History & Culture
Created by virtue of Act 2711 on 10 March 1917, this island province of Bohol
is the 10th largest island of the Philippines. Its people are said to be descendants
of the last group of inhabitants of the country called "pintados",
meaning the tattooed ones.
The name Bohol was supposedly derived from the word Bool, the place where a
treaty of friendship between two people of different races, culture, religion
and civilization occurred in 1565 between Datu Sikatuna, a native chieftain
and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, representing the King of Spain through a blood
compact known today as the "Sandugo". In honor of this occasion, the
late Pres. Elpidio Quirino established the Order of Sikatuna, a presidential
decoration conferred upon diplomats.
During the Spanish regime, two significant revolts occurred in Bohol. One was
the Tamblot Uprising in 1621 led by a native priest or Babaylan. The other was
the Dagohoy Rebellion, considered as the longest uprising recorded in the annals
of Philippine history, led by one Francisco Dagohoy from 1744 lasting until
the year 1829. It was also during the Spanish era that Bohol was politically
part of Cebu and was called a residencia. It became a separate politico-military
province on July 22, 1854 together with the island of Siquijor. In 1879, Bohol
was composed only of 34 municipalities having a population of 253,103. The Americans,
led by Major Henry Hale of the 44th Infantry Battalion, arrived in Tagbilaran
on March 17, 1900. The Japanese also occupied Bohol several years later during
World War II. The American liberation forces arrived in Bohol on April 11, 1945.