Where there are no horses

by Evans Yonson

One of the classes that I give in the Philippines is photography. I am no stranger to photography having taken it during my university years almost 2 decades ago. I remember not having my own camera because it was expensive to have one then. I had to share one camera with 3 or 4 other classmates. But today, all of my students have their own cameras.

On my latest trip to Bohol, I am completely astounded to see that almost everybody has the same camera. We are visiting Bohol for an exposure trip of our photography. It’s a speedy non-stop trip. We go here. We run there. Thanks to my good friend, Jhules Baril of Regatta Travel and Tours, for arranging our trip to this beautiful island.

In Bohol, they speak Binisaya but under the Bol-anon branch. They have a different accent from that of Cebu’s Binisaya and Cagayan de Oro’s Binisaya. Sometimes there are changes orthographically in the words if we move from one island to another in the Binisaya language. The letter “l” is take out of the word. For example, fire is “kalayo” in Binisaya so it becomes “kayo,” with long stress on “a.” But to Boholoanos, the letter “y” is pronounced as letter “j”. “Kayo” now becomes “kajo.” Bohol is the only island in the Philippines where there are no horses or “kabayo.” You wonder, why? Because they call them, “kabajo!”

The Boholanos are famous string instrument players.

The singing choir along the Loboc River.

The happy and smiling dirty ice cream man

One of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites: Baclayon Church in Bohol Island

The island's most famous primates, the Tarsiers.

A wet Chocolate hill in Carmen, Bohol.

A shoreline in the Bohol Island taken at the back of Bohol's Bee Farm.

From left to right: Jhules Baril (CEO, Regatta Travel and Tours), Dr. Mayette Rivera (Xavier University), Gigi (Bohol's tour guide par excellance), and moi. Taken at Bohol's infamous Ramasola Photography Studio in Tagbilaran City.