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REGION - 7 : THE CENTRAL VISAYAS REGION

	ANNOUNCEMENT:   The Island-Province of Bohol has been prominently featured in the December 2006 issue of the prestigious travel publication- "ISLANDS" Magazine.....
Central Visayas, one of the regions of the Philippines, is designated as Region VII. It is part of the Visayas. It consists of four provinces, namely, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor. The region demarcates the territory occupied by the native speakers of Cebuano. The regional capital is Cebu City.

POINTS OF INTEREST	PROVINCE	TOWNS / CITIES
The "Chocolate Hills" of Bohol  The Chocolate Hills are considered one of Philippine's natural wonders and Bohol is often referred to as the Jewel of the Philippines. They are hills made of limestone leftover from coral reefs during the ice age when the island was submerged. They turn brown during the summer, hence their name. Bohol is a popular tourist destination with its beaches and resorts. The Chocolate Hills, numerous mounds of limestone formations, is the most popular attraction. The island of Panglao, located just southwest of Tagbilaran City, is home to some of the finest beaches in the country. The Philippine Tarsier, considered by some to be the smallest primates, is indigenous to the island. Most beaches are of white sand. The sand is often of such high quality that it is exported to other beaches in the world. The most well known of these beaches are in Panglao Island, and there, numerous islets have similar, yet untouched and pristine beaches. The Loboc River is the most famous, running from the southeastern coast to the center of the island. It is famous for its River Cruise going up to its water source. The largest, Inabanga River, runs in the northern part of the province. Numerous waterfalls and caves are scattered across the island, including the beautiful Mag-Aso falls in Antequera. Mag-Aso means smoke in the native tongue. The water is cool and often creates a mist in humid mornings which can hide the falls. Panglao is a small island southwest of the main island, connected by a causeway to Tagbilaran.	BOHOL    The 11th largest island in the country... Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is Tagbilaran City. To the west of Bohol is Cebu, to the northeast is the island of Leyte and to the south, across the Bohol Sea is Mindanao. The Boholanos refer to their island homeland as the 'Republic of Bohol' with both conviction and pride. A narrow strait separates the island of Cebu and Bohol and both share a common language, but the Boholanos retain a conscious distinction from the Cebuanos. Bohol lies between the islands of Cebu on the northwest, Leyte on the northeast and Mindanao to the south. The hills dominate the island of Bohol. Two ranges run roughly parallel on the northwest and the southeast. An interior plateau is dominated by limestone hills. In Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan, these hills form near perfect cones in great numbers and are collectively referred to as the Chocolate Hills. Bohol's climate is generally dry, with maximum rainfall between the months of June and October. The interior is cooler than the coast. Carlos P. Garcia, the country's fourth president, was from Bohol.	Cities Tagbilaran City Municipalities Alburquerque Alicia Anda Antequera Baclayon Balilihan Batuan Bien Unido Bilar Buenavista Calape Candijay Carmen Catigbian Clarin Corella Cortes Dagohoy Danao Dauis Dimiao Duero Garcia Hernandez Getafe (Jetafe) Guindulman Inabanga Jagna Lila Loay Loboc Loon Mabini Maribojoc Panglao Pilar Carlos P. Garcia San Isidro Sagbayan San Miguel Sevilla Sierra Bullones Sikatuna Talibon Trinidad Tubigon Ubay Valencia     The Tarsier of Bohol
Lighthouse at Liloan The Kiosk where the Cross of Magellan (below) is enshrined         . Magellan Shrine & Monument in Cebu Chieftain Lapu Lapu Shrine & Monument at Mactan Island Fort San Pedro in Cebu : One of the oldest in the country	CEBU  Cebu is one of the provinces of the Philippines. It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol province. It is flanked on both sides by the straits of Cebu (between Cebu and Bohol) and Tañon (between Cebu and Negros). Cebu is located between 9°25'N and 11°15'N latitude and between 123°13'E and 124°5'E longitude in the center of the archipelago. Cebu Island is a long narrow island stretching 225 km (140 mi) from north to south, surrounded by 167 neighboring smaller islands, that includes Mactan Island, Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Malapascua, Olango and the Camotes Islands. Of the hundreds of small islands some are uninhabited which make them the targets of adventure-seeking tourists. Cebu is known for its narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus, and coastal plains, all characteristics of a typical tropical island. Cebu also has predominant rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and southern lengths of the island. Cebu's steep mountains reach over 1,000 meters. Flat tracts of land can be found in towns of Bogo, San Remigio, Medellin, and Daanbantayan at the northern tip of the province. Its capital is Cebu City, the oldest city in the country, which forms part of the Cebu Metropolitan Area together with 4 neighboring cities Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay City, Danao City and 8 other municipalities. Cebu is served by Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Mactan Island, thirty minutes drive from downtown Cebu City. Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the country and the main center of commerce, trade, education and industry in the central and southern parts of the archipelago. It has five-star hotels, casinos, white sand beaches, world-class golf courses, convention centers, and shopping malls. The UK-based Condenast Travellers Magazine named Cebu the 8th best Asian-Pacific island destination in 2005, and 7th in 2004.	Cities Cebu City Danao City Lapu-Lapu City Mandaue City Talisay City Toledo City        Municipalities Alcantara Alcoy Alegría Aloguinsan Argao Asturias Badian Balamban Bantayan Barili Bogo Boljoon Borbon Carcar Carmen Catmon Compostela Consolacion Cordova Daanbantayan Dalaguete Dumanjug Ginatilan   Liloan Madridejos Malabuyoc Medellin Minglanilla Moalboal Naga Oslob Pilar Pinamungahan Poro Ronda Samboan San Fernando San Francisco San Remigio Santa Fe Santander Sibonga  Sogod  Tabogon Tabuelan Tuburan Tudela
.	SIQUIJOR    This is the Island-Province that evokes an imagery of the supernormal- commonly believed to be where people still practice the "black arts", magic, witchcraft, and sorcery! (The other island in this Region that is well equally known for the same bewitching reputation is the island of Bantayan in northern Cebu).	.
Approaching Apo Island from the town of Zamboanguita in Oriental Negros Aerial view of Apo Island Whale & Dolphin Watching at Bais City every summertime Caving inside the Odloman System- reputedly the 2nd longest cave system in the country .	ORIENTAL NEGROS    The other side of the Sugarland...!	.