by anyajulia | Nov 20, 2008 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
Local officials of Carmen, Bohol recently visited Cebu City to solicit votes for Chocolate Hills for the New Seven Wonders of Nature, thus going to the Cebu City Hall and schools to ask for their help.
Carmen town councilor Primo Digao said Bohol representative almost toured the entire Philippines starting from Mindanao last April, Luzon last August to October and cities of Lapu-lapu, Mandaue and Cebu this month.
Vice Mayor Ramonito Torefranca sought the help of the Cebu City government and school information technology heads of several universities in the city to cast their votes on line for Chocolate Hills.
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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.
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by anyajulia | Nov 10, 2008 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
The N7W committee implemented a rule that only one nominee per country will make it to the final selection starting 2009. Currently the Chocolate Hills is 2nd in the Philippines behind Palawan Subterrainean River and 4th overall. However, even with less than two months to go, the Chocolate Hills might still have a chance if all Boholanos will cast their vote on the N7W website.
In the coming weeks, we will publish a series of articles showing the status of the Chocolate Hills in the ranking. We encourage all schools, training centers, offices, Internet cafes and every organization in Bohol and everywhere else to organize voting sessions. If you have suggestions or want to volunteer some help in any form, please send email to techsier@auza.net.
Please visit www.n7w.com and cast your vote now! Of course, we hate to say this, but vote only for the Chocolate Hills and other nominees that have less ranking as Chocolate Hills. That will help push Bohol on top of the ranking. If the Chocolate Hills will make it, Bohol will get a tremendous amount of tourism marketing worldwide and that means a very significant opportunity for every Boholano in the coming years.
by anyajulia | Aug 20, 2008 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
NABALAKA ang mga Bol-anon sa hinay nga pagkanaug sa Chocolate Hills gikan sa ika tulo ngadto na sa ila napulo, sa global search alang sa bag-ong seven wonders of the world.
Sa taas nga panahon, nagpabilin nga anaa sa sulod sa ika-lima nga lugar sa mga nominado sa pito ka bag-ong wonders of the world ang Chocolate Hills nga Makita sa Carmen, Batuan ug Sagbayan sa Bohol.
Apan ning bag-ohay lamang, namatikdang ang Chocolate Hills midaos-os ngadto na sa ika napulo, kini’y butang nga gikabalaka sa mga Bol-anon.
Una na nga nawagtang ang Chocolate Hills sa listahan sa 7 ka wonders, apan nahibalik kini human gipaningkamotan sa mga Bol-anon sa gawas sa Bohol nga mabalik sa listahan sa mga nominado.
Kaban sa Chocolate Hills isip mga entry sa Pilipinas mao ang Tubbataha Reefs sa Timog Kasadpan sa Palawan, ang Underground River sa Palawan ug ang Mayon Volcano sa Albay.
Hinuon, ang pagbotar alang sa Chocolate Hills ug niining mga entry sa Pilipinas padayon pa hangtud sa Disyembre 31 ning tuig. (rachiu/PIA)
by Misael | May 23, 2008 | Features
PANGLAO ISLAND, Bohol – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo launched the construction of the P4.17-billion Panglao-Bohol International Airport here to boost the tourism and trade potentials of this world-class destination province.
The President led the capsule-laying ceremony in Barangay Tawala assisted by Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Alfonso Cusi, Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado, and Panglao Mayor Benedicto Alcala.
After the capsule-laying, the President was briefed by Cusi on the status of the project funded through MIAA’s P3-billion income and P1 billion from the DOTC.
Cusi informed the President that the international airport is targeted to be operational in the first quarter of 2010 and can accommodate one million passengers per year.
The President said no foreign loans were sourced in the construction of the Panglao International Airport as government revenue agencies have consistently exceeded their targets these past few years.
Upon completion of the project, the President said foreign tourists can now come directly and visit the famous destinations in Bohol that include the Chocolate Hills, a candidate in the Internet search for the New Seven Wonders of Nature, and Balicasag Island, a popular breathtaking dive site which she herself had a look.
The President said Bohol, the tenth largest island of the Philippines, is one of the tourism centers of the country. Located in the heart of the Visayas, it is famous for the tarsier, the world’s smallest primate; pristine beaches and dive spots, caves and crystal springs, ancestral homes, and centuries-old churches.
In an earlier interview, Cusi and Mendoza said the Panglao International Airport would not only cater to tourists and cargo but is expected to boost trade, investments and economic activity in Bohol as it would be a magnet for industrial parks and economic zones.
AMID CRITICISMS
The multi-billion key infrastructure project also merited a good number of critics, one which is led by University of the Philippines Professor of Economics Ernesto Pernia and long-time airport critic and former Panglao Municipal Tourism Committee Chairman Agustin Cloribel.
Working against time in efforts to at least stall or scrap the project, Boholanos for Truth, Accountability and Reform (BOTAR) posted a paid ad in a local paper daring the provincial leaders to clarify issues involving the project.
Questions raised against the plan are its economic viability, serious environmental concerns, perceived corruption and dirty politics.
Governor Aumentado however shrugged off all these assuring that everything has been in order and that the government is doing its best to put up mitigations to outweigh the environmental issues against the economic and social benefits Bohol and the entire region can get from it. (rachiu/PIA)
