BOHOL

Brief History

The people of Bohol are said to be the descendants of the last group of inhabitants who settled in the Philippines called the "Pintados" or the "tattoed ones".

Th Boholanos are said to have already a unique culture of their own, even before the coming of the Spaniards in 1521. This has been proven by the fact that artifacts bearing the designs of the Ming Dynasty were dug at Mansasa in Tagbilaran, and in the towns of Dauis and Panglao. The Boholanos also have their own system of writing utilizing crude materials like leaves and bark. They spoke a language similar to that of the nearby provinces.

The name Bohol is said to derived from the word Bo-ol, a historic barangay in Tagbilaran City which was among the first places visited by the Magellan Expidition.

Bohol was the seat of the first ever International Treaty of Peace and Unity forged between the native king Datu Sikatuna and the Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi, who came to the island to look for gold and spices on March 16, 1565. The event came to be known as the "Sandugo" which is celebrated every year in Bohol during the Sandugo Festival.

Spanish Colonial Period

The Sandugo (commonly known as the Blood Compact), marked the first significant contact of the island with Spain. Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi, after having convinced the locals that they were not Portuguese (who raided the nearby island of Mactan in 1521), made a pact with the native king Datu Sikatuna.

However, not all the natives welcomed the coming of the Spaniards, which led to the two significant revolts occurred in Bohol during the Spanish Era. One was the Tamblot Uprising in 1621, which was 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.

Politically, Bohol was administered as a residencia of Cebu. It became a separate politico-military province on July 22, 1854 together with Siquijor. A census in 1879 found Bohol with a population of 253,103 distributed among 34 municipalities.

Because of the Spanish colonial period, several municipalities in Bohol have names of towns in Spain like Getafe. This municipality is sister city with the Spanish city of the same name. In Getafe, a street is named Isla de Bohol (Island of Bohol), a unique name for a street in Spain.

U.S. intervention and occupation

After the United States defeated Spain in the Spanish-American War, American troops under Major Henry Hale landed in Tagbilaran and took over the island. The Americans hired a local, Pedro Samson, to build a police force for the island. Instead Samson took his troops and equipment into the interior of Bohol and began an insurgency.

Samson and his men eventually surrendered on December 23, 1901 after being granted amnesty and taking a loyalty oath. The war largely ended at this time. However, a month later Samson had rearmed and ordered the killing of J. R. Hegg, the provincial supervisor. This inflamed passions and almost restarted the war. But war did not resume and the last American troops left in February, 1902.

On March 10, 1917, the Americans made Bohol a separate province under Act 2711 (which also established most of the other Philippine provinces).

Japanese occupation and liberation

The Japanese Imperial Army landed in Tagbilaran on May 17, 1942. Boholanos struggled unsuccessfully to provide resistance against the Japanese forces. Bohol was later re-conquered by the Boholano Guerrillas and the Filipino and American troops on April 11, 1945.

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. Upon arrival, the reinforced battalion combat team rapidly combed the area to the north and east, approximately halfway across the island, but no enemies were found during the reconnaissance. Finally on April, an enemy group of undetermined strength was located to the north of Ginopolan in Valencia, near the Sierra-Bullones boundary.

Bohol was officially declared liberated on May 25, 1945 by Major General William H. Arnold, Commander of the Americal Division.