I packed my things up, brought my camera (because I was so eager to take a few pictures of the art I am about to feature on THIS essay) and headed directly to the plaza to take a cab. After which, however, I realized that the cab was already full so I decided to take a three-wheeled vehicle, instead. After a span of more or less than ten minutes, the tricycle stopped and drooped me off to a site fronting a public school in the barangay of Bool in the city of Tagbilaran. There was a noticeable fence at the side of the road, which I find really awkward because it was the first thing I noticed. In fact, if you happen to pass by the place, you wouldn’t notice this art because too bad there was no attention-grabbing thing like a big banner, poster or billboard proudly showing whatever it has in store. Anyway, I enjoyed myself with the good view of the Bohol Sea and the contour of that side on the island of Bohol, Philippines. Soon after, I find myself wandering around the dais with five life-sized monuments of men with which, of course I took a picture of. Funny as it may seem, if you have no idea what these monuments are, you’d probably have in mind that they are some kind of drunkards celebrating and drinking beer but actually, it's not.
I know you might be wondering about this work of art. It may be unknown to a lot of you but for me and for the rest of the locals of Bohol, the Blood Compact monument is more than just a mere work of art. Come and help me discover more about my featured art.
Made by a well-known artist, Napoleon Abueva, the Blood Compact sculpture proves to be one of the major itineraries of Bohol. The artist, himself is the one and only Boholano given the distinction as the National Artist of the Philippines, which of course, granting the fame and prestige it brought not only to his family but also to his fellow men is really something to be proud of.
In choosing the material of the sculpture, Abueva carefully picked bronze which, just so you know is more corrosion-resistant than brass providing a more richer look due to its slightly redder coloring, shiny and polished look. It is also easily machined thus providing a great deal of architectural benefits. He used this in making a sculpture that portrays five life-sized images of men gathered around a table. He made this sculpture in order to relive the historic event of the Blood Compact which happened in Bohol. This life-sized diorama erected just a few meters from the exact location where the ritual was made serves as an evidence of the island’s rich history.
 |
| Napoleon Abueva Picture taken from: cuadrofilipino.blogspot.com |
Locally known as Sandugo, a Visayan term which fuses the words isang and dugo meaning one blood, the Blood compact was a symbol of an old Filipino ritual where the cutting of the wrists and pouring of blood into a cup by tribal representatives happened. The first volume of the book by Gregorio F. Zaide, Philippine Political and Cultural History reveals the manner by which they do the uniting of their blood. Here it is:
"It is observed in the following manner: one from each party draws two or three drops of blood from his own arm or breast and mixes them in the same cup, with water or wine. Then the mixture must be divided equally between two cups, and neither person may depart until both cups are alike drained."With the sharing of this cup in a round of drinking, this certain scenario symbolizes friendship or a pact between two different cultures or races and similarly, was made to end the hostility between one another.
The history of the Blood Compact dates back up to the 16th century when the fifth expedition of Spain sent by the king, under the successful leadership of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi landed on the Philippines tracing the footsteps of Ferdinand Magellan who died in an encounter with Lapu-Lapu, the chieftain of Mactan, Cebu, a nearby island. Specifically on the 10th of May ,1565 (or 25th of March. Records are confused due to the Gregorian calendar reform in 1584), the whole expedition team ended up in the southwest shores of Bohol, now known as Jagna. The natives were very oblivious of their hostility and unwelcoming attitude. Based on gathered information from the Mohammedan pilot of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, such hostility was due to the pirating expeditions conducted by the Portuguese. These raiders took advantage of the island by roaming through the waters of the Visayas region of the country plundering the island of Bohol and killing or enslaving more or less a thousand inhabitants. They came from the Moluccas (the Spice Island) and happen to look like the Spaniards. In turn, the natives mistook them as white vandals. The hostility of the people of Bohol back then was very noticeable.
In order to solve this dilemma, Legazpi, with the help of the Malay pilot, informed and thoroughly explained to the kings of Bohol, Katuna (Si Katuna) and Gala (Si Gala) that the Spaniards were not Portuguese and that they had come to their place not to destroy, plunder or kill (as what the Portuguese did) but to uphold and promote peace between them. Upon discovering and understanding this, the kings of Bohol, as well as their people became friendly and welcomed the Spaniards. This made way to the Blood Compact between Datu Sikatuna of the village of Bool, making him the first ever ambassador of peace and goodwill and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi of Spain which happened on the 16th of March, 1565. Legazpi was indeed very successful in convincing Datu Sikatuna for peace despite the resistance he met in Cebu and some other parts of the country.
On the other hand, a different story exists which up to now, continues to be a burning question for the locals of Bohol. Historians claim that the Blood Compact between Datu Sikatuna and Legazpi actually happened in a distant town of Bohol called Loay. It has been said that the actual site of the Blood Compact was further down the road. Comparing it to Bool, which is near the shorelines, Loay could have been the real place where the ritual happened. Unlike Bool, it was away from the shorelines and is actually only a few kilometers from Jagna where the Spanish fleet first came. Moreover, according to the National Historical Institute, Hinawanan, Loay (the exact place) is in Spanish caleta or a small bay with a salt-water estuary, a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers (the Loboc River, in this case) or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Although, it is safe to say that it might have been Datu Gala of Loay who made a separate blood compact with the Spaniards. Others tell that three days later, the same ritual has been repeated by Datu Gala in Loay. Still, on the present day, these assumptions continued to be just mere assumptions since it is widely accepted that the blood compact actually happened in Bool, Tagbilaran City. This is basically why the city is termed as the “City of friendship”.
Nevertheless, whether it was in Loay or Bool, this historic event is still considered as the first international treaty of friendship between the two races, Spain and Philippines, in general. This was actually a political event with the purpose of establishing and maintaining cordial and tactful relations between two very different cultures though, ironically, after performing the pact , Miguel Lopez de Legazpi took possession of the island in the name of King Phillip II. This happened to be start of the more or less 250-year rule of the Spaniards which was, in one way or another, the main reason why the Filipino culture has been greatly influenced by the Spaniards.
As I wrap things up, the Blood Compact monument is one thing the Boholanos should be proud of. It is of relative significance to the Bohol natives as it portrays the happenings of the past with its goal of brotherhood and peace. It provides a chunk of history that all of us, even Spaniards should learn and discover about. True it is, that through art, a lot of things can happen for the passion for knowing our history as a people and the patriotism that we have deep in our hearts have been once again fueled up.
This has been one great tour for me (though my digital camera was of low battery). I know reading this essay might be a little bit of boring especially for some non-locals but I know, for some time, these new learnings, rest assured will be of great help in our daily life. I, myself might have not known of the rich history my province has to offer. Thanks to Communications I for this will be the start of a new me--a new individual who’s more willing to go through the pages of the book of what we call, history.
References:
References:
"WaypointsPh." http://www.waypoints.ph/detail_gen.html?wpt=bloodc
Philippine Political and Cultural History :Volume I by Gregorio F. Zaide (1949)
Bohol Philippines Travel Guide: A project of A1 Online Communication and Advertising Services info@bohol-philippines.com
No comments:
Post a Comment