About Anything and Everything

Bacong may be the smallest town of the province but it has a lot to offer. First off, the church of San Agustin has the tallest belfry in Oriental Negros and has the oldest main altar with gold-leafing. And inside the church is a pipe organ from Zaragoza, Spain which was installed in 1898 shortly before the revolution against Spain broke out in Oriental Negros. It is said that the only pipe organ of similar origin is found in Bohol. And it’s THE pipe organ that I saw in Baclayon Church last year, sadly it’s not working anymore. L Another kilig-factor of the church is that it’s one of the 26 colonial churches selected for restoration by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. And San Agustin makes 3…that leaves 23 more colonial churches for Pigafetta (that’s moi!) to see. J

Bacong also has its share of history as it is the birthplace of Oriental Negros’ hero and only Katipunero – General Pantaleon Villegas, aka Leon Kilat, whose birthday is celebrated every July 27.

Just 40 minutes away from Dumaguete, Dauin is probably one of the best snorkeling sites in the Philippines. We were supposed to go straight to Dauin’s Poblacion Marine Sanctuary but eventually decided to check in El Dorado Beach Resort because there’s no shower area in the latter. Entrance fee is P150 each which is consumable (imagine!) and so it was agreed that we’ll also have lunch in El Dorado. Some of our companions did not bring snorkels so they rented out some from the resort’s dive shop. The dive crew was pretty accommodating in telling us where the good diving and snorkeling spots are…considering that they’re having their Christmas party when we arrived. Philippe, the dive instructor mentioned that the best dive site is Apo Island but we had to beg off because we just want to snorkel so he lead us to District 1’s marine sanctuary, which is just maybe 6 feet under, perfect snorkeling spot for non-swimmers. J

After a 15-minute walk by the beach, we reached the marine sanctuary where we met Kuya Mads and Kuya Lito who were caretakers of the sanctuary. We paid P50 each to snorkel and even got them both to guide us to the coral reefs. You will not believe how snorkel-friendly this sanctuary is…it’s just a few meters away from the shore! And the fish! I saw the biggest school, no, make that a university of fish (which Kuya Mads called Mamsa). Unlike Coron where you have to lure the fish with bread to get near you, in Dauin, you will enjoy the abundance of fish in all colors and shapes by swimming over the coral patches. The caretakers said that there are turtles, too, which I didn’t get to see…which gives me more reason to return. J

After 3 hours in the water...we headed back to El Dorado for lunch.

And my trips won’t be complete without a dose of century old churches. The Church of San Nicolas is regarded as the province’s oldest. I just failed to take a shot of the ruins of the two dome-shaped watchtowers which were said to have been used to warn against pirates.

We even saw geo-thermal activity by the road courtesy of Mt. Talinis. I fervently hope and pray that this volcano does not go active…I don’t want a repeat of Mt. Bulusan! Pretty please!