River tourism in Loboc

THE BOHOL countryside is pleasant

and very green, with not a hint at all

of the supposed tension brought

about by the recent daring raid in

Batuan town by members of the New People's Army.

The way to Loboc is an interesting visual mix of rangy

mountains, dense thickets, nipa plantations, ricefields, rivers,

clean solitary beaches and old stone churches. The houses are

few and far between, and typical of the time-eaten Boholano

architecture of wooden boxes with huge windows and sparse

carvings.

The two vans carrying

journalists attending a

seminar on local

governance processes

seemed to be the only

vehicles driving through

the highway, plus the

occasional tricycles and

one or two jeepneys.

The journalists were on

their way to lunch in

Loboc town, 29

kilometers from Tagbilaran City.

Floating restaurant

After the 40-minute drive, the vans stopped along the highway

by the river bank and we journalists disembarked and were told

to please get on the floating restaurant resting on the mute

brown waters.

We were greeted with music from folksy duo Nelson Digal on

the guitar and Larry Cal on the trumpet. Throughout the river

cruise, the two played the standards, some Visayan folk songs

and even Beatles favorites. And yes, the journalists danced.

Lunch at the restaurant was the usual fare of the Loboc river

cruise: rice, drumstick chicken, grilled squid, shrimps, broiled

fish called malasugi and tangigue, and boiled eggplant soaked

in coconut milk. It was inviting, given the fresh air and natural

surroundings.

As the boat glided up the river, the imposing roof of Loboc's

stone church and the Museo de Loboc came into view.

Naturally, lunch had to take a backseat as we took pictures of

the uniquely situated church and museum, said to date back to

the 1900s.

Lining both sides of the 8-km river were thick greenery and

some tall trees almost hiding the houses of friendly locals.

Simple life

The cruise showed simple life along the river--children showing

off their swimming skills, a man washing the entrails of an animal

with river water, some people preparing for a party and about to

butcher a squealing pig, a woman washing clothes, and

students coming home from school and waving to sightseers.

The scenes seemed to be straight out of a Discovery Channel

feature.

What was striking about the river was its cleanliness and the

few houses on both banks, given its economically viable

possibilities.

Cruise operator Lucy Cal says about 20 houses are on the left

bank and 30 on the right along the 2-km stretch of the trip.

Some areas have several resorts, accessible only by banca. A

towering structure made of coconut wood juts out from among

the trees, which at that moment, were filled with guests

celebrating a wedding. It did not, however, deface the river's

natural sights in any way and could not have been spotted had

it not been so tall.

The cruise ended at the mini-falls which the locals simply called

busay (falls). At low tide, a rock juts out from where the

boatman can tie a rope and sightseers can take pictures with the

falls as backdrop.

It takes about an hour to traverse the river and back. At P600 a

trip, the price is reasonable and the boat-cum-restaurant can

take off on exclusive trips for a group of 15 to 20 persons.

How it began

The river cruise business started in 1991 when Lucy and her

husband Raymond decided to ferry sightseers down and up the

river. It soon evolved into a floating restaurant.

The couple is now operating four such boats.

Another cruise company, the Long River Cruise, pitches in with

two boats.

''Our usual customers are foreigners because this river cruise is

included in the package tour of travel agencies,'' said Lucy in

Tagalog.

A visitor to Loboc does not have to worry about missing the

unique tourist attraction because there are trips from Monday to

Sunday.

The river cruise is an interesting study in ecotourism where

locals make the most of their natural attractions, such as a

solemn but remarkable river.

It is said that rivers make a people but in Loboc's case, the

people make an attractive river.