Proem

It is said that the only permanent thing in life is change.  Some changes are abrupt and we can notice it.  However some changes are imperceptible and we can notice it only after a passage of a long time.

When the M7.2 Bohol earthquake occurred on Oct. 15, 2013 the changes were abrupt that we can notice that the Churches of Loon, Maribojoc, Loboc, etc. are already gone.  However the way Boholanos celebrate their town fiesta has only imperceptible changes.  The civil officials of the towns still join in the celebration using public funds even if the Philippines Constitution mandated a complete separation of Church and State.

During the Spanish era, the civil aspect of the town was under the religious aspect of the town.  The civil officials were required to spend for the celebration of the town fiesta.  Until the present the mentality of the people has slightly changed.

Did I Cause Changes?

I started writings this column “Sundry Chronicle” in June 1991.  After almost 25 years, I have written not less than 1,200 articles regarding Bohol.  However, starting year 1985 I already contributed articles in this newspaper “The Bohol Chronicle”.

Many towns in Bohol have given me a Certificate of Appreciation for determining the date of establishment of their towns, like Tagbilaran City, Baclayon, Alburquerque, and Lila.  Many towns are using my data and it is alright with me if I will not be given a Certificate of Appreciation.

My articles that caused major changes where those about the Eskaya of Bohol and the Sikatuna-Legazpi Blood Compact site.

My series of articles regarding the Eskaya became the basis for its recognition as a “Cultural Minority” and eventually the granting of their “Ancestral Domain” in the hinterlands of Bohol.

My series of articles regarding the Blood Compact site and date convinced the National Historical Institute (NHI) that the actual site was in Hinawanan, Loay, Bohol and the date was March 25, 1565.  For this feat, I (Jes B. Tirol) and my co-advocate Prof. Emmanuel Luis Romanillos were granted by Loay, Bohol as their “Adopted Sons”.

What is not yet changed is the date of creation of the Province of Bohol.  According to the records in the National Archives the date is March 3, 1854.  It is found in the Royal Audiencia file and the Governor General’s file.  The Province of Bohol still continue using the wrong date July 16, 1854.  It is the date of the arrival of the decree from Spain after the decree of creation was approved by the Queen of Spain.

Changes in Communication

Nowadays the younger generation seems to assume that the method of communication is the cell phone and the internet or facebook.  Only very few could correlate with the telegram and mail of a few years ago.  Even the telephone or what is now called “land line” is used only in relation to the internet.

During Spanish times there was already the telegraph and the telegram.  It was a combination of wire connections and semaphore signaling.  The Americans introduced the telephone system, which for long distances were done by relays of communication.  The telephones were sensitive enough that the Bisayan word for telephone was “hagawhawan = for whispering” as early as 1910.

Up to the year 1995 the telephone, telegram, and mails were still the main means of communication.  The mails were the first casualty when the “fax” or “telefax” were introduced.  The telegraph companies were still able to utilize the “fax”.

When the cell phones became common in 1998 the telegram companies went out of business.  Even the “fax” method of sending messages became passé.

Nowadays the cell phones and the personal computers are the main source of communication.  With their superior capabilities, even the photograph studios are affected.

These new gadgets are using electromagnetic and radio waves to transmit the signals.  There is now an emerging technology in which the signals will be transmitted by “thought waves” or what is popularly known as “telepathy”.  It is still in its infancy because the “field force” is not yet fully understood.  When it becomes mature, we can expect that the cell phones will be superceded.

Where Are The Typewriters?

In 1975 the typewriters and the slide rule of the engineers were still common.  Soon the personal computers and calculators became common.

In 1978 I was the first one to teach computer programming in Bohol.  The personal computers (PC) during the time had yet a memory capacity of 24K or 24,000 bytes.  The ability of the PC soon made the typewriters passé.  But one thing did not change; the arrangement of the letters in the keyboard is still the same.

Now the PCs have trillions of memory bytes.  It did not only replace the use of the typewriter but it is a library and many more uses.

The calculator has completely eliminated the slide rule.  However, the use of the slide rule as a ruler is not found in the calculator.

Watch These Changes

In year 2003 I made a study of the vehicular traffic in Tagbilaran City.  During that time the Bohol Circumferential Road was not yet completed.  The vehicles coming from the towns that entered and stayed in Tagbilaran was already 20,000.  I predicted that soon the streets will have its overcapacity and traffic jams will be common.

Today the streets are already in its full capacity.  If we will use engineering solutions the traffic problem can still be solved.  The drawback is that the mentality of the people and the city officials do not like the engineering principles involve.

According to engineering principles the large trucks should pass through the large streets and the small cars should pass through the small streets.  In other words the large trucks should pass through CPG Avenue.

I have tried computing the vehicular traffic using the “Maximal Flow” formula based on the principle cited above.  Except for some choke points, the traffic is still far from capacity.  However, if you will let the large trucks pass through the side streets, many streets are already in overcapacity.

Many cars and motorcycles are sold everyday in Tagbilaran.  In a few years the traffic will be in a standstill because of the many chokes points in today’s method of assigning the large trucks to the side streets. (By Jes B. Tirol)