The Provincial Capital, population 66,000....

Tagbilaran City (Tag City) is located on the southwest coast of the island of Bohol.  Originally a native settlement from the early 1400's.  The settlement had established trade relations with Malaysia and China nearly one hundred years before the Spanish conquest. On March 16, 1565 Spanish Captain Miguel Lopez de Legaspi landed in Bohol and forged the blood compact with the native Chieftain Sikatuna.  This was the first international treaty between Filipinos and foreigners.   The two leaders pledged peace and cooperation, while drawing their own blood which was mixed in a glass of wine and drunk together.  The Blood Compact is celebrated annually in Tagbilaran as "Sandugo".  This year ('99) Sandugo was celebrated in late July.  Boholanos from all over the world came home to celebrate Sandugo and "TBTK", (Tigum Bol-anon sa Tibuok Kalibotan) -or-  (Meeting of Boholanos from all Over the World)    Our niece,- Amy Cagatin won the Miss Bohol Southern California contest,  and represented Southern California at the International contest in Tagbilaran City.  A photo of Amy and the other Southern California ladies is on the VALRESCA page.  We were proud of Amy to represent our home town Valencia,  and all Southern California Boholanos.

GETTING AROUND

Tagbilaran  City is neatly laid out with Plaza Rizal in between the Provincial Capital and the Church.  Traveling west from the plaza behind the church is the causeway over to Pangalo Island.  North of the Plaza are the department stores and the old Agora  market.  There are three large department stores in Tagbilaran, Bohol Quality, Alturas, and the newest, Marcella.  Alturas and BQ,  are complete stores from groceries,  hardware, appliances, to a bakery,  shoes  and furniture, you name it.   Marcella, on the other hand seems to be more up-scale and doesn't have the variety of the others.  (Kind of like the difference between K-Mart and Macy's)  Marcella has the greatest grocery store,  with a wide selection and fresh produce, meat and fish.   Our favorite hotel is the Bohol Tropics, located just north of the ferry dock, on C. Gallares St.  You can see Bohol Tropics as the ferry comes in to dock,  it's on your left,  overlooking the harbor. You can take a taxi or call the hotel and if you have a reservation, they will come and pick you up in their van.  The bungalows around the pool cost around $50, but there are some "standard" rooms just as nice but not near the pool for a little over $25.  they also have some cottages, "Executive Suites" overlooking the bay.  There is also the Presidential Suite, where President Fidel Ramos stayed two years ago.   From the Plaza, if you take a Jeepney or a tricycle cab east on A. Clarin you will come to the New Market and Bus Terminal.  Busses for all destinations originate here at the terminal.  the new market was built about three years ago but getting the merchants to leave their old stalls down town was a problem.  Each time I come back to the market it gets busier and busier.   The bus terminal is really busy, the large busses line up in the covered terminal, you can get a big coach going east to Jagna or Ubay or one going up the west coast to Tubigon or Inabanga.  There are some shops, bakeries, and snack stands around the terminal.
 

Bohol Quality Department Store

 New Divided The  

The new road out  

to the New Market 

 "The Real Thing"