Blood Compact Monument

The Blood Compact Monument stands in the barrio of Bool, about 3 km east of Tagbilaran's city centre, where the historic treaty was signed. The monument is a bronze sculpture group by Filipino National Artist Napoleon Abueva, depicting Legazpi and Sikatuna raising a cup together in the moment of compact. It is one of the most reproduced images in Philippine history education.

The setting is pleasant — a small park on a rise with a view of the strait. The monument itself is more impressive in photographs than in person, but it is a short and easy trip from town and is a genuine historical site rather than a constructed attraction. The surrounding barrio of Bool has a small chapel and a quiet residential feel.

things to do sight
A story
On 16 March 1565, the Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi and the Boholano chieftain Sikatuna sealed their alliance by mixing drops of their blood in wine and drinking it — the sandugo, or blood compact. It was one of the first international treaties in the Philippines, and it gave Spain a foothold in Visayas without a battle. The sculptor Napoleon Abueva rendered the moment in dramatic bronze in 1949.