by anyajulia | Dec 9, 2008 | Entertainment, Features
The music scene here in Bohol have certainly evolved. From listening only to foreign bands in the past, Boholanos are now enjoying not just national bands but locally as well. Evidence of this is the growing numbers of local bands here like Bang!Bang!, Brownbuds, Estranghero, Suitcase 101, etc.
Suitcase101 and Bang!Bang! even have albums now. The former having released their latest album recently on November 14, 2008 at the Coralandia Restaurant while the latter’s album, UNO is now available for P75 at the SoundGarage, KISS FM or Tachycardia.
Other latest updates are:
Bang!Bang!’s tour Tubigon on December 20, 2008. The event is presented by Mater Dei College and organized by Central Sense.
D’Cruisers band is in the final stages in the recording of their first indie album.
For more news and updates, click here.
by anyajulia | Nov 13, 2008 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita, Tourism
Bohol was featured in the July-August 2008 issue of Jiangxi Pictorial, a popular magazine published by Bohol’s sister province int the People’s Republic of China. The magazine featured the Chocolate Hills, and the festive parade and street dancing during the Bohol-Jiangxi Friendship Day celebration last May 8.
Ambassador Carlos Chan, gave Gov. Erico Aumentado a copy of the magazine in his recent visit here in Bohol.
Aumentado had sought the help of Jiangxi’s 43 million people to help vote for the Chocolate Hills into the worldwide search for the New Seven Wonders of Nature through Internet voting.
For the internet savvy, the Jiangxi netizens were invited to visit www.jxnews.com.cn and vote for the Chocolate Hills.
Click for full article.
by anyajulia | Sep 19, 2008 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
BOHOL molded Friday the country’s second provincial special police team trained to handle crisis situations all over Bohol.
Bohol Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team comes next to the Cebu SWAT, which was the first provincial special action team in the country, revealed Police Regional Director Ronaldo Roderos at a press conference at the Bohol Tropics Resort Wednesday.
More or less 37 police aspirants would be trimmed down to 17 after they pass the rigid training under 8 Camp Crame-based Special Action Forces and complemented by the 6 members of the Cebu City SWAT team, police sources said.
After more than three months of grueling training, the Bohol team of 17 men, would be going on rotation duty 24 hours a day 7 days a week, explains Bohol Provincial Police Chief Edgardo Ingking.
The team, organized in the pattern of the elite Los Angeles Police Department’s anti-crime SWAT would be allowing residents the protection of a force trained and given expertise to respond to problems.
The press conference was held a day before outgoing Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief also formalizes the opening of the innovative Bohol Tourist Police Assistance Center in Bolod Panglao.
Admitting forming the Bohol team is really a belated move, PNP Chief Avelino Razon said if it were not for the insistent efforts of Bohol government and civil society leaders, the dream would not have been realized.
The move came after the Boholanos shivered in dread over a foiled bank robbery, which cost the life of a security guard, a robber and led to the notorious Meloy Garcia rob group disbandment.
Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado added that Bohol local officials including the congressional representatives pooled resources with the PNP and civil organizations like the Bohol Bankers Association, Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Boholanos in the USA and Canada to fund the Bohol SWAT team realization.
The team would operate not just in the city but would also respond to crisis situation in the different areas in Bohol, Aumentado explained.
If the LAPD SWAT were any indicator, then the Bohol team would comprise of special squads using hi-tech equipment and firepower support trained in armed combat, urban and rural counter terrorism, explosives and ordnance experts, riot suppression and negotiations experts.
The development also came amid reports that the critically manned Bohol Police Provincial office has just been reinforced with 110 new cops, just as Gen. Razon also promised additional manpower, firepower, mobility and communications equipment to allow local forces to curb criminality to the minimum. (rachiu/PIA)
by anyajulia | Sep 12, 2008 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
A top police official here in the Visayas confirmed reports that Bohol gets 110 more police officers, but the reinforcement goes all the way to the country’s first tourist police detachment here.
Nevertheless, the local Philippine National Police (PNP) officials here admit the move would be a great help as it largely contributes to police visibility at a time when police and population ratio hangs at 1:1100.
Police Regional Director Ronaldo Roderos confirmed reports that the new cops would be deployed here, and they would be manning tourist police detachments set up in key spots in the province.
Aside from the tourist cops, General Roderos also talked about the formation of a local Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), which is impending.
He reported that the Bohol team is already on the neuro-psychiatric tests before the formal training could commence.
Outgoing Police Director General Avelino Razon is slated to come to Bohol ext week to formally launch the new SWAT team, Bohol Capitol sources revealed last week.
It was not clear however if the 110 new cops include those to be assigned at the soon to be formed SWAT team.
At a press conference after the summit opening ceremonies, PCSupt Roderos said “the PNP is mandated to provide the personnel support” to the Bohol innovation in putting up tourist police detachments in key tourism stops.
The tourist police is a new concept of community policing where cops would be deployed in tourist areas both for crime prevention and for tourist assistance.
The tourist police is one of the main reasons why Central Visayas rates high in the annual search for the country’s best peace and order councils, said National Police Commission Regional Director Bernardo Calibo, in an earlier interview.
Roderos, who along with Deputy Director General Jesus Versoza and still a handful; of key police brass is attending the 5th National Biennial Summit on Women in Policing at the Bohol Plaza Resort from September 11-13.
The confirmation also elicited positive response from the local police forces who aired elation about the fact that police visibility especially in tourist circuits is largely enhanced.
Here, with police force totally outnumbered in crime prevention ratio, residents have asked fr more police visibility as deterrent force to crimes. (rachiu/PIA)
by Misael | May 23, 2008 | National News
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has named Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita to be her new spokesman in a concurrent capacity when Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye officially leaves Malacanang on July 3.
The President revealed this at the Panglao Island Nature Resort and Spa where the Cabinet meeting was also held earlier in the day.
The President arrived in Bohol to lead the capsule laying ceremony of the Bohol-Panglao International Airport.
Bunye, concurrent Presidential Spokesman, has already been appointed to the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) effective July 3.
Ermita has long been conducting his weekly media briefing in Malacanang. (PIA/Bohol)
