While the Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries – Adventist Professionals (ASI-Ad Pro) continually plans to launch more intensive and strategic elite evangelism efforts and expand its reach, it also aims to cultivate a deeper sense of camaraderie among its members.
These organizations, which collaborated for greater and more impactful results, strive to balance social and spiritual activities, uniting every member in both aspects.
“Fellowship is as important as goal-setting, for the sense of belongingness unlocks a unique motivation, an important drive to reach the goal as one big family,” Pastor Berdandino Maniego, the current communication director and ASI-Ad Pro coordinator for the Central Philippine Union Conference said.
Following the ASI-Ad Pro Convention and 30th Anniversary, the recent tour of Bohol’s iconic sites held at Reyna’s The Haven and Garden in Tagbilaran City on May 5-8, 2025, perfectly illustrated this commitment to fellowship.
Even for those who had visited these places multiple times, sharing the joy with their ASI-Ad Pro family made the experience worthwhile. Nearly two hundred delegates joined the tour, first exploring the famous Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol.
With an estimated 1,260 to 1,776 hills spreading across the landscape, this geological wonder captivated many, making for a memorable experience and a highlight of the Central Philippine-wide ASI-Ad Pro event.
The next stop was at Bilar’s sanctuary for tarsiers, one of the world’s smallest primates. While most delegates explored the paths leading to the tarsiers’ habitats, others queued for the organic ice cream from Bohol Bee Farm’s outlet, located within the premises.
Bohol Bee Farm is also a highly popular eco-tourism destination in Bohol. Their ice cream and other products like honey and spreads have become an ideal “pasalubong” (souvenir) for visitors, spreading its fame beyond the island.
Afterward, they captured photos in the man-made forest on the border of Loboc and Bilar, a stretch of densely planted mahogany trees. These densely planted mahogany trees grow uniformly tall and straight, forming a natural, almost eerie tunnel over the highway.
Their final destination was the Loboc River in Loboc town, where they savored a sumptuous lunch aboard floating restaurants during a short cruise.
The long river cruise was enlivened by serenades featuring Filipino folk songs, celebrating the country’s rich cultural heritage.
In addition, the delegates anticipated one of the cruise’s highlights, the Tinikling cultural dance, performed by a local group at a riverside stopover. It is the most globally recognized and iconic Filipino folk dance, symbolizing Filipinos’ resiliency, agility, and grace, mimicking the movements of the “Tikling” bird as it navigates traps.
Delegates were invited to participate, allowing them to leisurely experience the Philippines’ lively and fast-paced national dance, in and out of rhythmically clacking bamboo poles.
With five boats accommodating the delegates, each group had unique stories of fun and memorable moments. This unforgettable lunch cruise brought the convention and anniversary to a delightful close.
Afterward, most delegates returned to their respective destinations, while others continued to explore more of Bohol.
This fellowship tour was neither the first nor the last. While those who joined previous conventions cherished their previous fellowship bondings, most of them also eagerly anticipate their next gathering in Phuket, Thailand, sometime in August this year.