Loboc, Bohol
Encyclopedia
Loboc is a 5th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines
. It is mere 24 km away from Tagbilaran City
, the provincial capital of Bohol. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 16,299 people. It is the Music Capital of Bohol.
Loboc is known for its floating restaurant
s along the scenic and winding Loay-Loboc River. Tourists also come to see the tarsier
, a small nocturnal animal with large eyes. It is one of the world's smallest primates. Unfortunately, the tarsiers here are kept in an inadequate cage, and better be observed in the Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella
.
Portions of the St. Peter Parish Church Complex (specifically parts of what is now the Convento or Priests' Residence) are thought to be the oldest standing ecclesiastical structures in Bohol Province. The Loboc Children's Choir has won numerous competitions both local and international, most notably festival competition in Barcelona
, Spain
, entitled "Europe and its Songs", on September 17–21, 2003.
Since pre-Hispanic times, Loboc has always been inland market village where produce from the sea were bartered for the agricultural goods of the upland regions. It is said to be the domain of Sigala, the other chief of Bohol, whose contemporary, Sikatuna
, made the famous Blood Compact with Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in 1565.
In 1596, the Jesuit Fr. Juan de Torres came to Loboc from Baclayon to found the second oldest Christian settlement in the Island. After the traumatic Moro raid on Baclayon on October 26, 1600, the Jesuit
Missionaries decided to move the center of their missionary activities to the inland village of Loboc. By 1602, Loboc became a Parish
, making it the oldest in the Island. To the Jesuits, Loboc was the Residencia Boholana, where their local superior resided. It remained so until the middle of the 18th century when the exigencies of the times forced to them to move once more to Baclayon.
Around 1604, the Jesuits established a Seminario-Collegio or boarding school for native boys. This school laid the foundation of the musical culture of the town. At present, the name Loboc is synonymous with musical acumen, a fact recognized by all the people of Bohol.
The church of Loboc is one of the most beautiful in the entire province. Its history makes it the most interesting. The first stone church was built in 1602. It was destroyed by fire in 1638 and rebuilt beside the site of the older one. This is the Loboc Church presently standing, a fine example of the Jesuit colonial architecture of the 18th century.
Upon the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1768, the Augustinian Recollects
took over and they proceeded to renovate the unfinished structure. They were responsible for the free-standing bell tower, the arcade facade, the mortuary chapel, the heavy stone buttresses and the unique three-storey convento built into the fabric of the Jesuit-built church of the 17th century.
Two saintly figures lived and were buried in Loboc church: Fr. Alonso Humanes, S.J. whose gravesite became the object of pilgrimages after his death in 1633, and the remarkable native boy, Miguel Ayatumo, a student of the Seminario Colegio, who died in the odor of sanctity at the age of sixteen in 1609. Contemporary Jesuit records speak glowingly of this Aloysius Gonzaga of Bohol.
Loboc Church contains a lot of interesting treasures. Among these are the decorative stone carvings and friezes on the exterior walls; a relief of St. Ignatius in polychrome stucco intriguingly hidden behind the main altar, seven ancient retablo
s from both the Jesuit and Recollect periods; ceiling murals done in the 1920s by the Cebuano
artists Rey Farncia and Canuto Avila, one depicting the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the town’s secondary patron, during the great flood of 1876; carved wooden cornices and decorative corbels shaped as gargoyles or mythical animals; and the unique three-story convent
, perhaps the only one of its kind in the country.
Much of the early history of Bohol was made around the town and church of Loboc. It would not be an understatement to say that to know Loboc is to understand the entire drama of Bohol history. At present, Loboc church is deteriorating, ignored by tourists and visitors and continually threatened by the annual flood that has already robbed it of its ancient records and other priceless relics.
In 1942, entering by the Japanese troops occupied in Loboc, Bohol.
In 1945, entered from the liberation in Loboc, Bohol by the Philippine Commonwealth Army troops of the 81st & 83rd Infantry Division together with the Boholano guerrillas against the Japanese forces at the end in World War II
.
(source: Museo de Loboc, St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Loboc, Bohol)
s.
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...
. It is mere 24 km away from 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...
, the provincial capital of Bohol. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 16,299 people. It is the Music Capital of Bohol.
Loboc is known for its floating restaurant
Floating restaurant
A floating restaurant is a kind of vessel which is usually a type of steel barge used as a restaurant on water. For example, the Jumbo Palace at Aberdeen in Hong Kong is one such restaurant. Sometimes retired ships are given a second lease on life as floating restaurants. The former car ferry New...
s along the scenic and winding Loay-Loboc River. Tourists also come to see the tarsier
Tarsier
Tarsiers are haplorrhine primates of the genus Tarsius, a genus in the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes...
, a small nocturnal animal with large eyes. It is one of the world's smallest primates. Unfortunately, the tarsiers here are kept in an inadequate cage, and better be observed in the Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella
Corella, Bohol
Corella is a 6th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 7,471 people. It is located 10 kilometers north of the provincial capital, Tagbilaran City...
.
Portions of the St. Peter Parish Church Complex (specifically parts of what is now the Convento or Priests' Residence) are thought to be the oldest standing ecclesiastical structures in Bohol Province. The Loboc Children's Choir has won numerous competitions both local and international, most notably festival competition in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, entitled "Europe and its Songs", on September 17–21, 2003.
History
The early recorded history of Bohol point to the fact that the town of Loboc is the cradle of the Boholano soul. It was here during the first hundred years of the Spanish occupation of the Island that the distinct Boholano traits of deep religiosity, cohesiveness, dedication to traditional values and great love for music, was molded and given shape become what it is today.Since pre-Hispanic times, Loboc has always been inland market village where produce from the sea were bartered for the agricultural goods of the upland regions. It is said to be the domain of Sigala, the other chief of Bohol, whose contemporary, Sikatuna
Datu Sikatuna
Datu Sikatuna was the Datu in the island of Bohol in the Philippines. His real name was "Katuna" but "Si" was added to his name as this is a nominative marker for a Filipino...
, made the famous Blood Compact with Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in 1565.
In 1596, the Jesuit Fr. Juan de Torres came to Loboc from Baclayon to found the second oldest Christian settlement in the Island. After the traumatic Moro raid on Baclayon on October 26, 1600, the Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
Missionaries decided to move the center of their missionary activities to the inland village of Loboc. By 1602, Loboc became a Parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, making it the oldest in the Island. To the Jesuits, Loboc was the Residencia Boholana, where their local superior resided. It remained so until the middle of the 18th century when the exigencies of the times forced to them to move once more to Baclayon.
Around 1604, the Jesuits established a Seminario-Collegio or boarding school for native boys. This school laid the foundation of the musical culture of the town. At present, the name Loboc is synonymous with musical acumen, a fact recognized by all the people of Bohol.
The church of Loboc is one of the most beautiful in the entire province. Its history makes it the most interesting. The first stone church was built in 1602. It was destroyed by fire in 1638 and rebuilt beside the site of the older one. This is the Loboc Church presently standing, a fine example of the Jesuit colonial architecture of the 18th century.
Upon the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1768, the Augustinian Recollects
Augustinian Recollects
-History:The Order of Augustinian Recollects or simply the Augustinian Recollects are a Roman Catholic mendicant Catholic religious order of friars and nuns. They are a reformist offshoot from the Augustinian hermit friars and follow the same Rule of St...
took over and they proceeded to renovate the unfinished structure. They were responsible for the free-standing bell tower, the arcade facade, the mortuary chapel, the heavy stone buttresses and the unique three-storey convento built into the fabric of the Jesuit-built church of the 17th century.
Two saintly figures lived and were buried in Loboc church: Fr. Alonso Humanes, S.J. whose gravesite became the object of pilgrimages after his death in 1633, and the remarkable native boy, Miguel Ayatumo, a student of the Seminario Colegio, who died in the odor of sanctity at the age of sixteen in 1609. Contemporary Jesuit records speak glowingly of this Aloysius Gonzaga of Bohol.
Loboc Church contains a lot of interesting treasures. Among these are the decorative stone carvings and friezes on the exterior walls; a relief of St. Ignatius in polychrome stucco intriguingly hidden behind the main altar, seven ancient retablo
Retablo
A Retablo or lamina is a Latin American devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art....
s from both the Jesuit and Recollect periods; ceiling murals done in the 1920s by the Cebuano
Cebuano people
The Cebuano people , are a Visayan ethnic group in Cebu and form the second largest cultural-linguistic group in the Philippines.-History:...
artists Rey Farncia and Canuto Avila, one depicting the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the town’s secondary patron, during the great flood of 1876; carved wooden cornices and decorative corbels shaped as gargoyles or mythical animals; and the unique three-story convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
, perhaps the only one of its kind in the country.
Much of the early history of Bohol was made around the town and church of Loboc. It would not be an understatement to say that to know Loboc is to understand the entire drama of Bohol history. At present, Loboc church is deteriorating, ignored by tourists and visitors and continually threatened by the annual flood that has already robbed it of its ancient records and other priceless relics.
In 1942, entering by the Japanese troops occupied in Loboc, Bohol.
In 1945, entered from the liberation in Loboc, Bohol by the Philippine Commonwealth Army troops of the 81st & 83rd Infantry Division together with the Boholano guerrillas against the Japanese forces at the end in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
(source: Museo de Loboc, St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Loboc, Bohol)
Barangays
Loboc is politically subdivided into 28 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
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