Catigbian National High School wins top prize of the Bohol Sandugo Festival 2019 Street Dancing and Performance Arts Competition

The Catigbian National High School Sandugo contingent is the Grand Champion of the 2019 Bohol Sandugo Street Dancing and Performance Arts Competition held on July 27, 2019 in Tagbilaran City.

Catigbian National High School also bagged the Best in Drama Production, Best in Design, Best in Music, and Best Performer in a Lead Role (Male) awards.

Runners up were the Baclayon National High School/ LGU Baclayon and the Lumad Tubignon/ LGU Tubigon, who was also declared the Most Lively Group.

Watch: Tagbo sa Tagbi Night Market

Tagbilaran City pilot tests its night market concept to revitalize the old area around the old Holy Spirit School in downtown Tagbilaran.

Dubbed Tagbo sa Tagbi, the night market will run from July 17 to 21, 2019.

Review: President Duterte's First State of Nation Address (SONA)

President Digong looked and spoke like the badass Mayor that he was.

We watched the first State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo R. Duterte. Here's what we have to say:

MoveBohol launched at MovePH Citizen Journalism Workshop

Raisa Serafica gave an orientation on Rappler's Move 

23 July 2016 - #MovePH prime mover Raisa Serafica and Rappler Cebu's Mark Macasero visited Bohol over the weekend, not for the Sandugo festivities, but to facilitate a Citizen Journalism Workshop. Participants included student journalists from Bohol Island State University (BISU) Main Campus and Holy Name University (HNU), bloggers from the Bohol Bloggers Collective and freelance writers.

In Photos: Sandugo Fusion Nights 2016

Foodies will delight in the cornucopia of international and regional dishes laid out at this year's Sandugo Fusion Nights. We did.

Sandugo de Kuradang - The Most Fun Sandugo Yet!

Kuradang Queen and King 2016

22 July 2016 - For once, a Bohol Day brought us a Sandugo event where the performers were genuinely having fun -- more smiles, vigour and energey and less strained & exhausted faces (the late afternoon start sure helped) --  which inspired the audience and in turn inspired the performers. It also helped that the familiar fun(ny), upbeat melody, lyrics and dance steps (!) of the Kuradang that harked back actual fiestas and family celebrations had us all beaming and wanting to join in the fun.

Music and Heartbreak (Millennial Edition) at the Freds Book Cafe Poetry Night

Krizzia and Erick sing their heartbreaks away

Very briefly, Friday night, Freds Book Cafe became the "Sagada" for millennial broken hearts as the coffeeshop-cum-library hosted its first poetry night bannered "Music and Heartbreak".

The intimate gathering kicked off with the reading of "Broken Hearts" written by literati-snubbed social-media-darling multimedia artist Lang Leav. Where the first line of the night is -- "I know you’ve lost someone and it hurts." -- you know you're in the company of romantics who embrace all of love and life's joys and pains.

Elections in Bohol Organized and Orderly - Int'l Election Observers

Bohol election observers share their experience at a press briefing in Tagbilaran City. 

The International election observers found the conduct of the May 9 elections here in Bohol generally “organized and orderly”.

In a press briefing here on Tuesday, May 10th, the team deployed to sixteen voting precincts in Panglao, Tagbilaran, Baclayon, Tubigon and Inabanga, Bohol as part of the Compact for Peaceful and Democratic Elections (COMPACT) - International Observers Mission (IOM) 2016 said the voting process here was well coordinated.

International observers to monitor the May 9 elections in Bohol

An international election observers’ mission will monitor the elections in the towns of Tubigon, Baclayon, Panglao and the city of Tagbilaran.

The group of five international observers deployed to Bohol is part of the 15-delegate Compact for Peaceful and Democratic Elections (COMPACT) - International Observers Mission (IOM) comprised of parliamentarians, academics, development workers, youth and student leaders from the United States of America, Germany, Sweden and Japan who will monitor the conduct and outcome of the 2016 Philippine elections.

In Photos: Saulog Tagbilaran 2016

Saulog! Tagbilaran Festival, now on its 4th year, is getting more spectacular! spectacular! by the year. We can't say we haven't seen these costumes and dance moves and formations before, but those smiles are sure Tagbilaranon! 

Maayong pista!

Earth Day Jam with Joey Ayala

Joey Ayala

Boholanos were once again regaled with one of the country's quintessential folk singer/songwriter Joey Ayala, this time in an intimate setting by the Tagbilaran Bay in celebration of the Earth Day, April 22.

In Photos: Saulog Arts Exhibit 2016

The 22-28 April 2016 Saulog Arts Exhibit at the BQ Mall Atrium features the latest works of Bohol visual artists. It is organized by Bohol visual artists led by Joey Labrador and Jhacky Curambao in cooperation with the City Government of Tagbilaran.

Deep Deep Blue (Updated)

Bohol Dance Project dancers Marvin Ablao, Jerrey David Aguilar, Jay Banquil, and Yassie Nalo dance, fly, swim, move the blue way.

Blue Way is a trippy choreographic creation -- a metaphysical study in contrasts and progressions set to motion by  the ebb and flow of sea/river waters -- by French dance guru/choreographer Gigi Caciuleanu (with music by French-Cameroonian Manuel Wandji) featuring Bohol Dance Project dancers Marvin Ablao, Jerrey David Aguilar, Jay Banquil, and Yassie Nalo.

Mga Kalaki sa Baji (The Baji Arts Exhibit 2016)

"Ang Bildo nga Kisame", installation by Regina Estorba Macalandag

Now on its 6th year, the annual Baji Arts Exhibit 2016 was unveiled last Monday evening at the Oak Brook Library, showcasing 38 Boholana artists aged 11-86 and around 70 works of arts, creative interpretations of this year’s theme: “mga kalaki sa baji”.

In her installation work “Ang Bildo nga Kisame” where red female figures are barred from going further up the ladder by a glass ceiling only occupied by black male figures, research and development worker Regina Estorba Macalandag enjoins women to take on the “glass ceiling”, the “unacknowledged discriminatory barrier that prevents women and minorities from rising to positions of power or responsibility”. The accompanying note reads: Unsay kalaki sa mga baji?/ No.1 tig-atiman sa pamilya./ Mao na sa trabaho, gawas niini, /maglisod na mobida./ Kalaki sa mga baji/ Ang dugmokon ang Bildo nga Kisame/ ang dili makita nga babag/ naghikaw ug nag-abog / sa kaangayan sa responsibilidad ug gahum /nga angayang pagabahinon sa laki ug baji. 

Baji Exhibit 2016 opens Monday at the Oakbrook Library

The Baji Arts Collective once again celebrates womanhood with the annual Women’s Month showcase Baji Arts Exhibit that is set to open on Monday, March 7, 2016, 6:00PM at the Oakbrook Library and shall open until March 20, 2016.

BB5: Reading Poetry in the Rain

Development worker Nestor Pestelos read from his own book of poetry and essays.

Poetry is night and day, love and war, rain or shine - literally.

Kaliwat ni Karyapa presents...

In celebration of Arts Month, Kaliwat ni Karyapa presents Balut, Beer ug Balak, an open mic poetry session, on February 26 at the Plaza Rizal, Tagbilaran City. Beers will be waiting by 7pm.

Kurambos sa Arte ug Kultura: NAM 2016 - Bohol Opening Salvo

Diwanag Cultural Group of the Holy Name University is Bohol's most accomplished cultural group.

5 February, 2016 - The National Arts Month (NAM) 2016 kicked off in Bohol with a simple program at the Bohol Cultural Center, with an arts circle of sorts where the audience and artists alike were regaled with a preview of the month-long celebration of the arts and culture in the province.

(99 kms, 99 quips) Eastbound: Roadside Ruminations

On November 27-30, I took part in the Bohol Climate Walk 2015, a 99-100 kilometer walk from Tagbilaran to Anda, to call for 100% clean energy in Bohol and the world and in solidarity with the People’s Pilgrimage to the Paris climate talks. (Two climate walkers have shared their stories, this past two Sundays.)

I made a similar trip by car, in 2007, which I wrote about in LifestyleBohol (“Go East! Chronicles of a Road Trip East of Bohol and Back”, 6 May 2007). While one was a leisurely holiday trip, this journey on-foot I made so I can keep living (and spending my holidays) in our island paradise of Bohol and elsewhere in our common home, the Earth – a meditation of sorts, each step a prayer, treading musings. Meaningful, mundane, riddled with expletives.

Tindogi Tagbilaran holds Inter-School Young Leaders' Forum

The youth taking a stand against illegal drugs. | Inter-School Young Leaders' Forum organized by Tindogi Tagbilaran | 9 December 2015 Holy Spirit School, Tagbilaran City

9 December 2015 - Tindogi Tagbilaran, in just one of its initial initiatives to empower the youth of this city, organized an Inter-School Young Leaders' Forum at the Holy Spirit School Auditorium, this city.

Tindogi Tagbilaran is a people-powered campaign to gain back the integrity & dignity of Tagbilaran City, and make it once again a safe, peaceful, happy and livable city.