Everything about Bohol totally explained
Bohol is an island
province of the
Philippines located in the
Central Visayas region. Its capital is
Tagbilaran City. It is the 10th largest island in the country, located in the heart of the Visayas. 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.
Bohol is a popular tourist destination with its beaches and resorts. The
Chocolate Hills, numerous mounds of
limestone formation, is the most popular attraction. The island of Panglao, located just southwest of Tagbilaran City, is home to some of the finest beaches in the country. The
Philippine Tarsier, considered by some to be the smallest
primate, is indigenous to the island.
Boholanos refer to their island homeland as the 'Republic of Bohol' with both conviction and pride. A narrow strait separates the island of Cebu and Bohol and both share a common language, but the Boholanos retain a conscious distinction from the Cebuanos.
Hills dominate the island of Bohol. Two ranges run roughly parallel on the northwest and the southeast. An interior plateau is dominated by limestone hills. In Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan, these hills form near perfect cones in great numbers and are collectively referred to as the Chocolate Hills.
Bohol's climate is generally dry, with maximum rainfall between the months of June and October. The interior is cooler than the coast.
Bohol is the home province of
Carlos P. Garcia, the fourth
president of the Republic of the Philippines (1957-1961) who was born in
Talibon, Bohol.
Demographics
Population
According to the
2000 census, there are a total of 1,137,268 Boholanos or
Bol-anon, as the residents of Bohol call themselves. The same census also states that Bohol has 209,588 households with an average household size of 5.41 persons, significantly higher than the national average of 4.99. The annual growth rate is 2.92%, higher than the national growth rate of 2.36%. With this growth rate, Bohol's population will double in 24 years. Life expectancy at birth is estimated at 68.19 for the males and 72.93 for the females for the period 2000–2005.
This is lower than that of
Cebu but higher than that of
Negros Oriental and
Siquijor.
Native languages
The main language spoken in Bohol is
Boholano which is a dialect of
Cebuano.
Tagalog, Chinese, and English are also spoken by many of the residents.
The minority Eskayan language is also taught in community schools in Biabas (Guindulman), Taytay (Duero) and Lundag (Pilar) but has no mother-tongue speakers.
Religion
The majority of the population is
Roman Catholic. Adherents of other
Christian denominations like the
Protestants and
Iglesia ni Cristo account for a significant part of the remainder.
History
Early history
The people of Bohol are said to be the descendants of the last group of inhabitants who settled in the Philippines called
pintados or “tattooed ones.” Boholanos already had a culture of their own as evidenced by the artifacts dug at Mansasa, Tagbilaran, and in Dauis and Panglao.
Bohol is derived from the word Bo-ho or Bo-ol. 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 March 16, 1565 through a blood compact alliance known today by many Filipinos as the
Sandugo.
Spanish colonial period
The earliest significant contact of the island with
Spain occurred in
1565. In that year on
March 25 (March 16 in the Julian Calendar), a Spanish explorer named
Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Bohol to look for
spices and
gold. After convincing the native chieftains that they were not
Portuguese people (who raided the islands of
Mactan in 1521), he made a peace pact with
Datu Sikatuna. This pact was signified with a blood compact between the two men. 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 .
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.
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, the U.S. bought the entire Philippine islands. However, under the newly proclaimed independent government established by
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, which wasn't recognized by the US, Bohol was governed as a
Gobierno de Canton.
During the resulting
Philippine-American War, American troops under
Major Henry Hale landed in
Tagbilaran and took over the island. He hired and outfitted
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.
After being massacred in their first battle, Samson turned to
guerrilla tactics and influenced the interior of the island while Hale's forces controlled the outer edge and
Tagbilaran City. In January, 1901, the fighting had reached a lull. In May, 1901 an American soldier was murdered by the fiancé' of a woman he'd assaulted. In retaliation, Capt. Andrew S. Rowan, the soldier's commander, ordered the burning of the town of
Jagna. This infuriated the population of Bohol and reignited the insurrection.
At first Rowan was suspended from duty for this decision. But eventually support for burning villages increased in the military command. The burnings continued, usually as a reaction to collaboration. In addition, livestock was raped and prominent civilians tortured.
Water cure was a commonly used torture technique. By the end of the fighting, American troops had burned 16-20 villages. Major Edwin F. Glenn, who had personally approved the tortures, was later
courts-martialed for the crime.
Samson and his men 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 didn't 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.
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).
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 on April, an enemy group of undetermined strength was located to the north of
Ginopolan in Valencia, near the Sierra-Bullones boundary.
By April 17, the Task Force was poised to strike in
Ginopolan until the 25th, when it was confirmed that the bulk of the Japanese force had been destroyed and beaten in the ten days of action.
Bohol was officially declared liberated on May 25, 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 United States Eighth Army.
On May 31, 1945, the Bohol Area Command was officially deactivated upon orders of Lt. General Robert Eichelberger, Commanding General of the
Eighth United States Army together with the
Philippine Scouts, the former Philippine Commonwealth Army Forces and the Boholano guerrillas.
Infrastructure
Airport
Development programs at the city airport involve the extension of the runway length to 2,500 meters, to handle the PAL B-737's that will serve the direct route to Manila. The small Fokker 50 planes that used to fly the Manila-Tagbilaran route have been phased out. Improvement of the ramp area will soon accommodate bigger aircraft and a modern airport building will also be constructed.
Seaports
The
Tagbilaran City Wharf, now called the Tagbilaran City Tourist Pier, has fine port facilities such as:
- 265.8 meters - berth length and 2 dedicated berths for fast boats
- 2 roro ramps, 1,820 m² storage area
- average cargo handling capacity of 49,000 tons accommodating 10 to 20 footer vans
- container traffic of 5,142 TEUs
There are 9 daily ship calls to Cebu, 5 being fastcraft trips. Daily passenger traffic is approximately 4,000. Other regular destinations are Manila (four times a week), Cagayan de Oro City, Dumaguete, Dipolog, Iligan, Larena, Plaridel and Ozamiz City. There are other ports that cater to Cebu and northern Mindanao routes. These are Jagna, Ubay, Talibon, Getafe, Buenavista, Clarin, Loon and Tubigon, the busiest port with more than ten daily round trips plying the Cebu-Bohol route. A port expansion project in Tagbilaran City costing P85 million is being pursued for the construction of additional berthing space for fastcraft ferries. ports of entry mostly from
Telecommunications
Bohol is wired with the rest of the world through state-of-the-art telephone facilities that provide domestic and international linkages. This is made possible by three service providers namely: PLDT, Cruztelco and Globelines. Cellular phone firms, Globe,Smart, and Sun Cellular have also established entry in the province.
Access to telecommunications can also be made easily in the towns through the 138 public calling stations. Forty-three (43) payphone stations are conveniently located in strategic places and major commercial centers in the city.
A project with Globelines involves the installation of a province-wide landline connection increasing the number of lines from 2,000 to 13,000.
Power
The province is fully energized with the National Power Corporation being the sole supplier. Actual generation capability of 93.5 megawatts is supported by the following facilities:
Diesel Power: 18 MW
Loboc Hydroelectric: 1.2
Janopol Hydroelectric: 1.8
Power Barge 105: 10.5
Power Barge 207: 30
Power Barge 101: 32
A mini power plant of the Bohol Electric Cooperative serves the five barangays of Cabilao Island in Loon town. The 21 billion Leyte-Bohol interconnection now brings geothermal power of higher capacity base 80-100 megawatts. Industries with power requirements of at least 100 kilowatts can apply for a direct interconnection with NPC.
Water
Water supply is made available in Tagbilaran City and in the nearby municipalities on a 24 hour-basis with completion of the Tagbilaran Water Supply Project. Thirty-two (32) deep wells with submersible pumps operate at a daily capacity of 19,000 cubic meters.
Several water projects are in the pipeline to respond to water requirements for both domestic and industrial use. The Central Visayas Water and Sanitation Project and the construction of Level III water systems have made water available in 16 other municipalities. Likewise, the development of Ujan Spring in Cortes with a daily capacity of 3,500 cubic meters and Loboc River which will generate at least 100,000 cubic meters daily capacity are currently being pushed.
Road system
The road network is well-developed facilitating access to all barangays. The P1.2 billion in Bohol Circumferential Road Project, covering a total of 262 kilometers along the national highway, will improve the road network. Phase I of the project, which will link about half of the province from Calape to Candijay, is ongoing.
Socio-economic profile
Tourism plays an increasing role in the island's economy. An international airport is currently planned for Panglao which houses the most-visited and accessible beaches in the province. Proponents of the scheme hope that the new airport will increase Bohol's reputation as an international tourist destination although the plan has been dogged by ongoing criticism.
Labor force
The results of the Labor Force Survey conducted in 1999 by NSO in Bohol show that the province's potential labor force increased to 691 thousand of which 66.4% are in the labor force. Employment rate, at the end of 1999, increased to 90.5% from 85.35% in 1998. However, an increase in underemployment was noted by 6.7 percentage points, from 5% in 1998 to 11.7% in 1999.
Employment was predominantly agriculture-led. Bohol's inflation rate in 1999 increased to 11.3%, 2.5 percentage points higher than the rate in 1998. The purchasing power of the peso at 1988 prices was pegged at P0.71 in 1999, among the lowest in the region. A slight difference in the minimum daily wage rates between Tagbilaran City and Bohol's municipalities was also noted at P121.00 for the city and P108.00 in the municipalities.
Education
The literacy rate of the province of Bohol is high at 93%.
Political
The province of Bohol is a first-class A province subdivided into 3 congressional districts, 47 municipalities and 1 city. It has 1,109 barangays (1,114 barangays per NEDA) with a total population of 1,137,268 (2000) and an average household size of 5.41. Its capital is Tagbilaran City.
Congressional districts
1st district
City: Tagbilaran City
Municipality: Alburquerque, Antequera, Baclayon, Balilihan, Calape, Catigbian, » Corella, Cortes, Dauis, Loon, Maribojoc, Panglao, Sikatuna, Tubigon
Population (2000): 356,878
2nd district
City: none
Municipality: Bien Unido, Buenavista, Clarin, Dagohoy, Danao, Inabanga, Jetafe, » Pres. Carlos P. Garcia, Sagbayan, San Isidro, San Miguel, Talibon, Trinidad, Ubay
Population (2000): 376,507
3rd district
City: none
Municipality: Alicia, Anda, Batuan, Bilar, Candijay, Carmen, Dimiao, Duero, » Garcia Hernandez, Guindulman, Jagna, Lila, Loay, Loboc, Mabini, Pilar, Sevilla,
Sierra Bullones, Valencia
Population (2000): 403,883
Geography
The Island of Bohol is oval-shaped mainland surrounded with 73 smaller islands, having a gently rolling terrain, ideal for commercial and industrial site development. Bohol's mountainous interior is home to rare and endangered flora and fauna. At certain points, hills drop steeply to the coast from a maximum elevation of 870 meters above sea level. The interior uplands are fit for agro-forestry and high value agricultural production. The central and northern lowlands have also fertile grounds and abundant water supply. Over a hundred caves have been identified, the biggest of which is found in the eastern part which makes Bohol ideal for spelunking adventures.
The Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol are considered one of Philippine's natural wonders and Bohol is often referred to as the Jewel of the Philippines. They are hills made of limestone leftover from coral reefs during the ice age when the island was submerged. They turn brown during the summer, hence their name.
Most beaches are of white sand. The sand is often of such high quality that it's exported to other beaches in the world. The most well known of these beaches are in Panglao Island, and there, numerous islets have similar, yet untouched and pristine beaches.
The Loboc River is the most famous, running from the southeastern coast to the center of the island. It is famous for its River Cruise going up to its water source. The largest, Inabanga River, runs in the northern part of the province.
Numerous waterfalls and caves are scattered across the island, including the beautiful 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.
Panglao is a small island southwest of the main island, connected by a causeway to Tagbilaran.
Location
Bohol is an island province in the Visayas. It lies southeast from Cebu across Bohol Strait and southwest from Leyte, separated by the Camotes Sea and Canigao Channel. Bohol is also located north of Mindanao with Bohol Sea between them. With a land area of 4117.3 km² and a coastline 261 km 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 City 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 can be found the major tourist draw of the province, the Chocolate Hills. The more than 1,200 uniformly cone-shaped limestone hills were named that way because in the summer, the grass growing on the hills turn brown, making the landscape look like it had chocolate mounds all over. The Chocolate Hills is found on the provincial seal of Bohol.
Panglao is famous for its diving locations and routinely listed as one of the top ten diving locations in the world. Numerous tourist resorts dot the southern beaches and cater to divers from around the world.
Climate
Unlike Luzon and the northern part of Visayas, Bohol is mostly unaffected by the numerous typhoons that hit the country. The weather is mostly mild all year round. When typhoons do hit the island, they usually cross quickly and are no longer powerful, their energy dissipated by the mountains in Leyte and Samar.
From November to April, the northeast monsoon (amihan) prevails. Except for a rare shower, this is the mildest time of the year. Daytime temperatures average 28°C, cooling down at night to around 25°C. The summer season from May to July brings higher temperatures and very humid days. From August to October is the southwest monsoon (habagat). The weather during this season isn't very predictable, with weeks of calm weather alternating with rainy days. It can rain any day of the year, but you'll have more chance for a heavy shower from November to January.
Festivals
» Main Article:List of Bohol Festivals
Sandugo Festival (July 1-31) » Main Article: Bohol Sandugo Festival
Tagbilaran City Fiesta (May 1)
Bolibong Kingking Festival (May 23-24) -Loboc, Bohol
Pana-ad sa Loboc (Holy Thursday & Good Friday) -Loboc, Bohol
SidlaKasilak or Festival of Lights -Loon (Fiesta Week: August 30 to September 8)
Sambat Mascara y Regatta Festival (1st Saturday of December) - Loay, Bohol
Suroy sa Musikero (December 25 - February 2) - Loboc, Bohol
Bohol Fiestas (month of May)
Ubi Festival (January)
Tigum Bol-anon Tibuok Kalibutan or TBTK - "a summons for all Boholanos from all over the world to gather and the name for such a grand event"
Sister Province
Jiangxi, PRCFurther Information
Get more info on 'Bohol'.
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