Pamilacan is an island

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

in the Philippines, situated south of

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...

island and surrounded by the

Bohol Sea The Bohol Sea, also called the Mindanao Sea, is a sea located between the Visayas and Mindanao islands in the Philippines. It lies south of Bohol and Leyte and north of Mindanao. Siquijor and Camiguin are its two major islands. The major ...

(also called Mindanao Sea). It is one of the 17 barangays that compose the municipality of Baclayon. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 1,418, comprising about 240 families whose main livelihoods now concentrate on dolphin- and whale-watching tours and subsistence fishing, but in the past also included whale, dolphin and manta ray hunting. Pamilacan perhaps means "resting place of the mantas", but it can also be considered to derive from the word ''pamilac'', or harpoon, a device that was historically used to capture the mantas, dolphins and whales. On the northeast part of the island is a 200yearold Spanish fort, which in the past served as a

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

for the Spaniards to look out for intruders, such as pirates and other enemies, particularly those coming from the south. Along with the other watchtowers in Dauis, Panglao, Maribojoc, Loay and Balilihan, the island's watchtower was declared by the

National Museum of the Philippines The National Museum of the Philippines () is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines, including Ethnography, ethnographic, Anthropology, anthropological, Archaeology, archaeological, an ...

as a National Cultural Treasure under the collective group of ''Bohol Watchtowers'' on August 29, 2011 Aside from being famous for the whaleshark and dolphin-watching activities, the island is also known for its white sand beaches and renowned for its snorkeling and dive sites, such as Dakit-Dakit. ' or ' is a sunken plateau about deep, to the west of Pamilacan. It is covered with coral but lies in the middle of the ocean, which is why there usually is a very strong current. Here one can see black-white banded

sea snake Sea snakes, or coral reef snakes, are Elapidae, elapid snakes that inhabit Marine (ocean), marine environments for most or all of their lives. They belong to two subfamilies, Hydrophiinae and Sea krait, Laticaudinae. Hydrophiinae also includes ...

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...

moray eel Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family (biology), family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively Marine (ocean), marine, but several species are regu ...

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs, belonging to the order Nudibranchia, that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have b ...

s and bucket sponges.

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