Sinulog Festival in Cebu (Pinterest)

What a delight to find out that the regional press is alive and well.

In Cebu where the family stayed at Primeway Suites recently, I was so happy to be greeted each morning by an array of local papers spread out on a desk in the lobby.

I can’t say the same thing in most hotels in Metro Manila where newsstands have become extinct.

Even our airports no longer carry shops that sell newspapers and magazines, sad to say. There are only junk food stores for the hare-brained.

I also like that regional newspapers come in so handy, size-wise. Theirs is the middle ground between a broadsheet and a tabloid, which makes it easy to carry or to read. One can flip through their 16 pages easily.

Those of you who are wondering what the future of print media will be, try and check out the regional presses in Cebu, Davao, and other key Philippine cities. They’re thriving and throbbing to the exciting beat of community news.

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Here are some notes on travelling domestically:

Be at the airport four hours ahead of your scheduled flight. Traffic going there and in there can lead to delays.

Do online booking. It will save you time standing out there in  line.

Our airports are amazing. The airport in Panglao, Bohol surprised us with its hugeness and modern look.

Yet, the one in Cebu took our breath away. Just then that we realized we hadn’t travelled Cebu in years. The new airport is truly of international standard.

In Bohol, there are still public beaches where you can park yourself for free. We swam in very clear waters somewhere in Panglao, courtesy of our cousins, couple James and Jinkee Fran, in whose lovely beach house we stayed a few days.

Tarsier in Bohol (Pinterest)

If you have relatives in certain towns, get in touch with them to connect and bond. Our reunion in Dauis with the Fran family, with their daughter Rae Yan, was, to put it mildly, sweet and energizing.

Check out Bohol Bee House, a sprawling complex- combination garden, restaurant (The Buzz) and inn in Dauis town.

The place is so artsy, using repurposed wood and other throwaways. Its bakery makes such nice squash bread while the ice cream parlor is where you can get various ice cream flavors using coconut milk. Very tasty.

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Never fail to visit any of the many Spanish-influenced churches in Bohol, such as those in Loboc, Dauis and Baclayon. They’re even better than the ones in Spain, swears James Fran, who lived in the United States for decades.

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Just discovered, through our own Chester Templado, M.D., that Cebu has its own equivalent of an up-mountain destination, where the air is cool and the view of the city is cooler. Drive up to Busay, where  a few classy establishments await guests wanting a night out uphill.

xxx

Can’t wait for the day when the proposed plan to build a 15-kilometer Super Bridge between Batangas and Oriental Mindoro shall become a reality.

A project of San Miguel Corporation, the bridge will start from Barangay Ilijan in Batangas City, passing through Verde Island and land in Barangay Sinandigan in Puerto Galera.