Sandugo festival Sandugo festival
History
It began with the arrival of Miguel López de Legazpi in the shores
of Tagbilaran, Bohol in 1565 and the swearing of commitment of Datu Sikatuna
to the Spanish crown. The two people were believed to have made a cut on their
left arms with a dagger and sprinkled their blood into a cup filled with wine,
which both drunk in honor of their friendship and brotherhood. The treaty
was signed on the SW coast of Bohol Island in March of 1565. This was 44 years
after Ferdinand Magellan was killed attacking a Philippine village on Mactan
Island about 50 miles north of here.
The Sandugo treaty is called a blood compact because the participants each
drink a small amount of the other's blood. ("Dugo" means blood in
the Visayan language.) This was a traditional way to formalize treaties of
friendship in the Philippines. Magellan himself took part in several of these
ceremonies before attacking Mactan Island.
The Blood Compact preserved 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
courageous 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.
The Festival
The annual celebration of the Sandugo Festivities begins in the month of March.
However the street dancing competitions have been changed to July to coincide
with the annual TBTK (Tigum Bol-anon Tibuok Kalibutan) translated into English,
literally or otherwise - a gathering of Boholanos (the people of Bohol) from
around the world. Tagbilaran City not only rejoices its Charter Day on the month
of July but also the Province of Bohol which became a separate politico-military
province on July 22, 1854, thereby creating a festive mood for the whole month.
Hundreds and thousands of People from around the Philippines and the world gather
for this special event which involves colorful costumes and loud drum beats,
street parades, church services, fireworks, beauty pageants, cockfighting tournaments
and sport tournaments.
Today, the highlight of the Sandugo Festival is a street dancing competition
held in Tagbilaran City. Each local high school develops its own dance custom
with special costumes and choreography. A small marching band follows each group
of dancers to provide the music. The bands consist only of xylophones, drums,
and trumpets. Some of the dancing was very good, and the costumes were very
colorful. The parade also integrated the customary entourage of local officials,
police department, local businesses and associations - and, of course, the local
beauty queens, Miss Bohol and Miss Tagbilaran.
A big surprise to us was the last parade entry, which was a large flat bed truck
carrying 9 or 10 very flamboyant and attractive transvestites. There were no
banners on the truck, just a few white ballons attached to the cab and printed,
"Miss Gay 2001". This entry was a real crowd pleaser and received
more of a reaction than any other parade event. They were met with howls and
hollers and cheers all along the parade route. We were told that the transvestites
traditionally work as beauticians in the local beauty parlors, and are readily
accepted in the community.
