Bolinao Texas

WHEN a resident of the western Pangasinan town of Bolinao was preparing to migrate to the United States a year ago, he was in a quandary: He did not know what to do with his four pet freshwater turtles.

An Australian tourist in town also did not know where to leave his pet monkey when it was time for him to go home. Same with a local government employee, who could no longer take care of her rabbits.

Their problems were solved as a resort in Arnedo Village decided to welcome their pets and care for them in its mini-zoo.

The zoo at Rock Garden Resort was given a permit by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources last year as a shelter for animals, but this was what the resort had been doing long before the permit was given, said resort owner Virgilio Solis Jr.

Solis, the provincial administrator, said the owners of the animals could claim their pets later if they wanted to.

He said the zoo started with two pairs of lovebirds he bought from local pet shops. “I’m very fond of these creatures even as a boy,” he said.

He said he used to wake up to the chirping of birds and he thought it would be nice if the resort’s guests could also experience the thrill of listening to singing birds in the morning.

“This is why when my family built this resort in the 1990s, I decided to allot an area for these birds,” he said.

But more than that, he also wanted children in the town to learn to love animals and not to hurt or kill them.

Educational center

The zoo has become an educational center of sorts in the town, with students coming in droves to see and enjoy the birds. Each cage is marked with the common and scientific names, and the pet names (a pair of birds were called “Jules” and “Assunta”), of the animals for their easy identification.

Solis said he also talked with village officials and residents about taking care of animals, in the process converting most of them into animal lovers.

The zoo has other animals, too, but its bulk of collection are birds—lovebirds, a heron, an egret, a hummingbird, pigeons, a cockatoo, a hawk, a myna, a parrot, and the biggest of them all, a pair of ostriches. The collection also includes wild boar, a deer and turtles.

Unfortunately, the native fighting cock of Bolinao, called the “Boltex” (coined from “Bolinao Texas”), is missing from the zoo.

Solis said they used to keep Boltex in the zoo but they strayed. The Boltex can now be found only in the town’s forested areas, he said.

“Overseeing” the animals is the statue of a tikbalang sitting atop a balete tree. The tikbalang is a half-man, half-horse creature of Filipino folklore. It smokes a cigar and haunts girls, which explains the nearby statue of a walking girl.

While the tikbalang is mythical, Solis wants the younger generation to get to know it. This is why the creature is depicted not in a menacing stance, but holding a microphone, as if singing.

Solis said he does not know how much was being spent for the animals’ upkeep, food and medicines. “But what I know is how much happiness is derived by the visitors and the children from seeing the animals,” he said.

“They entertain the visitors, although some funny incidents occasionally happen, as when a myna shouts, ‘Pangit!’ (Ugly!) at guests,” he said.

Bolinao emerges arguably as the most desirable tourist destination in our province. The complete beauty and gift of nature is displayed here. Waterfalls, caves, white sand beaches, hills, and ancient artifacts are the awesome reasons why a nature lover has to come.

For my feet to step in this magnificent place was a great experience. We went to the remotest western part as the pristine Patar beach caught my attention. I beheld and touched the purest water that I could ever imagine that time compare to the beaches I’d been. The coldness of the seawater in the morning and the direct heat from the sun adds up to the excitement of swimming and playing.

Of course the travel wouldn’t be complete without going to one of the caves. After that we dropped to the waterfalls, it was a dreamed come true. It sounds weird but I never known any falls other than the popular Pagsanjan. This time I decided not to get wet.

Words are not enough to describe Bolinao. You can make your own story once you have been there. I was there!

WHERE TO STAY:

Punta Riviera is a great place to relax and unwind.The resort has a bar and restaurant. There’s a nice 2-level pergola for a nice dinner by candlelight ;-).

Puerto del Sol - nice resort with almost 5 star (Bolinao standard) amenities. of course, very expensive. http://www.puertodelsol.com.ph

Treasures of Bolinao - expensive as well. They have a room with a full-floor glass window perfect for watching the sunset.

Bolinao
        : "Boli-bolinao and Anao", "Bulidnu and Malinao"

Originally, Bolinao was a settlement composed
        of a little over a hundred families under Captain Pedro Lombi, established
        in 1575 at a point called Binabalian, on the northern coast of Santiago
        Island. The rampant attacks and raids of Moro pirates urged Capitan Lombi
        to transfer the town-site to the mainland and accordingly, with the aid
        of Fr. Geronimo de Casro, he finally founded the town in 1596 near Libsong
        where a clear spring of about two meters in diameter kept lumping.

By this spring grew a "boli-bolinao" tree
        of the molave family with luxuriant foliage from which was derived the
        present name of the town. Under this tree the affairs of the town were
        administered while stone walls were piled nearby as corner-stone of the
        Roman Catholic Church which was finally completed in 1609, thirteen years
        after the transfer of the town site.

Up to now, records show no specific decree
        or law under which the town was created. Perhaps the natives had organized
        themselves for a common cause against Moro raids or by order of the "Adelantado"
        (title given to Spanish Governor General Legaspi) that the founding and/or
        transfer to the town site was undertaken.

Legends relate that during the first days
        of the Spanish era, a beautiful lass who answered to the call of "Anao"
        diminutive of Juana, lived in the present site of town. She used to bathed
        in the spring or leisured under the "boli-bolinao" tree for hours where
        she was first seen and wooed by a chieftain’s son living across the channel.
        An early marriage followed with the condition among others, that the seat
        of government of the chieftain be transferred to where Anao lived and
        there, to stay as rulers, hence the name of Bolinao (Boli-bolinao and
        Anao).

Some say (nevertheless believable) that
        the name of the chieftain’s son was Bolidnu (meaning round and robust)
        and the lass, Malinao (meaning clear as the Libsong spring), the combination
        of which became the name Bolinao. #

Main article: Bolinao language

The people generally speak Pangasinan but have their own unique language called Bolinao, brought in by Sambal settlers during colonial rule.

translated into Bolinao and followed by the original in Tagalog:

• Bolinao: “Si [tawon] kai magtanda’ lumingap sa ibwatan [na], kai ya mirate’ sa keen [na].”
• Tagalog: “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan.”

Bolinao is politically subdivided into 30 barangays.