Dagohoy, Bohol
Encyclopedia
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 18,311 people.
History
Dr.Jose RizalJosé Rizal
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
, on exile in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte
Zamboanga del Norte
Zamboanga del Norte or simply known as ZANORTE is a province of the Philippines located in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Its capital is Dipolog City and the province borders Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay to the south and Misamis Occidental to the east...
, searched for a place to convert into an agricultural colony. In June 1895, he came to Bohol with Don Andres Peñaflor, who was a rich merchant from Taloto, Tagbilaran City
Tagbilaran City
Tagbilaran City is a 2nd class component city in the island province of Bohol, Philippines and serves as its capital. Tagbilaran lies on the southwestern part of the province, and has a total land area of 32.7 km², with about 13 km of coastline...
, Bohol
Bohol
Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of Bohol Island and 75 minor surrounding islands. Its capital is Tagbilaran City. With a land area of and a coastline long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines...
. Together they traveled by horse-drawn carriage from Tagbilaran to Dimiao, then to Bilar, Bohol
Bilar, Bohol
Bilar is a 5th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 17,078 people.The term "bilar" is a native word from the infinitive "nagbilad"...
. On horseback they traveled to Candagaz, Sierra-Bullones to view the vast plain suitable for an agricultural colony.
In 1914, the Americans segregated the area as a site of an agricultural colony, now the present town of Dagohoy, Bohol.
The Agricultural Colony
With the Jones Law passed by the U.S. Congress, the Philippines was divided into Senatorial Districts to allocate the 24 Senate seats. The provinces of BoholBohol
Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of Bohol Island and 75 minor surrounding islands. Its capital is Tagbilaran City. With a land area of and a coastline long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines...
, Misamis, and Surigao composed the 11th Senatorial District. At that time, Bohol was the most populated province and Senator Jose A. Clarin became the first senator of the 11th district. In 1920, Senator Clarin authored a law officially creating the Colonia Agricula de Bohol or Bohol Agricultural Colony with Mr. Camilo Calceta appointed as Superintendent and Cashier (Superintendente-Cajero) of the colony.
The agricultural colony or "Colonia", for short, was part of the territory of the town of Carmen, Bohol. However, Colonia had its own administration and appropriation. People from all over the Philippines were invited to settle in Colonia. Each settler was given a homestead. In the early years, the settlers had a difficult life. The area was forested and malaria was prevalent.
In 1927, the Agricultural Colony received a boost in its activities. The Americans, wanting it to become a showcase of American town management, had the whole area surveyed and divided into homesteads of twelve (12) to twenty-four (24) hectares in area.
Each homestead was provided with a house and the settler was given a complete set of farm implements including a carabao as a farm animal. In addition, health personnel were dispatched to eradicate the dreaded malaria-causing mosquitoes.
Boom and Bust
Eventually, many people flocked to Colonia because of its offer of free land, houses, and farm implements. By 1930, Colonia was overflowing with people and agricultural products. It became a very busy marketplace.Unfortunately, the wanton clearing of the forest to give way to farms caused erosion of the fertile soil. In addition, the worldwide economic depression of the 1930s resulted in the farm products not having any market. Salaries of the government employees were cut in half and many of the settlers migrated to Mindanao to seek for greener pastures.
The once bustling community almost became a ghost town, with some hardy souls persisted on staying. When World War II came, the population was further dispersed. The Japanese searched for the American officials, missionaries, and American supporters in the area.
At the end of World War II, Philippine Independence was granted by the Americans and the existence of the Agricultural Colony became questionable. The colony, as model-town experiment by the Americans, did not have the support with the Americans gone. The remaining inhabitants had to continue to eke out a life of existence.
The Municipal District
During the American era there, there were municipal districts which were subdivisions of a municipality with a complete set of officials.In 1951, President Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Rivera Quirino was a Filipino politician, and the sixth President of the Philippines.A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered politics when he became a representative of Ilocos Sur from 1919 to 1925. He was then elected as senator from 1925–1931...
followed the American procedure of giving legality to the abandoned agricultural colony of the Americans. President Quirino converted the "Colonia" as a municipal district. It was named "Victoria" in honor of one of the daughters of President Quirino who was killed by the Japanese during the liberation of Manila.
Name of the Municipality
In the 1953 National Election, Ramon MagsaysayRamon Magsaysay
Ramón del Fierro Magsaysay was the third President of the Republic of the Philippines from December 30, 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1957. He was elected President under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.-Early life:Ramon F...
was elected President and Carlos P. Garcia
Carlos P. Garcia
Carlos Polistico García was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist and guerrilla leader...
of Bohol was elected Vice President. The residents of the municipal district of Victoria lobbied to become an independent municipality. One of the important requirements is the name of the proposed municipality. Vice President Carlos P. Garcia proposed the name "Dagohoy" in honor of the greatest Boholano hero, Francisco Sendrijas also known as Francisco Dagohoy
Francisco Dagohoy
Francisco Dagohoy, was a Boholano who holds the distinction of having led the longest revolt in Philippine history, the Dagohoy Rebellion. This rebellion against the Spanish colonial government took place in the island of Bohol from 1744 to 1829, roughly 85 years.-About Dagohoy:Little is known of...
. The name Dagohoy is a concatenation of the Visayan phrase, Dagon sa huyuhoy or talisman of the breeze, in English.
The Municipality
On June 21, 1956, President Ramon MagsaysayRamon Magsaysay
Ramón del Fierro Magsaysay was the third President of the Republic of the Philippines from December 30, 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1957. He was elected President under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.-Early life:Ramon F...
issued Executive Order No. 184 creating the Municipality of Dagohoy comprising the old agricultural colony. Mr. Camilo Calceta, the long time administrator of Colonia, was appointed the first Mayor. The other appointed municipal officials were: Vice Mayor - Florentino Ampoloquio; Municipal Councilors - Vicente Lagapa, Regino Iyoy, Esteban Clarin, Eustaquio Querol, Lorenzo Hormachuelos, and Hipolito Amihan.
The barrios compprising the new municipality were Can-oling, Estaca, Villa Aurora, La Esperanza, San Vicente, Sta. Cruz, and Poblacion all taken from Carmen, Bohol
Carmen, Bohol
Carmen is a 2nd class municipality located in the heart of the province of Bohol, Philippines. It is composed of 29 barangays with an area of 23,245 sq. kilometers. It was founded in the year 1869. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 43,153 people.The Chocolate Hills is the main...
. The barrio of Babag was taken from Ubay, Bohol
Ubay, Bohol
Ubay is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 65,900 people and has a land area of approximately , as the largest and most populated municipality in Bohol...
. The barrios of Mahayag, Kagawitan, and Malibog were taken from Trinidad, Bohol
Trinidad, Bohol
Trinidad is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 27,580 people. Trinidad is a derivation of the word Trinity, which Trinidad was part of the Diocese of Talibon. The town is known for Kawasan Falls and Batungay cave...
. The barrios of Candelaria, Caluasan, and San Miguel were taken from Sierra Bullones, Bohol
Sierra Bullones, Bohol
Sierra Bullones is a 4th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 26,398 people.-Barangays:Sierra Bullones is politically subdivided into 22 barangays.* Abachanan* Anibongan* Bugsoc...
.
Barangays
Dagohoy is politically subdivided into 15 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
- Babag
- Can-oling
- Candelaria
- Estaca
- Cagawasan
- Cagawitan
- Caluasan
- La Esperanza
- Mahayag
- Malitbog
- Poblacion
- San Miguel
- San Vicente
- Santa Cruz
- Villa Aurora