Bohol

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This article is about the Philippine province. For other uses, see Bohol (disambiguation).

Bohol

Province

Province of Bohol

Bohol Capitol Building, Tagbilaran

Flag

Seal

Anthem: Awit sa Bohol Bohol Hymn[1]

 Location in the Philippines

Coordinates: 9°54′N 124°12′ECoordinates: 9°54′N 124°12′E

Country Philippines
Region Central Visayas(Region VII)

Discovered by the Spanish 25 March 1565

Founded 22 July 1854

Provincial Capital Tagbilaran

Government
 [2]
• Type Sangguniang Panlalawigan
• Governor Edgar Chatto (PDP-LABAN)
• Vice governor Dionisio Balite (Independent)
• Provincial Board
Members[show]

Area
[3]

• Total 4,820.95 km2(1,861.38 sq mi)

Elevation 870 m (2,850 ft)

(Mount Mayana)
 Population
(2015 census)[4]
• Total 1,313,560
• Density 270/km2 (710/sq mi)
• Voter (2016)[5]  798,768
• Language Eskayan

Demonym(s) Boholano

Divisions
• Independent cities 0
• Component cities 1[show]
• Municipalities 47[show]
• Districts 3[show]

Time zone UTC+08:00 (PST)

ZIP code 6300–6346

IDD : area code  +63 (0)38
ISO 3166 code PH

Income class 1st class

PSGC 071200000
Climate type Tropical monsoon climate

Website www.bohol.gov.ph

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]

Contents

 1History
o 1.1Early history
o 1.2Pre-Hispanic Bohol
o 1.3Spanish colonial period
o 1.4U.S. intervention and occupation
o 1.5Japanese occupation and liberation
o 1.62013 Earthquake
o 1.7Recent history
 2Geography
o 2.1Physical
o 2.2Islands
o 2.3Tarsier
o 2.4Climate
 3Demographics
 4Government
o 4.1Legislative districts
o 4.2List of former Governors
o 4.3Administrative divisions
 5Economy
 6Infrastructure
o 6.1Airport
o 6.2Seaports
o 6.3Media
 7Education
 8Festivals
 9Notable people
 10Gallery
 11See also
 12References
 13Sources
 14Further reading
 15External links

History[edit]
Early history[edit]
A drawing from the Boxer Codex depicting the Pintados.

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 Legazpiarrived 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]

Statue commemorating the "Blood Compact" in Tagbilaran

Two significant revolts occurred in Bohol during the Spanish Era. One was the Tamblot Uprising in
1621, led by Tamblot, a babaylanor 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

A North Bohol Fault in Inabanga

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.[36][37]

Geography[edit]
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 Cebu Strait separates Bohol from Cebu, and both island provinces
share a common language, but Boholano retain a conscious distinction from Cebuano. Bohol's
climate is generally dry, with maximum rainfall between the months of June and October. The
interior is cooler than the coast.[38]
Physical[edit]

The Chocolate Hills of Bohol

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. The main island is surrounded by about 70 smaller islands, the
largest of which are Panglao Island, facing Tagbilaran, in the southwest and Lapinig Island in the
northeast.
The terrain of Bohol is basically rolling and hilly, and about half the island is covered in limestone.
Near the outer areas of the island are low mountain ranges. The interior is a large plateau with
irregular landforms.
Near Carmen, the Chocolate Hills are more than 1,200 uniformly cone-shaped hills named for the
grass growing on the hills that turns brown in the summer, making the landscape look like chocolate
mounds. They are hills made of limestone left over from coral reefs during the Ice Age when the
island was submerged. The Chocolate Hills are considered one of Philippine's natural wonders and
Bohol is often referred to as the Jewel of the Philippines. They appear on the provincial seal of
Bohol.
Bohol has 114 springs, 172 creeks, and four main rivers that run through Bohol with a radial
drainage pattern.[39] The largest river, the Inabanga River, runs in the northwestern part of the
province; the Loboc River drains the center of the island to the mid-southern coast; the Abatan
River runs in the southwest, and Ipil River in the north. The only natural lake in the province is
Cabilao Island Lake, also called Lake Danao or Lanao, on Cabilao Island.[40]
Numerous waterfalls and caves are scattered across the island, including 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.
The Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape protects Bohol's largest remaining lowland forest and can
be found in the island's southern portion near Bilar.