Swinging to the Sandugo Beat

Tarsiers, chocolate hills, kalamay and peanut kisses. Over the years these has become the iconic symbolisms that has made bohol what its is today. It has become all too familiar to us that the mere mention of the word “chocolate hills” conjures images of the dome shaped limestone hill standing mightily in the province of Bohol.


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But there is still one thing about Bohol that I have been wanting to experience: a festival named after the blood compact: the Bohol Sandugo Festival.

Sandugo Festival is named after the famed blood compact between the Spaniard Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the local chieftain Datu Sikatuna.

History books would tell us that the blood compact actually happened in the month of March but lately organizers decided to hold the festivities in July in time for Bohol province and the city’s founding anniversary.

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Without any firm plans I flew to Tagbilaran City the capital of Bohol courtesy of Air Asia Philippines. Air Asia Philippines provides a jet service from Manila to Bohol utilizing the Airbus 320 aircraft 3x daily.

Luckily friends we able to connect me with the MOMO Beach House and Amorita Resort both in Panglao. Both properties were superb and the service is beyond compare, making my first Sandugo Festival experience an even more memorable.

Highlight of the festival is the grand streetdancing competition participated by the various Municipalities of Bohol.

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By around lunch time I asked the van driver from Amorita to bring me to the city Plaza.

I arrived just in time for the parade as contingents are starting to assemble near the cathedral.

The crowd is starting grow in number.

I was fortunate enough to take some snapshots of the dancers even before they started to dance in the streets. This way I get to to take their photos with make up complete and not stressed – looking with all the sweat.

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There were six contingents participated in this year’s Sandugo Festival and I can clearly see the effort they put up in making their props and costumes look grand and fabulous.

By aroun 2PM the streetdancing has officially started, much to the delight of the cheering spectators.

One by one each contingents shashayed their way across C. P. Garcia street, until they arrived at Tamblot Circumferential Road towards the C. P. Garcia stadium.

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The stadium is filled to the rafters. As each contingent enters the stadium, they perform their 3-minute streetdance routine before the showdown actually started.

The streetdance is usually just a quick preview of what you may see during the showdown performance. The dance usually lasts for 3-5minutes with very minimal props and sets used. With progressive forward movement. This is usually performed in the streets while the showdown routine is performed at the stadium.

After all the lengthy speeches and performances under the scorching heat of the sun, winners were finally declared.

The performers from Bohol Island State University (BISU) – Bilar Campus succeeded in their attempt to win the Sandugo title for three consecutive years.

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The team was choreographed by Sherwin Taneo, former dance master of Maxi Custodio of Lingganay Festival fame.

Claiming the first runner up trophy is the contingent from the City of Tagbilaran. This is the first time that Tagbilaran actually won in Sandugo.

They were trained under the leadership of Frenil Palang of the Buyogan Festival.

So the next time somebody mentions the place “Bohol”, I would no longer have to think of the chocolate hills, tarsiers and kalamay. I would remmeber the vivid images of the Sandugo Festival celebrating the lifetime bond of friendship between Spain and the locals.

IMG_20150726_160353

For booking and flight inquiries log on to http://www.airasia.com.ph
Follow AirAsia Philippines on Instagram and Twitter : @airasiaph

Swinging to the Sandugo Beat

Tarsiers, chocolate hills, kalamay and peanut kisses. Over the years these has become the iconic symbolisms that has made bohol what its is today. It has become all too familiar to us that the mere mention of the word “chocolate hills” conjures images of the dome shaped limestone hill standing mightily in the province of Bohol.


IMG_20150726_145605

But there is still one thing about Bohol that I have been wanting to experience: a festival named after the blood compact: the Bohol Sandugo Festival.

Sandugo Festival is named after the famed blood compact between the Spaniard Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the local chieftain Datu Sikatuna.

History books would tell us that the blood compact actually happened in the month of March but lately organizers decided to hold the festivities in July in time for Bohol province and the city’s founding anniversary.

IMG_20150726_140638

Without any firm plans I flew to Tagbilaran City the capital of Bohol courtesy of Air Asia Philippines. Air Asia Philippines provides a jet service from Manila to Bohol utilizing the Airbus 320 aircraft 3x daily.

Luckily friends we able to connect me with the MOMO Beach House and Amorita Resort both in Panglao. Both properties were superb and the service is beyond compare, making my first Sandugo Festival experience an even more memorable.

Highlight of the festival is the grand streetdancing competition participated by the various Municipalities of Bohol.

IMG_20150726_135513
By around lunch time I asked the van driver from Amorita to bring me to the city Plaza.

I arrived just in time for the parade as contingents are starting to assemble near the cathedral.

The crowd is starting grow in number.

I was fortunate enough to take some snapshots of the dancers even before they started to dance in the streets. This way I get to to take their photos with make up complete and not stressed – looking with all the sweat.

IMG_20150726_131953

There were six contingents participated in this year’s Sandugo Festival and I can clearly see the effort they put up in making their props and costumes look grand and fabulous.

By aroun 2PM the streetdancing has officially started, much to the delight of the cheering spectators.

One by one each contingents shashayed their way across C. P. Garcia street, until they arrived at Tamblot Circumferential Road towards the C. P. Garcia stadium.

IMG_20150726_132255

The stadium is filled to the rafters. As each contingent enters the stadium, they perform their 3-minute streetdance routine before the showdown actually started.

The streetdance is usually just a quick preview of what you may see during the showdown performance. The dance usually lasts for 3-5minutes with very minimal props and sets used. With progressive forward movement. This is usually performed in the streets while the showdown routine is performed at the stadium.

After all the lengthy speeches and performances under the scorching heat of the sun, winners were finally declared.

The performers from Bohol Island State University (BISU) – Bilar Campus succeeded in their attempt to win the Sandugo title for three consecutive years.

IMG_20150726_135926

The team was choreographed by Sherwin Taneo, former dance master of Maxi Custodio of Lingganay Festival fame.

Claiming the first runner up trophy is the contingent from the City of Tagbilaran. This is the first time that Tagbilaran actually won in Sandugo.

They were trained under the leadership of Frenil Palang of the Buyogan Festival.

So the next time somebody mentions the place “Bohol”, I would no longer have to think of the chocolate hills, tarsiers and kalamay. I would remmeber the vivid images of the Sandugo Festival celebrating the lifetime bond of friendship between Spain and the locals.

IMG_20150726_160353

For booking and flight inquiries log on to http://www.airasia.com.ph
Follow AirAsia Philippines on Instagram and Twitter : @airasiaph

What to do during an earthquake

Before and after earthquake photos of centuries-old Loboc church in Bohol. Yahoo photo.

Before and after earthquake photos of centuries-old Loboc church in Bohol. Yahoo photo.


Let’s pray for those who were affected by the earthquake that shook the Visayas and Mindanao yesterday.

Renato Solidum, the head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said more aftershocks could happen in the coming weeks.

I’m reprinting here guidelines from the “Disaster Preparedness and First Aid” handbook prepared by the Senate Committee on Climate Change chaired by Sen. Loren Legarda. The guidelines were provided by the Phivolcs.

During earthquakes:
• Stay calm.
• If you are inside a structurally sound building, stay there.
• Protect your body from falling debris by staying in stronger parts of the building like near columns and beams, outside the elevator shaft, or by getting under a study desk or table.
Remember Duck, Cover, and Hold (Duck and cover under a table, hold on to the legs.)
• Stay away from glass windows, shelves, cabinets and other heavy objects.
• Beware of falling objects. Be alert and keep your eyes open.
• If you are outside, move to an open area.
• Get away from power lines, posts, walls and other structures that may fall or collapse.
• Stay away from buildings with glass panes.
• If you are on a mountain or near a steep hill slope, move away from steep escarpments which may be affected by landslide.
• When driving a vehicle, pull to the side of the road and stop. Do not attempt to cross bridges or overpasses, which may have been damaged.
• If you are near the shore and you feel an earthquake strong enough to make standing difficult, it is always safest to assume that a tsunami might be triggered. Move quickly to higher ground.

Phivolcs said the possibility of tsunami as an aftermath of this earthquake is nil because the epicenter was on land. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii also ruled out threat of a Pacific-wide tsunami after the quake.

Sto. Niño church in Cebu by Lala Ordenes of VERA Files.

Sto. Niño church in Cebu by Lala Ordenes of VERA Files.

What to do after the quake:
• Once the shaking stops, take the fastest and safest way out of the building.

Do not rush to the ext. Get out calmly in an orderly manner. Bring your emergency kit.
Do not use elevators; use the stairs. Go to an open area or designated evacuation area. Check yourself and others for injuries.

• Unless you need emergency help, do not use telephone or cellphones to call relatives and friends. Disaster prevention authorities may need the line for emergency communication. Do not use your car and drive around areas of damage, as rescue and relief operations need the roads for mobility.
• Help reduce the number of casualties from the earthquake. Do not enter partially damaged buildings; strong aftershocks may cause these to collapse. Gather information and disaster prevention instructions from battery-operated radios. Obey public safety precaution,
• Check your surroundings.
• Clean up chemical spills, toxic and flammable materials to avoid any chain of unwanted events.
• Check for fire and, if any, have it controlled.
• Check your water and electrical lines for defects; if any damage is suspected turn the system off through the main valve or switch.
• If you must evacuate your residence, leave a message stating where you are going.
Pray, pray.