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Loboc

Not to be confused with Lobo, Batangas.

Loboc, officially the Municipality of Loboc (Cebuano: Munisipalidad sa Loboc; Tagalog: Bayan ng Loboc), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,418 people.[3]

Loboc
Municipality
Municipality of Loboc
Poblacion, Loboc
Poblacion, Loboc
Flag of Loboc
Flag
Official logo of Loboc
Flag (reverse)
Map of Bohol with Loboc highlighted
Map of Bohol with Loboc highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Map
Loboc is located in Philippines
Loboc
Loboc
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 9°38′N 124°02′E / 9.63°N 124.03°E / 9.63; 124.03
CountryPhilippines
RegionCentral Visayas
ProvinceBohol
District 3rd district
Founded1602
Barangays28 (see Barangays)
Government
 [1]
 • TypeSangguniang Bayan
 • mayor of Loboc[*]Leon A. Calipusan
 • Vice MayorPablio D. Sumampong
 • RepresentativeKristine Alexie B. Tutor
 • Councilors
List
 • Electorate13,855 voters (2022)
Area
[2]
 • Total
57.65 km2 (22.26 sq mi)
Elevation
131 m (430 ft)
Highest elevation
500 m (1,600 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)[3]
 • Total
17,418
 • Density300/km2 (780/sq mi)
 • Households
3,958
Economy
 • Income class4th municipal income class
 • Poverty incidence
18.31
% (2021)[4]
 • Revenue₱ 113.8 million (2020)
 • Assets₱ 279.3 million (2020)
 • Expenditure₱ 126 million (2020)
 • Liabilities₱ 62.95 million (2020)
Service provider
 • ElectricityBohol 1 Electric Cooperative (BOHECO 1)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
6316
PSGC
071229000
IDD : area code +63 (0)38
Native languagesBoholano dialect
Cebuano
Tagalog
Websitewww.lobocbohol.gov.ph

Located 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Tagbilaran, Loboc is widely known for its lunch cruises along the scenic and winding Loboc River. The Loboc Children's Choir, who perform in different floating stations located at the river's end, has won numerous competitions both domestic and international. Tourists also visit to see the tarsier, a small, nocturnal, monkey-like mammal with large, red eyes. It is one of the world's smallest primates.

Until the 2013 earthquake, portions of the Loboc Church complex (specifically parts of what became the convent or priests' residence) were amongst the oldest standing religious structures in the island of Bohol. The earthquake also damaged the lunch cruise's Docking Port, and caused damage to the pedestrian river bridge and its passenger elevator.[a]

In late 2014, Tropical storm Seniang passed directly over the Loboc river area. Although the winds were relatively weak, Seniang brought substantial rainfall. This caused the river to burst its banks in several places: the entire poblacion main plaza was flooded, including the town hall; many of the lunch cruise boats were damaged; and the accumulated debris of the church was disturbed and some washed away. It was fortunate that the new replacement bridge across the river had been completed just a few weeks before, allowing traffic to reach Tagbilaran via Sikatuna since the Loay interior road was damaged and impassable.[6][7]

The Loboc Church is currently in the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the Baroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension). A proposal has been suggested by scholars to make a separate UNESCO inclusion for the Old Centre of Loboc which includes the Loboc Church. The same would be made for other churches listed in UNESCO's tentative sites, where each town plaza and surrounding heritage buildings would be added. At present, government agencies are still yet to take action on the proposal.

History

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Since pre-Hispanic times, Loboc has always been an inland market village where produce from the sea was bartered for the agricultural goods of the upland regions. It is said to be the domain of Sigala, another chief of Bohol, whose contemporary, Sikatuna, made the famous Blood Compact with Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565.

In 1596, the Jesuit priest Fr. Juan de Torres, SJ came to Loboc from Baclayon to found the second Christian settlement on the island. After the traumatic Moro raid on Baclayon on 26 October 1600, the Jesuit missionaries decided to move the center of their missionary activities to the inland village of Loboc. By 1602, Loboc became a parish, making it the oldest on the island. To the Jesuits, Loboc was the "Residencia Boholana", where their local superior resided. It remained so until the middle of the 18th century when the exigencies of the times forced to them to move once more to Baclayon.

Around 1604, the Jesuits established a "Seminario-Colegio" or boarding school for native boys. This school laid the foundation of the musical culture of the town. Today the name Loboc is synonymous with musical acumen.

In June 1942, troops of the Imperial Japanese Army occupied Loboc. In 1945, Loboc was gradually liberated by the Philippine Commonwealth Army troops of the 8th and 83rd Infantry Division, together with Boholano guerrillas, forming part of the conclusion of World War II.

Places of interest

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Loboc Church

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The Loboc Church is one of the most beautiful in the entire province. The first stone church was built in 1602. It was destroyed by fire in 1638 and its replacement built beside the site of the older one. This is the church presently standing, a fine example of the Jesuit colonial architecture of the 18th century.

After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1768, the Augustinian Recollects took over and renovated the unfinished structure. They were responsible for the free-standing bell tower, the arcade façade, the mortuary chapel, the heavy stone buttresses and the unique three-storey convent built into the fabric of the Jesuit-built 17th century church.

Two saintly figures lived and were buried at the Loboc church: Fr. Alonso Humanes, SJ whose grave became the object of pilgrimages after his death in 1633, and the native boy, Miguel Ayatumo, a student of the Seminario Colegio, who died in the honor of sanctity at the age of 16 in 1609. Contemporary Jesuit records speak proudly of a second "Aloysius Gonzaga" who is from Bohol.

The Loboc Church contains a lot of interesting treasures. Among these are the decorative stone carvings and friezes on the exterior walls; a relief of St. Ignatius Loyola in polychrome stucco hidden behind the main altar, seven ancient retablos from both the Jesuit and Recollect periods; ceiling murals executed in the 1920s by Cebuano artists Ray Francia and Canuto Avila, one depicting the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the town's secondary patron,[8] during the great flood of 1876; carved wooden cornices and decorative corbels shaped as gargoyles or mythical animals.

Much of the early history of Bohol was made around the town and church of Loboc. It would not be an understatement to say that to know Loboc is to understand the entire drama of Bohol history. At present, Loboc church is deteriorating, ignored by tourists and visitors and continually threatened by the annual flood that has already robbed it of its ancient records and other priceless relics. The church was severely damaged by the 2013 Bohol earthquake, and the tropical storm Seniang at the end of 2014 washed away most of the remains waiting for repair.

Geography

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Barangays

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Loboc is politically subdivided into 28 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

PSGC Barangay Population ±% p.a.
2020[3] 2010[9]
071229001 Agape 3.3% 579 660 ▾ −1.30%
071229002 Alegria 3.4% 586 571 ▴ 0.26%
071229003 Bagumbayan 3.5% 610 684 ▾ −1.14%
071229004 Bahian 2.9% 503 519 ▾ −0.31%
071229005 Bonbon Lower 1.3% 235 218 ▴ 0.75%
071229006 Bonbon Upper 3.6% 631 584 ▴ 0.78%
071229007 Buenavista 1.9% 334 280 ▴ 1.78%
071229008 Bugho 3.2% 565 572 ▾ −0.12%
071229009 Cabadiangan 1.5% 260 276 ▾ −0.60%
071229010 Calunasan Norte 3.9% 674 631 ▴ 0.66%
071229011 Calunasan Sur 2.3% 392 406 ▾ −0.35%
071229012 Camayaan 5.8% 1,011 1,039 ▾ −0.27%
071229013 Cambance 1.8% 307 346 ▾ −1.19%
071229014 Candabong 4.2% 728 736 ▾ −0.11%
071229015 Candasag 1.2% 211 254 ▾ −1.84%
071229016 Canlasid 1.7% 295 250 ▴ 1.67%
071229017 Gon‑ob 1.6% 271 285 ▾ −0.50%
071229018 Gotozon 5.0% 870 771 ▴ 1.22%
071229019 Jimilian 6.7% 1,170 1,211 ▾ −0.34%
071229020 Oy 7.5% 1,302 1,387 ▾ −0.63%
071229022 Poblacion Ondol 4.6% 796 802 ▾ −0.08%
071229021 Poblacion Sawang 3.4% 598 671 ▾ −1.14%
071229023 Quinoguitan 2.9% 502 488 ▴ 0.28%
071229024 Taytay 1.4% 245 259 ▾ −0.55%
071229025 Tigbao 4.7% 826 867 ▾ −0.48%
071229026 Ugpong 1.9% 335 332 ▴ 0.09%
071229027 Villadolid 2.6% 445 478 ▾ −0.71%
071229028 Villaflor 4.1% 712 735 ▾ −0.32%
Total 17,418 16,312 ▴ 0.66%

Climate

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Climate data for Loboc, Bohol
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 28
(82) 		29
(84) 		30
(86) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		30
(86) 		29
(84) 		30
(86) 		30
(86) 		29
(84) 		28
(82) 		28
(82) 		29
(85)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22
(72) 		22
(72) 		22
(72) 		23
(73) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		23
(73) 		23
(73) 		23
(74)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 102
(4.0) 		85
(3.3) 		91
(3.6) 		75
(3.0) 		110
(4.3) 		141
(5.6) 		121
(4.8) 		107
(4.2) 		111
(4.4) 		144
(5.7) 		169
(6.7) 		139
(5.5) 		1,395
(55.1)
Average rainy days 18.6 14.8 16.5 16.7 23.9 26.4 25.6 24.1 24.4 26.3 23.7 20.5 261.5
Source: Meteoblue[10]

Demographics

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Population census of Loboc
YearPop.±% p.a.
1903 10,756—    
1918 11,335+0.35%
1939 11,015−0.14%
1948 11,201+0.19%
1960 10,367−0.64%
1970 11,767+1.27%
1975 11,799+0.05%
1980 11,778−0.04%
1990 13,716+1.54%
1995 13,335−0.53%
2000 15,734+3.61%
2007 16,299+0.49%
2010 16,312+0.03%
2015 15,993−0.38%
2020 17,418+1.69%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[11][9][12][13]

Economy

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Poverty incidence of Loboc

10
20
30
40
2006
26.00
2009
32.77
2012
21.52
2015
16.96
2018
12.80
2021
18.31

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]

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  •  
    Poblacion and municipal hall
  •  
    A view of Loboc River
  •  
    Loboc Church
  •  
    Remains of Loboc church post-2013 earthquake
  •  
    Loboc River Cruise
  •  
    Busay Falls on Loboc river

Notes

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  1. ^ Here was one of the biggest blunders in planning in Bohol: a partly completed bridge, which if it were completed would have required the church to be destroyed.[5]

References

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  1. ^  Municipality of Loboc | (DILG)
  2. ^ "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Census of Population (2020). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  4. ^ "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  5. ^ Campo, Liv; Berondo, Wenna A. (9 September 2005). "Santiago inspects unfinished bridge in Loboc, Bohol". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  6. ^ "'Unprecedented' floods in Bohol as Seniang kills 11". rappler.com. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  7. ^ ""Seniang" places Bohol under state of calamity". Bohol News Today. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  8. ^ "Loboc Town". www.bohol-philippines.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  9. ^ a b Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region VII (Central Visayas)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  10. ^ "Loboc: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  11. ^ Census of Population (2015). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  12. ^ Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
  13. ^ "Province of Bohol". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  15. ^ "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
  16. ^ "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
  17. ^ "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
  18. ^ "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
  19. ^ "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
  20. ^ "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  21. ^ "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
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