Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary

The Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary of Corella, Bohol is an arm of the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Inc. (PTFI), a non-stock, non-profit organization established in 1996. The Foundation has been issued a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) by DENR to find ways to conserve as well as to promote the tarsier of Bohol.

The tarsiers have been declared to be specially protected faunal species of the Philippines by virtue of Proclamation No. 1030, declared by former Philippine President, Fidel V. Ramos on June 23, 1997.

In this pursuit, a 167 hectares sanctuary has been established by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Inc. covering areas within the municipalities of Corella, Sikatuna and Loboc. This is timberland area currently under the administration of the DENR and is part of the Social Forestry Project. The sanctuary starts at barangay Canapnapan in Corella, Bohol.

These three towns were chosen as the sanctuary site since numerous sightings of the tarsiers have been made within their forested domain. In fact, these were the places where the little creatures were formerly hunted down, captured and then sold to local and foreign visitors.

Declared as a sanctuary, the tarsiers are now allowed to live and reproduce freely in a natural setting. Poaching, killing and even wounding of them are strictly prohibited as well as the destruction of its declared habitat. Possession of the tarsier for educational, scientific or conservation-centered research purposes may be allowed upon certification by the DENR Secretary.

The sanctuary is mostly of secondary growth forest quite extensive and largely uninhabited and isolated from settlements. Portions of the area are open and relatively bare yet majority has lush vegetation mostly of second-growth trees, bamboo clumps, tall grass patches and thick bushes that tarsiers prefer.

One can also observe different fauna and flora in the forested areas. The later has signage with their scientific name, place of origin, geographical distribution, and a brief explanation of their properties and traditional applications.

Within the sanctuary and situated at Corella, the Tarsier Research and Development Center has been established with a visitor’s center complete with a reception and souvenir counter, an exhibition area, an audio-visual room, a mini-cafeteria, toilets, and administration offices. A lounge-deck is outside and a large parking lot beyond which no vehicles are allowed to enter.

The research center will rise within the sanctuary at Corella and this will be fully equipped with a laboratory, veterinary clinic, library, offices and conference rooms, staff quarters and storage. Suitable accommodations will also be provided for visiting scientists and technicians. Access to this center is restricted though.

Trails and pathways spread out to various parts of the sanctuary where the tarsiers can be observed in their natural habitat either with the naked eye or through binoculars. Viewing decks have been set up at ground level and some atop elevated platforms to facilitate proper sightings.

The “Tarsier Trail” has been set up by the Foundation within the forested area. The pathway winds its way thru the gently rolling terrain of the interior towns of Corella, Sikatuna and Loboc. The trail is over a distance of about 15 kilometers with established vantage points along the way.

The sanctuary is envisioned to grow with the move of the Foundation for reforestation; another priority project of the group. Portion of the sanctuary will be set aside for the cultivation and propagation of hardwoods, bamboo, varieties of palms and ferns, herbal, flowering plus medicinal plants especially those with commercial value.




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I haven't been in Bohol but it's one of my list to visit. I have seen and heard good new about this sanctuary and I really would love to see tarsiers. Hope you can visit it.

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Chocolate Hills

The famed Chocolate Hills of Bohol are not only two but more than 1,268 cone-shaped hills – a very strange geological formation that has baffled a lot of geologists. The hills are spread over an area of 50 square kilometers or more and vary in size from 30 meters to 120 meters in height.

The hills appear to be seemingly endless when viewed atop the hill in Carmen town. The viewing deck there gives you a 360° view of the hills “as far as the eyes can see”. It is more majestic when viewed from a plane – them appearing to be thousands of mole hills dotting out from verdant surroundings.

What’s unique with these limestone hills is that they are only covered in grass and the cone shape is more or less common to all although differing in size. The hills look chocolaty only during dry season when the grass withers and turns into brown and looks like giant chocolate kisses.

Grass species found to thrive on the hills are Imperata cylindrical and Saccharum spontaneum and several Compositae and ferns. Trees grow on the base of the hills and are lush and verdant rings around the almost bare cone-shaped hills resulting in its awesome natural beauty.

Likewise, the flatlands surrounding the hills are given to rice and corn farming and results in a beautiful green backdrop for the hills. Elevation ranges from 100 meters to 500 meters above sea level. Higher hills can be found but almost uniform cone-shaped hills are found in Carmen town.

The most acceptable geological theory of the hills is that the hills were the result of thousands of years of weathering of marine limestone. Others say that the hills were formed ages ago by the uplift of coral deposits or that they erupted from the sea in a massive geologic shift, and the action of rain water and erosion for the past thousand years put in the finishing touches.

Considered sometimes as the “Eight Wonder of the World”, the Chocolate Hills has been declared as the country’s 3rd National Geological Monument by the National Committee on Geological Sciences on June 18, 1988 in recognition of its special characteristics, scientific importance, uniqueness, and high scenic value; and as such is among the country’s protected areas.

Proclamation No. 1037 was signed to this effect on July 1, 1997 declaring the hills as a natural monument and that they are now covered under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as the lead implementing agency for its protection.

Furthermore, the Philippine House of Representatives introduced House Bill No. 01147 on July 6, 2004 wherein it was reiterated that the hills are a national patrimony and geological monuments, penalizing their plunder, destruction or defacement, and for other purposes.

Finally, on May 16, 2006, the DENR submitted the Chocolate Hills to the UNESCO World Heritage for inclusion in the list of Natural Monuments because of its outstanding universal value, superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty. The area is now in the Philippine Tourism Authority’s list of tourist destinations in the Philippines.

A tourist destination way before the white sand beaches of Panglao came to be known, it is now featured in the provincial flag and seal of Bohol to symbolize the abundance of natural attractions in the province.

Location

The Chocolate Hills are spread over an area covering the towns of Sagbayan, Batuan, Carmen, Bilar, Sierra Bullones and Valencia. Most of the hills though are found in Sagbayan, Batuan and Carmen, the later having the most uniform cone-shaped hills.

Two resorts have been developed: one in Carmen town called the Chocolate Hills Complex, and one in Sagbayan and known as Sagbayan Peak. The oldest resort of the two is the Carmen complex and is located in Barangay Buenos Aires about 5 kilometers from the town. Carmen town is 55 kilometers from Tagbilaran City.

The Chocolate Hills Complex is a government-owned and operated resort. The Carmen-LGU and the provincial government presently own the complex with the former managing the operation anchored on a 70/30 sharing of its net income. The complex has a restaurant, souvenir shops, hotel with swimming pool, and a viewing deck.

The newly developed “Sagbayan Peak” is a5-hectare mountaintop resort and recreation center which also has a viewing deck that offers a 360° view of the hills and the blue sea beyond. It is 18 kilometers from the Complex in Carmen town.

How to Get There

Buses bound for Carmen town or Sagbayan are available at the Dao Terminal in Tagbilaran City. Just ask the bus drivers to drop you off at the junctions leading to the resorts. In Carmen town, the road leading to the resort from the junction is only a 10-minute walk along a winding uphill road.

Vans are the most common means of transportation though, especially when traveling with a group. Aside from convenience and comfort, visitors can visit more places in a short span of time. Waiting for buses or public rides is time consuming.

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Amazing! They're just hills but it really looks like chocolates. In bohol, Chocolate is one of their tourist spot because of the numerous hills you'll see and the 360 degrees view in the deck. Explore it now! So you won't miss every single destination in Asia's Pearl of the Orient, Philippines!

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ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippine archipelago consist of 7,107 islands with a total land area of 300,000 square kilometers or 115,830.60 square miles (about the same size as Italy). The 11 largest islands contain 94% of the total land area. The largest of these islands is Luzon at about 105,000 km². It is where the capital city of Manila is located. The next largest island is Mindanao at about 94,600 km². The Philippines is around 800 km from the Asian mainland and is located between Taiwan and Borneo.

The Philippine islands are divided into three groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Luzon islands include Luzon itself, Mindoro, Palawan, Masbate, and other smaller islands. The Visayas is a group of several small islands, the largest of which are: Panay, Bohol, Negros, Cebu, Leyte, and Samar. Mindanao island includes Mindanao island itself and the Sulu Archipelago, composed of Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and Sulu. Each island group has a Philippine destination worth visiting.

Climate in the Philippines is hot, humid, and tropical. The average yearly temperature is around 26.5° Celsius. Filipinos generally recognize three seasons:

Summer: March to May
Rainy Season: June to November
Cold Season: December to February (moderate to folks from temperate countries)
Philippine Population: 86,000,000 / Per Capita Income: $4,700
Literacy: 93%
HIV-AIDS Prevalence: >0.1%
Electricity: 220V (110V is available, mostly in major hotels)

The islands of the Philippine archipelago are volcanic in origin and are mountainous. The islands are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Mt. Apo (2,954 meters above sea level) in Mindanao is the highest peak, while the second highest peak is Mt. Pulog in Luzon. It rises 2,842 meters above sea level. The Philippines have numerous rivers, volcanoes, streams, narrow coastal plains and beautiful sandy beaches which foreign and local tourist enjoy. The country has a total of 36,289 kilometers of coastline.


Philippine Jeepney

Travel within the Philippines not difficult, if you don't mind riding the sometimes rickety public transportation. There are all kinds of vehicles available to tourist and locals: Ferries for inter-island transfers, buses & taxis ply in major cities all over the Philippines and the ubiquitous jeepney can be found everywhere. In Metro Manila, light rail transit is available on main roads. In tertiary roads & small rural towns the tricycle is the transport of choice.

The official languages in the Philippines are Filipino and English. Filipino which is based on the Tagalog dialect (the dialect of national capital region), is the national language. English is also widely used and is the medium of instruction in higher education in the Philippines. There are also 76 major local languages and more than 500 different minor dialects throughout the archipelago. 83% of Filipinos are Roman Catholic. The rest are made up of smaller Christian denominations, Moslems and Buddhist.

This guide previews the more popular tourist spots in the Philippines beginning with the City of Manila, then Baguio City, Banaue Rice Terraces, Batanes Group of Islands, Batangas, Boracay Island, Cebu City, Corregidor, Davao City, Iloilo, Palawan Island, Pangasinan's Hundred Islands, Puerto Galera Beach, Bohol Islands and the World Heritage City of Vigan in Ilocos Sur. Mabuhay!

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I really love riding the jeepney, hope you'll try it! It's fun! This travel blog will help you learn more about the island Philippines.

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