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Tagbilaran City is a 2nd class city in the province of Bohol, Philippines. It is the capital and a component city of the island of Bohol. It is situated some 630 kilometers southeast of Manila and 72 kilometers south of Cebu City. Tagbilaran lies on the southwestern part of the province, and has a total land area of 32.7 km², including about 13 km. of coastline. The town of Cortes is situated to the north of the city, the town of Corella is on its northeast side, while the town of Baclayon is on its eastern side.
There are 15 barangays comprising Tagbilaran, with an estimated population of 89,000 for the year 2003, with an annual growth rate of 3.6%. However, 41% of the entire population reside in the 4 urban barangays where trade and commerce are concentrated.
Barangays
Tagbilaran City is politically subdivided into 15 barangays or districts.
- Bool
- Booy
- Cabawan
- Cogon
- Dao
- Dampas
- Manga
- Mansasa
- 1st District
- 2nd District
- 3rd District
- San Isidro
- Taloto
- Tiptip
- Ubujan
History
The city was originally a native settlement, involved in trading with both China and Malaysia a hundred years before Spaniards arrived in the Philippines. The settlement first encountered the Spaniards in 1565, where the Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi and the native chieftain Datu Sikatuna pledged peace and cooperation through the famous blood compact, where they drew their own blood, mixed it with wine and drank together. This is celebrated annually in Tagbilaran and the rest of the island during the Sandugo Festival which lasts throughout July.
(San Jose de) Tagbilaran was established as a town on February 9, 1742, when it was separated from the town of Baclayon. Since then it was part of the province of Bohol until it became a chartered city on July 1, 1966 by virtue of Republic Act No. 4660.
The city was occupied by the United States during the Philippine-American War, and again by Imperial Japan during World War II.
Historical Events
One of the most important historical events etched in the annals in the Philippine history and immortalized in canvass by the famous Filipino painter Juan Luna as one of his masterpieces, is the famous Blood Compact between Datu Sikatuna, a local native chieftain, and Captain Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the intrepid Spanish explorer and colonizer. That historic event took place on an unpretentious coast of Bool, now a district of Tagbilaran, on March 16, 1565, a day after Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and his crew of conquistadores on four ships were drifted into the shores of Bool during the course of their trip to the province of Butuan from Camiguin Island because of strong southwest monsoon winds and low tide. On that day, March 16, 1565, Captain General Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the conquistador from Zumaraga, Spain, with Fray Andres de Urdaneta and some of his crew set foot on land for an audience with the local chieftain Sikatuna. The two bands of different nationalities, race and creed met at a murky place, a few hundred meters away from the beach, and after a few pleasantries, the Basque seafarer and the native chieftain of Bool sealed off and strengthened their newborn friendship in a historic Blood Compact.
In that Blood Compact, Sikatuna and Legaspi each made a cut on the left arm and collected the dripping blood into a single vessel and mixed with wine. From that single vessel, two others were filled giving one to Sikatuna and the other to Legaspi. The two leaders drank the mixture of their blood.
The Blood Compact sealed the ties of friendship between two people once different in religion, nationality, culture, and civilization. The Tagbilaran native chieftain who swore by his ancestral Anito and Bathala, and the Spanish intrepid explorer and colonizer who sought New World with the sword and the cross, drank to the common cause - friendship. It was the first international treaty of friendship and comity between the Filipinos and Spaniards.
To perpetuate the memory and spirit of that first treaty of friendship and comity, the late President Elpidio Quirino established the "Order of Sikatuna", a presidential award and decoration conferred upon visiting dignitaries. A historical marker now stands on the very spot where Sikatuna and Legaspi perpetrated that famous Blood Compact.
Another significant event that took place in Tagbilaran City was the Battle of Ubujan where a guerilla unit under the command of Captain Francisco Salazar, nome-de-guerre of Vicente Cubello who engaged a Japanese troop against overwhelming odds. It was a display of Boholano bravery of raw and naked courage against a well-equipped and well-trained Japanese soldiers. The battle, however, cost the life of Captain Salazar.
Economy
The city of Tagbilaran has that relative advantage as the main business capital and center of governance of the province of Bohol aside from being the center of education and transportation. It is on this climate that commerce and trade is very promising in the city although business activities also thrives in port towns (e.g. Tubigon, Talibon, Jagna) known to be growth centers of the province.
Many residents of Tagbilaran are considerably moneyed, but when it comes to business development they become investment shy. It is observable that dollar earners and entrepreneurs would rather save and bank their money rather than invest them for business endeavor. In the light of this situation, the inflow of investments from foreign investors are steadily pouring in to finance business ventures especially in the area of tourism.
Tagbilaran, considering its size as a small city, has 23 banking institutions with several branches each. This is due to the "thriftiness" attitude of Bol-anons rather than spending and investing. Average Household Income is P 141,028.00/annum of a total 12,876 households.
Major establishments in the city are shopping centers, hotels, restaurants and fastfood centers and banks.
Major Shopping Centers:
- Island City Mall
- BQ Mall
- Alturas Supermarket
- Plaza Marcela
- Shoppers' Mart
Tourism
The city has much to offer when it comes to beautiful scenic spots and tourist attractions. Home to several first-class hotels, resorts, and restaurants, the city has recently become a haven for national conventions. The Manga (District) Public Market is a reliable source of fresh seafoods when it comes alive every evening from 5 to 9 P.M.
Bohol is famous among others, for its Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier – arguably the world’s smallest primate, for its white sandy beaches, dive spots, heritage sites and old stone churches. The province is noted for being one of the five Eco-Tourism destinations identified by the Department of Tourism and most recently declared as the top tourist destination in the country.
Notable Hotel Accomodations in the City:
- Bohol Tropics Resort Club
- The MetroCentre Hotel and Convention Center
- Hotel La Roca
- Wregent Plaza Hotel
- The Meridian Hotel
- Gie Gardens Hotel
External links
"Tagbilaran City"