The Legazpi-Sikatuna Blood Compact, or ''Sandugo'' ( Spanish: ''Pacto de Sangre''), was a

blood compact Blood compact ( Spanish: ''Pacto de sangre''; Tagalog: ''Sanduguan'') was an ancient ritual in the Philippines intended to seal a friendship or treaty, or to validate an agreement. The contracting parties would cut their hands and pour their blo ...

, performed on the island 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 ...

in the Philippines, between the Spanish explorer

Miguel López de Legazpi Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as ''Adelantado, El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who financed and led an expedition to conquer the Philippines, Philippine islan ...

and

Datu Sikatuna Datu Sikatuna (or ''Catunao'') was a Datu or chieftain of Bo-ol in the island of Bohol in the Philippines. He made a blood compact ('' sanduguan'') and alliance with the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi on March 25, 1565 at Hinawanan Ba ...

, chieftain of Bohol, on March 16, 1565, to seal their friendship following tribal tradition. This is considered the first

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

of friendship between the Spaniards and Filipinos. ''Sandugo'' is a Visayan word meaning "one blood". The ''Sandugo'' is depicted on both the provincial flag and the official seal of the government of Bohol. The official seal of the government of

Tagbilaran Tagbilaran, officially the City of Tagbilaran (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popu ...

also features the image of the blood compact. The top of the seal explains the history behind the ''Sandugo'' event, the fleet and the location where the Spaniards anchored, and the place where the treaty was conducted.

History

In 1521, navigator

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer best known for having planned and led the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition, he also discovered the Strait of Magellan, allowing his fl ...

arrived in the Moluccas on a Spanish expedition. This made his fleet the first people from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

to reach

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

by sailing west, although Magellan would meet an untimely death on the islands of the Philippines. Afterwards, Spain sent expeditions to colonize the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

in their competition with Portugal to seize control over the

spice trade The spice trade involved historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices, such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, clove, and turmeric, were known and used in antiquity and traded in t ...

. However, all of these expeditions failed until

, sailing from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

with five ships and 500 men, reached the Philippines in 1565 and established a Spanish settlement.Readings From Bohol's History
www.aenet.org, Source: Philippine Political and Cultural History. Volume I. Gregorio F. Zaide Retrieved November 15, 2006. He was greeted by hostile

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

opposing a foreign invasion. His attempt to land on the island of

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

resulted in the death of one of his soldiers, prompting him to explore another island and seek trade there. Sailing south toward the island of

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

, Legazpi's fleet encountered high winds, which forced them to sail northward to the island of

. There, he captured a vessel from

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

whose Malay sailors informed the Spaniards that the natives inhabiting the region traded with people from Borneo and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. Arriving in Bohol, Legazpi noticed the hostility of the people. The Malayan servant explained that such hostility was due to the expeditions conducted by the Portuguese from the Moluccas islands. In 1563, Portuguese fleets had arrived in Visayan waters and enslaved about 1,000 inhabitants. Legazpi, with the help of the Malayan sailor, explained to the people in Bohol that they were not Portuguese and that they had come to the islands to trade. Upon learning this, the chieftains became friendlier and welcomed the Spaniards.

Ceremony

The ''Sandugo'' began with the arrival of Legazpi in Bohol in 1565 and the establishment of allegiance by

to the king of Spain. Legazpi and Sikatuna each made a cut on their left arm with a

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or ...

and poured their blood into a cup filled with wine, which they both drank in honour of their friendship.Sandugo Festival Bohol
www.philippinecountry.com Retrieved November 16, 2006. The inscription at a monument in Tagbilaran City describes the event: It added that the compact was performed as part of the tribal tradition. In his report to the Spanish king, Philip II, López de Legazpi wrote:

Tradition

Traditionally, performing a blood compact preserved the bond of friendship between two tribes. This ceremony was the first treaty of friendship between the natives and the Spaniards in the Philippines. In its honor, the former

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...

Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Philippine nationality law, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered p ...

established the

Order of Sikatuna The Order of Sikatuna () is the national order of diplomatic merit of the Republic of the Philippines. It is conferred upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philippines, upon diplomats, ...

, a presidential decoration conferred upon politicians.

Juan Luna Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio (, ; October 25, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activism, activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recog ...

, a Filipino painter, depicted the event in his painting entitled '' The Blood Compact'' (Spanish: ''El Pacto de Sangre'') in 1886. It obtained the first prize in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1885 and at the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

in 1904. During that period, it was important for tribes to perform the ''sandugo'' as part of the peace process.Cajes, Alan
A Brief History of Bohol
www.aybpm.freeservers.com Retrieved November 22, 2006. A monument was constructed in Tagbilaran City by the Philippine Historical Committee and the National Historical Institute (NHI).Fuentes, Chito
Blood Compact controversy boils
news.inq7.net Retrieved December 2, 2006. Bantugan, Danilo

www.boholchronicle.com August 13, 2006. Retrieved November 28, 2006. In 2005, the NHI delisted the site, as the actual location of the historical blood compact remains to be resolved. In April 2024, the erroneous site underwent structural dismantling, paving the way for a phased enhancement of the authentic site in Villalimpia Loay, Bohol, which is currently in progress.

References

Publications

* Agoncillo, Teodoro A. – ''History of the Filipino People''. Garotech Publishing, 1990 (8th edition) * Arcila, José S. – ''Rizal and the Emergence of the Philippine Nation''. 2001 revised edition * Constantino, Renato. – ''The Philippines: A Past Revisited''. Tala Publishing Series, 1975 * Corpuz, Onofre D. – ''The Roots of the Filipino Nation''. 1989 * Scott, William Henry. – ''Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society''. AdMU: 1994 * Zaide, Gregorio F. – ''Great Filipinos in History: An Epic of Filipino Greatness in War and Peace''. Verde Bookstore, 1970 * Zaide, Gregorio. – ''Dagohoy: Champion of Philippine Freedom''. Manila: Enriquez, Alduan and Co., 1941

External links