Bohol commemorates the first international treaty of
friendship. (Photo from www.bohol.gov.ph)

In 1565, the Spanish navigator and explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi anchored in the island-province of Bohol and entered into a blood compact (sandugo) with the province's native chief Rajah Sikatuna as a sign of friendly relations between the Spaniards and the Filipinos.

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi later on started the first years of Spanish colonization in the Philippines (1565-1898) and became the first Spanish governor- general of the country.

Bohol commemorates this month of July the historic act with a festival that includes special events such as the Sandugo Street Dancing and Mardi Gras, Agro-Industria Trade Fair, Water Festival and Sea Camp, Bohol Heritage Musicology Conference, Baclayan Church Cultural Program, and Igkas Arte.

The oval-shaped province of Bohol is the tenth largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the central part of the Visayas just above the big island of Minadanao. It lies between Cebu to the northwest and Leyte to the northeast.

Bohol's capital is Tagbilaran City. The Sikatuna-Legazpi Blood Compact Marker can be found in its small barangay of Bool, only three kilometers from the city proper.