• 1

Blood Compact Monument

Stop: 30 minutes -
See details & photo
• 2
Baclayon Church
Stop: 30 minutes - Admission excluded
See details & photo
• 3
Butterfly garden
Stop: 30 minutes - Admission excluded
See details & photo
• 4
Loboc River Cruise
Stop: 60 minutes - Admission included
See details
• 5
Tarsier Conservation Area
Stop: 30 minutes - Admission included
See details & photo
• 6
Bilar Man-Made Forest
Stop: 30 minutes -
See details
• 7
Camaya-an Hanging Bridge
Stop: 30 minutes - Admission excluded
See details
• 8
Chocolate Hills Natural Monument
Stop: 30 minutes -
See details & photo

Basic facts about Bohol

• Bohol is the 10th largest island in the Philippines, located in the middle of the
Visayas, with Cebu to the west and Leyte to the east.
• The capital of Bohol is Tagbilaran City, and its neighbouring municipalities include
Panglao, Dauis, Baclayon, Loboc and Carmen.
• Bohol is often shielded from most tropical cyclones because of its surrounding
island provinces, thus having a cool, tropical climate that does not vary every year.
• The locals of Bohol, known as Boholanos, speak the Boholano dialect which is
closely related to the language spoken on Cebu Island. You can also communicate
with the locals in Tagalog, standard Cebuano, and English.
 • Bohol is home to a number of colourful festivals, with Sandugo as the most popular,
celebrated all throughout the month of July.

Tarsiers
Tarsiers are any haplorrhine primates of the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family
within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. Although the group was once more widespread, all of
its species living today are found in the islands of Southeast Asia, specifically the Philippines,
Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.

Baclayon Church
One of the oldest churches in the Philippines is the Baclayon Church found in Bohol. Other old
churches can be found in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and many other areas in the Philippines. Baclayon
Church also known as The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The Jesuits initially
made this church and has preserved a lot of its structure until the Augustinian Recollects added a
modern look and more large stones which now surround the church.

Fr. Juan de Torres and Fr. Gabriel Sanchez were the first missionaries to settle in Baclayon, Bohol in
1595. They erected a small building for visitors. Even though Baclayon was the first fundament of
the Jesuit priests, fear of the predominantly Muslim people in the southern Philippines or “Moro”
forced them to transfer their home base in Loboc where the famous Loboc River and Floating
Restaurant is situated today. It was only in 1717 where Baclayon became a Parish and the
construction of the new church started.

Over 200 local laborers are forced to construct Baclayon Church. It was said that the stones are
corals that came from the sea and cut it into big square blocks and then piled it into each other to
build the walls and the main foundation of the church. They used hardwood and bamboos to move
the stones in position. Simple machines such as pulleys, wheels and inclined planes were very useful
during the creation of the Baclayon Church. A lot of historians said that laborers used millions of
eggs and separated the egg white from the yolk and used it to cement the coral stones together.

The building was finished in 1727 and gradual additions on the interior of the church followed. The
large bell was acquired in 1835 and was used to call locals to attend the thanksgiving. Baclayon
church used to be a dungeon and a punishment area for natives who don’t abide the rules and
regulations of the Roman Catholic Church. Beside Baclayon Church is the old convent which has a
mini museum that housed artifacts, religious relics and other century-old antiques which dates back
to the 16th century.

When getting inside Baclayon Church and Convent, all ladies who wore sleeveless shirt, skirt or
something that shows a lot of skin are required to used the “sarong” or a piece of cloth to cover the
openings. This is used to respect the Gods, Priests and worshippers who are inside the church and
this avoid them getting distracted. So if ever you’re planning to visit Baclayon Church, just be sure
you wear the proper attire.

Outside Baclayon Church is a candle stand and a candle seller is situated nearby. Each candles cost
P20.00 with different colors to choose from because each color has its own meaning.
Blood Compact Sight
The Sandugo was a blood compact, performed in the island of Bohol in the Philippines, between
the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna the chieftain of Bohol on March
16, 1565, to seal their friendship as part of the tribal tradition. This is considered as the first treaty of
friendship between the Spaniards and Filipinos. "Sandugo" is a Visayan word which means "one
blood".[1]
The Sandugo is depicted in both the provincial flag and the official seal of the government in
Bohol.[2] It also features the image of the blood compact. The top of the seal explains the history
behind the Sandugo event that occurred in Bohol, the fleet and the location where the Spaniards
anchored and the place where the treaty was conducted which was dated on March 16, 1565.[3]
In 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan became the first person from Europe to
reach Asia by sailing west, a voyage of which he would meet an untimely death in the island of the
Philippines. Spain sent expeditions to colonize the East Indies in their competition with Portugal to
seize control over the spice trade. However, all of these expeditions failed. It was not until Miguel
López de Legazpi, sailing from Mexico with five ships and five hundred men, reached the Philippines
in 1565 and a Spanish settlement was established.[4] López de Legazpi was greeted by hostile
Muslim tribes opposing a foreign invasion. His attempt to land on the island of Cebu resulted in the
death of one of his soldiers prompting him to explore another island and seek trade with various
tribes.[4]
Sailing south toward the island of Mindanao, López de Legazpi's fleet encountered highwinds forcing
them to sail northward to the island of Bohol. There, he captured a vessel
from Borneo whose Malay sailors informed the Spaniards that the natives inhabiting the region
traded with people from Borneo and Indonesia.[4] Arriving in Bohol, López de Legazpi noticed the
hostility of the people. The Malayan servant explained that such hostility was due to the expeditions
conducted by the Portuguese from the Moluccas islands. In 1563, Portuguese fleets arrived
in Visayan waters and enslaved about 1,000 inhabitants.[4] López de Legazpi, with the help of the
Malayan sailor, explained to the tribes in Bohol that they were not Portuguese and that they had
come to the islands to trade. Upon learning this, the chieftains and their tribes became friendlier and
welcoming to the Spaniards.[4]

Bohol Man-Made Forest

The Bohol Man-Made is a mahogany forest stretching in a 2km stretch of densely planted with
Mahogany trees located in the border of Loboc and Bilar towns. Before and after you reach the man-
made forest there are also naturally grown forests of Loboc and Bilar which has a thick kaleidoscope
of green foliage, different kinds of trees and giant ferns lining the road.

Loboc River Cruise

The Loboc River (also called Loay River[1]) is a river in the Bohol province of the Philippines. It is
one of the major tourist destinations of Bohol.
The source of the Loboc River is located in the town of Carmen, almost in the center of Bohol. From
Carmen, the river takes a westerly course for a distance of about 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) then flows
due south into the Mindanao or Bohol Sea. Its drainage area of approximately, 520 square
kilometres (200 sq mi), is bordered by a horseshoe-shaped chain of mountain peaks rising to an
elevation of 800 metres (2,600 ft). Rainfall is distributed almost uniformly throughout the year, thus
Loboc River has a steady and high base flow.[2]

Bohol Trivia
Bohol /bɔːhɔːl/ is a 1st provincial income class island province of the Philippines located in
the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands.[6] Its
capital is Tagbilaran. With a land area of 4,821 km2 (1,861 sq mi) and a coastline 261 km (162 mi)
long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines.[7]
The province of Bohol is a first-class province divided into 3 congressional districts, comprising
1 component city and 47 municipalities.[8] It has 1,109 barangays.[9]
The province is a popular tourist destination with its beaches and resorts.[10] The Chocolate Hills,
numerous mounds of brown-coloured limestone formations, are the most popular attraction. The
formations can be seen by land (climbing the highest point) or by air via ultralight air tours. Panglao
Island, located just southwest of Tagbilaran, is famous for its diving locations and is routinely listed
as one of the top ten diving locations in the world. Numerous tourist resorts and dive centers dot the
southern beaches. The Philippine tarsier, amongst the world's smallest primates, is indigenous to the
island.
It was the home province of Carlos P. Garcia, the eighth president of the Republic of the Philippines
(1957–1961) who was born in Talibon, Bohol.[11]
On 15 October 2013, Bohol was devastated by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake whose epicenter was
6 km (3.7 mi) south of Sagbayan town. The earthquake, which also hit southern Cebu, claimed 156
lives altogether and injured 374 people. It also destroyed or damaged a number of Bohol's heritage
churches.[12][13]
In 2017, the provincial government began initiating the nomination of the entire province to
the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network.[14]

Bohol was first settled by the Eskaya tribe who still inhabit the island today. Their population also
was absorbed into the Austronesian/Malayo-Polynesian peoples who later settled the islands and
form the majority of the population. The Austronesian people living on Bohol traded with other
islands in the Philippines and as far as China and Borneo.[citation needed]
The people of Bohol are said to be the descendants of a group of inhabitants who settled in the
Philippines called pintados or "tattooed ones."[15] Boholanos already had a culture of their own as
evidenced by artifacts unearthed at Mansasa, Tagbilaran, and in Dauis and Panglao.

Pre-Hispanic Bohol[edit]
Further information: Kedatuan of Dapitan and History of the Philippines (900–1521) § Emergence of
Baybayin and related scripts (1200 onwards)
Bohol's first indigenous people settled in the Anda peninsula. These people came from northeast
Mindanao. These people were responsible for the Anda petrographs which are one of the most
important indigenous rock writing in the country. Around the 12th century, a group of people from
Northern Mindanao settled in the strait between mainland Bohol and the island of Panglao. Those
people came from a nation in northern Mindanao called Lutao (probably the animist kingdom of what
will soon be the Islamic Lanao). Those people established the kedatuan (kingdom) of Dapitan in
western Bohol because the true indigenous people of Bohol in the Anda peninsula and nearby areas
were not open to them, forcing them to establish settlement in the western part of the island. They
occupied both shores and the entire island of Panglao. The kedatuan was first built with hardwood
on the soft seabed. It engaged in trade with nearby areas and some Chinese merchants.[16]
Alcina tales about a rich nation he called the 'Venice of the Visayas', pointing to the kedatuan of
Dapitan at that time. A legend tells of a princess named Bugbung Hamusanum, whose beauty
caused her suitor, Datung Sumanga, to raid parts of southern China to win her hand.[17][verification needed]
By 1563, before the full Spanish colonization agenda came to Bohol, the Kedatuan of Dapitan was at
war with the Sultanate of Ternate in the Moluccas (who were also raiding the Rajahnate of Butuan).
At the time, Dapitan was ruled by two brothers named Dailisan and Pagbuaya. The Ternateans at
the time were allied to the Portuguese. Dapitan was destroyed and Datu Dailisan was killed in battle.
His brother, Datu Pagbuaya, together with his people fled back to Mindanao and established a new
Dapitan in the northern coast of the Zamboanga peninsula. When the Spanish came, the people of
Dapitan were influential in the Spanish conquest of the Sultanate of Ternate and in the Christian
colonization of northern Mindanao.
Bohol is derived from the word Bo-ho or Bo-ol.[7] The island was the seat of the first international
treaty of peace and unity between the native king Datu Sikatuna and Spanish conquistador Miguel
López de Legazpi on 16 March 1565 through a blood compact alliance known today by many
Filipinos as the Sandugo.[18]

Spanish colonial period[edit]

The earliest significant contact of the island with Spain occurred in 1565. On 25 March (16 March in
the Julian calendar), a Spanish explorer named Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Bohol
seeking spices and gold. After convincing the native chieftains that they were not Portuguese (who
raided the islands of Mactan in 1521), Legazpi made a peace pact with Datu Sikatuna. This pact was
signified with a blood compact between the two men.[19] This event, called the Sandugo ("one
blood"), is celebrated in Bohol every year during the Sandugo Festival. The Sandugo or blood
compact is also depicted on Bohol's provincial flag and the Bohol provincial seal.[20]

Two significant revolts occurred in Bohol during the Spanish Era. One was the Tamblot Uprising in
1621, led by Tamblot, a babaylan or native priest. The other was the famous Dagohoy Rebellion,
considered the longest in Philippine history. This rebellion was led by Francisco Dagohoy, also
known as Francisco Sendrijas, from 1744 to 1829.[19]
Politically, Bohol was administered as a residencia of Cebu. It became a separate politico-military
province on 22 July 1854 together with Siquijor. A census in 1879 found Bohol with a population of
253,103 distributed among 34 municipalities.[21]
The culture of the Boholanos was influenced by Spain and Mexico during colonization. Many
traditional dances, music, dishes and other aspects of the culture have considerable Hispanic
influence.[22]

U.S. intervention and occupation[edit]

After the United States defeated Spain in the Spanish–American War, the U.S. bought the entire
Philippine islands. However, under the newly proclaimed independent government established
by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, which was not recognized by the U.S., Bohol was governed as
a Gobierno de Canton.
During the resulting Philippine–American War, American troops peacefully took over the island in
March 1899.[23] However, in January 1901, Pedro Sanson led 2,000 in rebellion, due to the harsh
treatment imparted by these troops and the destruction they caused.[23] General Hughes led a
campaign of repression in October 1901, destroying a number of towns, and threatening in
December 1901 to burn Tagbilaran if the rebels did not surrender.[23] Pantaleon E. del Rosario then
negotiated the rebel surrender.[23]
On 10 March 1917, the Americans made Bohol a separate province under Act 2711 (which also
established most of the other Philippine provinces).[24]

Japanese occupation and liberation[edit]

Japanese troops landed in Tagbilaran on 17 May 1942. Boholanos struggled in a guerilla resistance
against the Japanese forces. Bohol was later liberated by the local guerrillas and the Filipino and
American troops who landed on 11 April 1945.[25]
A plaque placed on the port of Tagbilaran commemorating the liberation reads:
One thousand one hundred seventy two officers and men of the 3rd Battalion of the 164th Infantry
Regiment of the Americal Division under the command of Lt. Col. William H. Considine landed at the
Tagbilaran Insular Wharf at 7:00 o'clock in the morning of April 11, 1945.
The convoy taking the Filipino and American liberation forces to Bohol consisted of a flotilla of six
landing ships (medium), six landing crafts (infantry), two landing crafts (support), and one landing
craft (medium-rocket) [clarification needed]. Upon arrival, the reinforced battalion combat team advanced
rapidly to the east and northeast with the mission of destroying all hostile forces in Bohol. Motor
patrols were immediately dispatched by Col. Considine, Task Force Commander, and combed the
area to the north and east, approximately halfway across the island, but no enemies were found
during the reconnaissance. Finally, an enemy group of undetermined strength was located to the
north of Ginopolan in Valencia, near the Sierra-Bullones boundary.
By 17 April the Task Force was poised to strike in Ginopolan. The bulk of the Japanese force was
destroyed and beaten in the ten days of action. Bohol was officially declared liberated on 25 May
1945 by Major General William H. Arnold, Commander of the Americal Division. About this time,
most officers and men of the Bohol Area Command had been processed by units of the Eighth
United States Army.
On 31 May 1945, the Bohol Area Command was officially deactivated upon orders of Lt. General
Robert L. Eichelberger, Commanding General of the Eighth United States Army, together with the
regular and constable troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, Philippine Constabulary, and
the Boholano guerrillas.
During the Second Battle of Bohol from March to August 1945, Filipino troops of the 3rd, 8th, 83rd,
85th and 86th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 8th Constabulary
Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary captured and liberated the island province of Bohol and
helped the Boholano guerrilla fighters and U.S. liberation forces defeat the Japanese Imperial forces
under General Sōsaku Suzuki.[citation needed]

2013 Earthquake[edit]
Further information: 2013 Bohol earthquake

At 8:12 a.m. (PST) on 15 October 2013, the island province suffered a severe earthquake with a
magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale.[26] Its epicenter was at 9°52′N 124°04′E (6 km (3.7 mi) S 24°
W of Sagbayan and 629 km (391 mi) from Manila), and its depth of focus was 12 km (7.5 mi). The
quake was felt as far as Davao City, Mindanao. According to official reports by the National Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), 57 people died in Bohol, and 104 were
injured, The Great Wall of Bohol or "North Bohol Fault" is a reverse fault was discovered on 15,
October 2013 during the "2013 Bohol earthquake", It became one of the tourist attraction in Bohol
province [27]
It was the deadliest earthquake in the Philippines since the 7.8 magnitude 1990 Luzon
earthquake.[28] Earlier that same year Bohol was struck by an earthquake (on 8 February 1990) with
an epicentre almost exactly the same as in 2013,[29] causing six fatalities and 200 injured. Several
buildings were damaged and it caused a tsunami.[30]

Recent history[edit]
On 12 April 2017, 11 Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists staged an attack on Bohol. Three soldiers,
a police officer and at least 4 of the armed men, including their leader Abu Rami, were killed in the
clashes that started at 5 am. Also killed were two Inabanga villagers, though it was not clear whether
they were killed in the crossfire or executed by the cornered militants. Security officials relentlessly
hunted down the remainder of the ASG who landed in Bohol from the hinterlands to a neighboring
island in the province which ultimately led to the neutralization of Abu Asis, the last of the remaining
bandits, in May. He was gunned down by police Special Weapons and Tactics operatives in
Barangay Lawis, Calape while fighting it out to the end along with Ubayda. Despite their nefarious
intents, all 11 ASG members killed in the intrusion were given proper burials under Muslim
tradition.[31][32][33]
The tourism industry in Bohol was negatively affected by the ASG militants' incursion on the
island,[34][35] though tour operators believe the industry can recover.