In our Postscript last Sunday, we wrote at the last part of this corner about having a road trip going to Catigbian town with the birthday boy, retired P/Supt. Erlinde Bantugan, being the culmination of his week-long birthday bash. In all our road trips, we take his newly-acquired Montero Sport and road test it on different days in going to Anda, Loboc, Panglao and then to Catigbian. In Anda town, we had the opportunity to savor the so-called Anda de Boracay. Typhoon Basyang ruined our Loboc trip as the floating restaurants were not allowed to have its river cruise. So we proceeded instead to Panglao to see the newly named South Palms Resort in order to marvel the place and then have a stop over for snacks at the Guisseppe, an Italian pizza center near Alona Kew. The trip to Catigbian town is considered as the most successful repertoire of Linde's birthday bash as we hopped at the so-called Bet n Choy. Call this as a matter of utang-na-loob article to former Mayor “Bertsal” Salinas of Catigbian, thus, we have to devote this column for his latest brainchild in his town.

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While we were on our way to Loboc town, we tried contacting the former mayor and dialed his number in our phone. We were not expecting that we can contact him as we were thinking that he is still out of the country. But we were just surprised that his phone rang and Bertsal, the so-called “ex-future” congressional stalwart in the first district of Bohol way back in the May 2010 elections, was in the other end of the line. Bingo, we have a reservation in one of the front cottages in Bet ‘n Choy. Well, our excitement grew in order to meet there the former Catigbian mayor since we had our contacts with him in 2010 yet at Beth ‘n Choy, one of his pet projects in his town before he closed his exciting political career after retiring from the Philippine Navy as a navy captain.

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After attending an early morning mass, we immediately packed for our brief road trip to Catigbian last Sunday. Our estimated time of departure is at 8:30 o'clock last Sunday morning and hoping to arrive there just an hour before lunch ime. Everybody was so excited in going there as the kids were viewing the swimming pool and water slide there aside from the fact that we promised that our viand for lunch will depend upon our fishing in the farm's tilapia pond. After making a brief stop in Balilihan to buy kamote, banana and junk foods, we arrived in Poblacion, Catigbian at 10:30 o'clock in the morning and took a left turn on a signage for Bet ‘n Choy Farms. From the national highway to Bet ‘n Choy, the road sides are covered with banners of “Bet ‘n Choy Farms”.

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The entrance to the farm is pegged at P20 per person. From the outskirts of a rice land, Bertsal developed a multi-layered agricultural area that now include two swimming pools and water slides, one for the children and the other for the adults. They call this as Brent Pool in Slide, Cocoy Water Park and Brent and Cocoy. Its parking lot is so spacious and what we immediately noticed are the human resource utilized by the farm to accommodate guests especially on weekends considered by Beth ‘n Choy to be at its peak. The farm utilizes working students in the town in order to support their studies. Well, the number one attraction of Bet ‘n Choy is swimming for the kids. The swimming pool and water slide for the kids is for P100 per head while a package for both the two swimming polls and its water slides is P150 per head. They also have swimming trunks for rent.

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Our first concern upon our arrival there was immediately to go fishing at the Fish and Pay area consistent with our promise that our catch will be our viand for lunch. But before that, we have to acknowledge the accommodation of Mayor Bertsal at the Melyon cottage and his gift certificate upon our arrival there in Bet ‘n Choy. In other words, our stay in the cottage is in the house. So we prepared for the fishing expedition, in the literal sense of the word, including Linde, Jessie, Dan Blyke, Orestes and Ma. Christilee, Erlin Rey and yours truly. Ma. Emilee and Emma May also joined us. On our way to the fish and pay area, we met Bertsal and his wife Baby in his office and we rubbed elbows for 20 minutes. We also have a lot of tsismis which cannot be printed here. Hehehe.

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POSTSCRIPT: Going back to our fishing expedition, Merly and Nang Fe already used the cooking area for the potato as we go into the fish and pay pond of tilapia. They also explored on the snack and bar with karaoke. Our fish catch reached one and a half kilo well enough for grill in our lunch. We also got the Bangon Catigbian t-shirts courtesy of Mayor Bertsal. We have to cut short our trip as Giel Mae will report for nursing work at 3 o'clock in the afternoon last Sunday. So we just borrowed the calling card of Bet ‘n Choy and will again try to make reservations by calling the cell numbers of Jun Senados and Jackie Tulop through 09158139823 (Globe) and 09125180937 (Smart). Prospective customers for Bet ‘n Choy may contact Ronan (09099380472) and Nash (09107037535) for v-hire...There's more when we return.