Garden to admire
Some people have told me that my columns are more negative than positive. If you are one of them, I owe you this explanation. My assignment to write a political opinion column is akin to that of a gardener’s which is not the positive act of admiring the garden but the negative chore of plant hygiene such as uprooting weeds, cutting out ugly dying branches and getting rid of harmful pests so his master, the owner, can admire the garden.
But still I must say that a gardener does have to admire the garden occasionally or else what is the point of doing all that plant hygiene thing?
That’s exactly what I did over the Father’s Day weekend. My wife and I decided to go on a long overdue R&R in Bohol with our only son, his wife and our three-year-old grandson. The idea was to enjoy Bohol or, continuing on my analogy, to admire the idyllic place we’ve heard Boholanos have made of their island.
And enjoy we did of the beautiful garden that is the tourism industry of Bohol. We sampled (stayed in) two top-of-the-line resorts in Panglao island, first in Amorita and next in South Palms and were simply stunned by the world-class accommodations, excellent professional service by their staff, environmentally friendly upkeep of the resorts including the beaches, etc. We got value for our money in those places.
Moreover, going to Bohol on a fast craft was hassle-free. Not a hint of hustling at the pier in Tagbilaran and the for-hire vans were orderly in picking up their passengers. We didn’t see any uncollected garbage on the sidewalks nor misplaced garbage on empty lots that are daily sights in Cebu City. And the roads were all paved very nicely, not like the botched-up concreting job being done in the Naga to Carcar highway.
If what we saw is typical of the tourist places in Bohol, and I have no reason to think otherwise, I must say the Boholanos are doing something right with their tourism industry. They know which side of their bread is buttered and are smart enough to come up with a blooming rose garden of a tourism industry that could only spell progress for everybody in that island.
Bohol has definitely a good thing going and Boholanos have to be reaping the benefits of their concerted effort. One, for instance, can just imagine how many the industry employs not to mention how many more the downstream industries like food, transportation, entertainment, etc., are employing.
The Boholanos’ pride of place shows in that Bohol is one blooming flower garden to admire by local and foreign tourists alike. My family has been to Bali and to Boracay. But we were unanimous in saying it’s too much hassle to get there when we can have it all in Bohol where the experience is just as superb, if not more.