By: Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
A Radio Legacy Fades with the Vanishing Sounds of Sandugo on the Airwaves
At the start of July every year, the exciting beat of Sandugo used to fill the airwaves. It is an irresistible beat that every time you would hear it, you can’t help but stand and
dance to the tune and beat of “Sandugo, Sandugo”. What has happened? I notice that this is the second year when the sound is gone. Could it be because of the broadcasters? The listeners? The government officials who have ignored the
luster of the celebration?
We welcome the good practice of distributing Sandugo events to the towns like Tubigon, Jagna and Panglao. That’s truly fine. But the familiar sound of “Sandugo, Sandugo” is sadly missed. Why?
I have friends who frequently came over from Cebu to experience the Bohol Sandugo celebration and the exhibit at the airport. We didn’t mind the hours spent to get there and more hours to get out from the airport to Bohol Wisdom School. Two hours on a snail pace on the road going to Bohol wisdom school and beyond is not an easy experience. There was no signage on alternate roads to avoid that bottleneck that causes the traffic jam.
We first went to the old airport road only to be told that the entrance is at the tail end of the old runway. The place is ideal but going there is like going to an ordeal. My friends came all the way from Cebu bringing their own vehicles landing in Tubigon town. But for a stranger to the place, they got lost on their way to Baclayon. A wrong turn brought them to Hanopol, Balilhan road and exited in Batuan. It was a hilarious experience passing thru the Amorsolo landscape of Bohol.
No amount of the worldwide navigational facility like the GPS led them to the right route to Tubigon. Sa ilang pagpanguli, miabot pa gayud sila sa Sevilla sa wala pa sila moliko aron mobalik sa Sikatuna aron moabot sa Macaas road padulong sa Tubigon. Kalooy sa Diyos, miabot gyud sila sa Tubigon atol nga hapit na mogikan ang barko pabalik sa Cebu. But my friends never got discouraged because they kept tuning in to the beautiful beat of the Sandugo song.
Thay say that despite this unfortunate encounter, Bohol is still a paradise. They suggest, though, that we put and install visible road signages that could lead the traveler to the right destintion.
Like the Sandugo song, these road signs are nowhere to be found.
