilometers south of Cebu City, devotees come by truckloads to be there every 13th of the month to hear Mass at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. or during the weekends at 3 p.m.

The shrine became “famous” after word spread that the image of the Virgin Mary was seen “shedding tears of blood,” a phenomenon that lacks scientific or official church validation but nevertheless draws more people to the area.

The shrine became “famous” after word spread that the image of the Virgin Mary was
seen “shedding tears of blood,” a phenomenon that lacks scientific or official church validation but nevertheless draws more people to the area. The Marian monks who maintain the shrine have also landscaped the area, which has a mini falls that cascades down a small pool and well-tended gardens. Signboards warn people that picking the flowers would be like “stealing from Mother Mary”. Families can have picnics and meals in cottages built for visitors. Children like to throw coins in a wishing well which features a large bell. Those who grumble about the distance are quickly shamed by the sight of elderly men and women on wheelchairs and crutches who go there to hear Mass and line up to kiss the image of Mary.

Miracles can happen and it is up to your faith on where you believe in.

Right at the Center of Cebu, was an old cross that stands between religion and people. Right outside the Basilica of Sto. NIno is the Magellan’s cross. It was planted by Magellan upon his arrival on the island. Although the original cross is inside the huge cross which now stands at the Basilica. This was done to preserve the original one. The cross is a symbol of Cebu, and a symbol of our faith and religion. Mostly today, tourist come and visit the site to take pictures of the cross and ask the candle sellers to sing them a song of prayer.

Magellan’s Cross is a Christian cross planted by Portuguese and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines on April 21, 1521.

This cross is housed in a chapel next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño on Magallanes Street (Magallanes being the Spanish name of Magellan), just in front of the city hall of Cebu City. A sign below the cross describes the original cross is encased inside the wooden cross that is found in the center of the chapel. This is to protect the original cross from people who chipped away parts of the cross for souvenir purposes or in the belief that the cross possesses miraculous powers.Some people, however, believe that the original cross had been destroyed or had disappeared after Magellan’s death, and the cross is a replica that was planted there by the Spaniards after they successfully colonized the Philippines.

Magellan’s Cross is a symbol of Cebu, and the chapel’s image can be found in its city seal. It is also seen as the symbol of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines.

In Cebu, there is a rather big island that you need to visit which is full of high end resorts and historical spots. Upon reaching there, you need to pass the bridge from Cebu to Mactan. Incase if your from the airport then there is no need to use the bridges since airports are located at the commercialized island. One of the monuments is the Lapu Lapu shrine. It relays to us the story of how a local, Lapu Lapu fight of with Magellan to win our place.

The Lapu-Lapu shrine is a 20-meter bronze statue in Punta Engaño, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines, erected in honor of Datu Lapu-Lapu, a native chieftain who defeated Spanish soldiers, and Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan on 1521.

The Magellan shrine is a large memorial tower erected in honor of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The spot is believed to be the area was Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan on 1521, Philippines. The monument measures 30 meters high and it is located in the place of Punta Engaño, Mactan Island, Cebu.

Living Cebu Network will help us understand more.

The place where Lapu-Lapu and his men triumphed over the Spanish invaders on April 27, 1521 has been turned into a shrine. The shrine sits along the boundaries of the villages of Punta Enga?o and Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City on the island of Mactan.

Magellan had come to Cebu through Homonhon, an uninhabited island in the province of Eastern Samar. There, he and his crew were sighted by Rajah Calambu of Limasawa and he guided them to Cebu on April 7.

In Cebu, Magellan became friends with Rajah Humabon who prevailed upon the Portuguese explorer to go to Mactan and punish Lapu-Lapu. It is widely believed that Humabon was at odds with Lapu-Lapu and that they fought over control of land.

Antonio Pigafetta, chronicler of Magellan’s trip, survived the battle in Mactan and told of how they were overwhelmingly overpowered on the island’s shores by at least 1,500 native warriors, a report that has been held by historians as questionable and grossly exaggerated.

Three monuments in the Mactan Shrine are worthy of note: the Magellan Marker, the Magellan monument, and chieftain Lapu-Lapu’s statue.

If you plan to visit Cebu, try and see the monument with its park and enjoy history with your family.

Other than Sinulog and its color events, the Cebuanos are very religious and provides enormous time to visit the Sto. Nino. It is a very old Church located just across the Cebu City Hall. The church is so much filled with tourists, locals and residents nearby everyday to visit the saint. Others visit the place to light candles and offer prayers. Weeks before the Sinulog, the church is jam packed with so many people and it once again relieves the Christian in us.

Foundation of the Church

The convent of the Sto. Niño de Cebu was founded by Fr. Andres de Urdaneta on April 28, 1565 , the very day the Legazpi-Urdaneta expedition arrived in the island. On May 8 of the same year, when Legaspi and his men planned the urbanization of the city, they allotted a “place for the church and the convent of San Agustin, “where the Santo Niño image had been found.”

In 1599, the convent was made a house of studies of grammar, headed by the Visayan linguist, Fr. Alonso de Mentrida. It also served as a rest house for missionaries working in the province and as a retirement home for the aged and the sick, usually attended to by a lay brother.

The church has always been the Sanctuary of the Sto. Niño, under the custody of the Augustinians. The number of priests assigned to the church varied from three to five aside from one or two lay brothers.

Devotion to Sto. Niño

The Chapter held on August 6, 1578 recommended to all the fathers “that prayers to the Sto. Niño be offered every month as was the custom before.” In 1641, the father provincial ordered that the feast of the Sto Niño be celebrated on January 14 “with all the possible solemnity, mass and sermon, since He deserves all the affection from us, being the Dulcisimo and most affectionate patron of our province.”

Fr. Nicolas de la Cuadra (1731) was very instrumental in spreading the devotion of the Sto. Niño. He led an exemplary life, had writings and solemn rites which he established in the sanctuary, and acquired many jewels for the decoration of the statue.

Back in my grade school, I used to remember the field trips we had. everyone would get excited as we plan the possible places to visit. Of course they had to be historical and educational. One of the places that amazed me was the Casa Gorodo. It reminded me the olden years of the old Filipino families. The house is still very intact and full of life. At the house, there is also a wishing well where visitors and tourist take turns in throwing coins to wish. Although I found it ridiculous, I still tried it though. Cebu has so many places that are historical that are still present. if you can , visit Casa Gorordo and feel what its like to be in the olden days.

Casa Gorordo Museum is one of the well known museums among the museums in Cebu and it’s also known to be a special project of Don Ramon Aboitiz. This museum is located in the mid of the Parian district which is also known to be among the old streets in Cebu. This museum is basically named after Msgr. Juan Gorordo, the owner of the house and the first bishop. The house was turned into a museum only after Don Ramon came to own it in 1980.Don Ramon Abolitz foundation, Inc presently runs the museum and it’s constructed purely with tugas (molave), narra, and bayong (mahogany) accessories. This two storey building is a reflection of the 1860 architecture and the specific lifestyle of the owner. The patio on the ground floor is also the waiting room for guests and its furniture is partially made of bamboo but a gallinera stands out more prominently. The basement for food storage is located near the patio. Among the various artifacts one finds the 18th and 19th century implements of agricultural and household origin. The presence of the plow and other cultivable tools reflect the evolution of farming culture.

Visit Casa Gorodo and explore the wonders of the olden days.