by Roda Dee
It is a place
Where poetry is carved by the mountain wind
Where nights are fully lit and darkness thinned
Where skies are amazingly met by one’s eyes
Gazing in awe at God’s creation that lies
Amidst nature’s bounties that surround
And the freedom of quiet and joy UNBOUND.
The Abatan River has always moved quietly. For generations it slipped through five Bohol towns, carrying farmers, stories, and the green hush of nipa and mangrove.
Now, it is being invited to speak louder as it shares a Current of Dreams and as it rises as Bohol’s next Eco-Tourism Jewel
Former Provincial Administrator Alfonso “Ae” Damalerio believes it’s time the river had a stage of its own. In an interview on Open Forum last June 25, 2026, he said that he laid out a vision 18 years in the making: to position the Abatan as Bohol’s next big eco-tourism destination, and to let the towns along its banks share in that current.
Ae Damalerio said: “The Abatan has a lot of potential. There is a need to showcase the totality of the river’s landscape. That landscape stretches across Cortes, Antequera, Balilihan, Maribojoc and Catigbian. The five towns have already formed a council to protect their common interest in the river.” Damalerio’s proposal gives that council a new purpose: not just to protect, but to welcome.
His vision has been a “Dream Rooted on the Riverbank” and at the heart of the vision is the Abatan RiverView, an inland resort that opened to the public on March 18, 2026 with Ae Damalerio as its sole owner and developer.
It wasn’t built to compete with the white sand of Panglao or the bustle of Tagbilaran. It was built to offer the opposite: it’s privacy, stillness, peace, and quiet. Tucked along the banks of the Abatan River, the resort leans into the river’s natural rhythm. The villas are not generic. They carry a distinct character, designed to reflect the place rather than overwrite it.
- At night, you hear the sound of river water, not traffic. You can imagine the last light thinning to gold, then peach, then a bruised violet that drapes over what’s below you – the small valleys and vegetation blurring into layers of shadow while the peaks around you stay lit a little longer, catching the sun like quiet sentinels.
- In the morning, mist rises off the river instead of crowds forming for selfies. There’s no hurry up at the RiverView. Just you, and the whole world in your hands going still beneath a sky that’s turning deep and endless. Daytime feels like breathing slower.
The sun is warm on your skin but never heavy. There is no traffic. No announcements. Just the hush of wind and distant laughter from the swimming pool or the soft clink of mugs from the café deck. People at the resort move unhurried. You see someone reading on a lazy chair or a couple having pizza and a glass of shake with the feet up at the porch of the villa.
- At dusk, the mountain top settles in like a soft exhale. Sound thins out, too. The wind stops pushing through the trees and becomes just a whisper. Somewhere far down the slope a bird may call once, then nothing. Definitely, the air gets cooler up above, stars prick through the darkening sky one by one, not rushed, like they’re testing the quiet of your heart and soul.
“The secluded nature of the resort makes it ideal for those who want tranquility,” Ae Damalerio explained. “But it’s also a beginning. This is about creating an alternative attraction for Bohol.”
More than one town’s story, what makes the Abatan pitch different is scale. Tourism in Bohol has long been anchored in Panglao and Tagbilaran. Damalerio wants to widen the map. By drawing visitors inland, upriver, the benefits can flow to at least five municipalities at once — homestays in Antequera, crafts in Balilihan, food in Cortes, heritage in Maribojoc, nature in Catigbian. The River connects them physically and Tourism could connect them economically.
Damalerio calls it an “eco-tourism powerhouse” in the making. The concept is simple: keep the river wild, keep the communities involved, and let travelers experience Bohol beyond the beach.
It’s a bet on slow travel. It’s a whisper at dawn. It’s a walk through riverside villages. It’s the food you are served on the table. It’s a stay where the loudest sound is peace of mind.
Why only now after nearly two decades of planning? Damalerio says: “The timing finally feels right. Travelers are looking past checklists. They want places with meaning, with space to breathe. The Abatan RiverView offers that. And with a council of five towns already aligned to protect it, the foundation is there.
“The river has been here all along,” Damalerio said. “We just need to let people see all of it.”
For travelers craving Bohol beyond the usual, the Abatan RiverView is the answer. Time doesn’t push here. It stretches. You don’t do much here, but everything feels enough.
More than enough!
