bohol

Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. The province of Bohol consists of Bohol Island and 75 minor surrounding islands, it's capital is Tagbilaran City. Bohol is the tenth largest island in the Philippines with a coastline length of 261 kms. 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 province is a popular destination for tourists with attractions like the Chocolate Hills which number over 1,200 hills made of limestone, left over from coral reefs during the ice age when the island was submerged. They turn brown during the summer which give then their name and they are a major popular attraction. The island of Panglao, which is located southwest of Tagbilaran City, is famous for its diving locations and listed as one of the top ten diving locations in the world. Numerous tourist resorts are located around the southern beaches which cater to divers from around the world. The Philippine Tarsier, considered the second-smallest primate in the world, 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. Bohol's climate is generally dry, with maximum rainfall between the months of June and October. The interior is cooler than the coast.

The Spanish arrived in 1565 when 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, chieftan of Bohol. This was a blood pact between the two men, the event, called the Sandugo (one blood), is celebrated in Bohol every year during the Sandugo Festival. The Sandugo or blood pact 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.

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 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.

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 and American troops left in February, 1902.

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