By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
The first time I went for a Loboc river boat ride, that was some long dozen years ago, the jump off point was a dirt place. One has to go down the boat in a haphazardly made steps. Souvenir items were just displayed in makeshift shops. And tarsiers were the main attraction near the entrance.
Yes the tarsiers, the smallest primates in the world, were in abundance at the entrance for all to see, touch and scrutinize. I have held them in my own palm. So delicate, you want to cuddle them. I didn’t know then that when a tarsier is held by humans, it is so stressed and a bit depressed. The more frequent it is held, the shorter is its life span. It can not therefore reproduce. This is the reason why the Department of Environment and Natural Resources found it necessary to herd them in a suitable conservation park.
The park is located in a private property in Loboc town and is rented by the DENR. This is now the place where tourists could take a look at the tarsiers, the place that we visited. The tarsiers were so shy and small, they were curling under cover of palm leaves looking more like mutant spiders from a distance. We were not even able to catch a glimpse of their big, round and almost pleading eyes. We did not also have the luxury of seeing them rotate their heads 180 degrees. They are actually nocturnal animals, sleeping most of the time during the day. We were not allowed to go very near them. It was a let down to the many foreign tourists who were trying to take a good picture of them or at least be closer to them.
November is a time for tarsiers to get pregnant, so very few were allowed to move out of their breeding places or where they were hiding for dear life. This explains why only a few of them were available for tourists to see.
During the Oct 15, 2013 earthquake, many of the tarsiers in the park died or escaped. Workers in the park told of tarsiers being so scared and extremely nervous of the quake.
The park provides jobs to several trained guides.
I have been told that there are still many tarsiers living in the wild but people should stop thinking of having tarsiers as pets. There was an Englishman who bought a couple of tarsiers, brought it to England but unable to feed them. He had to return them to Loboc.
After failing to have an eye-to-eye contact with the tarsiers, we proceeded to get that famous Loboc boat ride. There is now a wide parking space in the loading area, complete with clean rest rooms. As usual you will find souvenir shops around. There is now a well-appointed entrance to the boat. Guides will usher you from the gate into the entrance of the boat .
At the time of our arrival, there were several boats waiting to be loaded. We boarded one that can accommodate 50 people, spread in 10 set tables. It was a boat ride with lunch, buffet style. The food was set at the center of the boat. As we lined up for the food, the in-boat entertainer started to croon songs that were old favorites. It was a nostalgic but lively trip to the music history lane. As the singing went on, the in-board photographer had also a great time earning her keep clicking her cameras for a fee.
The singer had a break only as we stopped by a cottage along the way, to be serenaded by a motley group of men and women-old and young- garbed in traditional local costumes. The serenade was actually with dances and songs. Tourists may get down the boat, into the cottage and join the fun.
If you can play the ukelele, you are welcome to join as what some of my colleagues did. While most of my companions remained rooted on the boat, I went down and tested my feet’s nimbleness in tinikling. Some of my companions shouted, that I could only do the caniao as I was poised to start dancing. After the short show, others reluctantly admitted that I can do the tinikling with the agility of a regular dancer! It was fun.
As you arrive after the cruise, you will be met by a rondalia playing sweet music. It was a festive mood from departure to arrival. Along the ride, we met some boats with mostly foreign tourists on board, aiming our cameras to them as they did to us. Certainly this touristic activity provided jobs to many local residents. We, in the Cordillera should think of more tourist-oriented programs, activities and enterprises using our natural resources which we have in abundance. With these, we can also provide more jobs and protect the environment in the process.
Then it was time to see some of the World Heritage sites that are the baroque churches in Bohol. There are several of them in Bohol, one of which is the Baclayon church. It was destroyed during the 0ct. 15, 2013 earthquakes. It was declared as a national cultural Heritage by the National Museum, together with Loboc, Loon and Maribojoc churches for their cultural, historical and architectural values to the Filipino people. One of the earliest churches in the Philippines, it was built in 1727. It served one time as the center of Catholic mission in the area. It is being restored at the moment.
Then we got to visit the blood compact monument site in barangay Bool, Tagbilaran City. It was located on the site, purported to be almost the exact location of the first international peace treaty in Asia. It was a sculpture made by national artist Napoleon Abueva who is a Boholano himself. The monument shows 4 Spaniards including Captain Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, and Rajah Sikatuna, then the chieftain of Bohol by his lonesome. They are gathered around a table with Legazpi and Sikatuna (being the only ones seated) raising their cups containing their mixed blood.
There is something weird in the sculpture. There is only one native, facing off with four foreigners. There should have been more natives, being in their homeland. There was something weird even in our national artist. Was it a case of saying that something foreign is superior over something local? The sculpture should be put in proper perspective. It should be remade as soon as possible.
When we arrived at the airport for our return trip, we were serenaded this time by a band of four members- all blind- with velvety voices. It was a soothing send off.**
