sandugo

Sandugo refers to the historical blood compact ceremony conducted on July 3, 1565 between Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna, the chieftain of Bohol in the Philippines. The ritual involved both parties cutting their arms and mixing their blood with wine or rice wine, which they then drank together as a symbol of friendship and alliance. This ceremony established the first formal treaty of friendship between Spanish colonizers and indigenous Filipino leaders.

The term "sandugo" originates from the Visayan word meaning "one blood" or "to become one," reflecting the ritual's symbolic purpose of creating a blood bond between participants. The ceremony took place in Barangay Bool, near present-day Tagbilaran City, and marked a significant moment in Philippine colonial history as it represented the beginning of Spanish influence in the Bohol region.

Historical accounts of the sandugo vary between Spanish and Filipino perspectives. Spanish records emphasize the ceremony as a peaceful means of establishing Spanish authority, while Filipino oral traditions often frame it as a diplomatic strategy by local leaders to navigate foreign colonization. The event has since become a symbol of Filipino-Spanish relations and is considered one of the earliest documented instances of international treaties in Philippine history.

Today, the sandugo is commemorated through various cultural celebrations, particularly in Bohol, where it serves as a source of local pride and historical identity. The Blood Compact Monument in Tagbilaran City stands as a physical reminder of this historic event. The ceremony is also featured in Filipino elementary education curricula and remains an important symbol in understanding early Philippine colonial period dynamics and cross-cultural diplomatic practices.