The Difference Of Ili Rock Before And After

                   "ILI ROCK TRANSFORMATION"

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"Spot the difference of Ili Rock
Before And It's Transformation"


Look at the old version of Ili Rock and the Transformation of this wonderful tourist spot.Isn't it amazing?




This spot is located in the Boljoon,Cebu.This was made before the Election.There is no entrance fee anymore, but if you visit it you have a time limit.Starting 5:00 am to 6:00 pm only.In the top you can see the island of Bohol and Siquijor and the town of Poblacion.

Even is the top is flat,this will be developed soon.Before many people complained about this,but now they are taking selfies because of the beautiful view.It is 50 meters from the curved highway below.Ili Rock has been part of Boljoon's history.This tourist spot is a natural rock formation that was onced used as a watchtower in the 1800's,overlooking the Bohol Sea.After the strong earthquake that hits Bohol and Cebu on October 2013,the project started in 2014,but is still only partially finished.When you want to go there you can see the stairs and the hand rails and at the top of the mountain looks like a dessert.Before the feast of their Patron Saint Nuestra Sra. Patrocinio de Maria last Nov. 12, Ili Rock was filled with viewers from neighboring towns. Boljoon tourism officer Ronald Villanueva recalled that Boljoon once vied to be declared a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Unesco) because of its church structure, its Baroque design, landscape and seascape, and the people’s lifestyle. But the town failed to earn this international recognition as some groups complained about the carving of Ili Rock. DPWH Undersecretary Romeo Momo issued a memorandum suspending the slope benching of Ili Rock on November 2014. One of those who opposed the carving of Ili Rock, Edmund Villanueva, in his letter to 4th District Engineer James Dellosa, noted that the slope benching was limited only to critical sections of the rock. Villanueva complained in his letter that the excavation caused severe alteration of Ili Rock’s features and caused pollution problem on neighboring seas.Boljoon tourism officer Ronald Villanueva recalled that development of the mountain rock started after a meeting at Club Fort Med last March 16, 2016. 

The meeting was attended by DPWH officials, QM Builders, the private contractor, town officials and residents critical to the project. Dellosa explained during the meeting that they will stop the “carving” of the mountain “considering that the rock at the top of Ili Rock is already very stable. It was agreed that a concrete stairway and a drainage system will be built. Dellosa also explained to the group that plants and trees will be placed in the area as part of beautification and development. All those present in the meeting agreed with Dellosa’s proposal. Towards the end, Dellosa requested for a Sangguniang Bayan resolution requesting all these development and beautification projects on Ili Rock. Eventually, his requests were granted and thus the development of the mountain rock continued, said Villanueva.According to a news report I read online, the ‘transformation’ was necessary. There were threats of landslide and the only way to go was basically to level the rock (on top, most especially) to make it less dangerous.

So, here we go. Let’s check out the Ili Rock Viewing Deck.The development is made up of several levels. Obviously because the rock is too steep and it’s impossible to carve out a road given the limited amount of space.The first level is a small park space. I’m guessing it’s a park space because it is big enough for several vans and motorbikes. Plus it has a hole on the ground which obviously looks like it’s going to be a rest room.View of the first viewing deck from the park space. That thing near the top is a rappelling platform for those who want a little extreme adventure.Now, the fun begins as you slowly make your way to the foot of the concrete stairs. Yes, those stairs.Now imagine doing this at 11:30 in the morning. I swear I almost collapsed. Haha.But check out the view of the the town church and the plaza from the first viewing deck. Spine-chillingly gorgeous.To take this photo, I had to stand on the actual rappelling platform.Behind the viewing deck and platform is another set of concrete stairs. Let’s see what is up there!

Now check out the view from the second viewing deck. Wow!This is the flat area on top of the rock. If I’m not mistaken, the activity was stopped because the rock was already deemed stable at this level.Basically this is the main viewing deck and currently, it is empty. But I read in the dailies that a coffee shop will soon rise here. The local government also has other plans for this spot like adventure zips, telescopes, and more!View of the concrete stairs and the town center of Boljoon.Smiling from exhaustion.Now if only there’s a much quicker way to get off this thing. I need some shade!!!!It was already past noon when I finally returned to the town plaza. I immediately drove straight toward the Oslob for lunch! I miss Oslob!!!It’s great to be back in Oslob. I’d spent a good deal of my summers in the past couple of years here in Oslob and I really miss the feeling of being in this quiet, lovely town.