"''Awit sa Bohol''" ( Boholano for "Song of Bohol"), also known as the Bohol Hymn, is the official anthem of the province of

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng 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 m ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

History

The song was composed by

Justino Romea Justino 'Tining' R. Romea (Napo, Loon, April 17, 1934– 1985) was a Filipino composer, writer, director, musical arranger, poet and journalist. He composed the Awit sa Bohol or Bohol hymn and many school anthems. Biography Born in Napo, ...

of Loon, a columnist for the ''

Bohol Chronicle The ''Bohol Chronicle'', popularly known as the ''Chronicle'', is a daily newspaper in Bohol, Philippines. It also hosted a radio station at DYRD-AM 1161 AM. History The ''Bohol Chronicle'' was founded on May 16, 1954. In 2016, they launched ...

'' and a teacher at the Bohol School of Arts and Trades (now the

Bohol Island State University The Bohol Island State University ( fil, ᜉᜋᜈ᜔ᜆᜐᜅ᜔ ᜉᜋ᜔ᜉᜋᜑᜎᜀᜈ᜔ ᜅ᜔ ᜁᜐ᜔ᜎ ᜅ᜔ ᜊᜓᜑᜓᜎ᜔ , Pamantasang Pampamahalaan ng Isla ng Bohol), also referred to by its acronym BISU, is a public inst ...

), with Romea also writing the hymn's original English lyrics. Commissioned by Governor Lino Chatto, it was first played on March 1, 1970 by an all-female choir of the College of the Holy Spirit (now the

Holy Spirit School of Tagbilaran The Holy Spirit School of Tagbilaran, also referred to by its acronym HSST, is a private, Catholic, co-educational basic education institution run by the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS) congregationin Tagbilaran City, Bo ...

) as the provincial flag was being raised during the opening ceremony for the East Visayan Athletic Association Games in

Tagbilaran Tagbilaran, officially the City of Tagbilaran ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Tagbilaran), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 104,976 people. Encompassing a la ...

, the provincial capital. Later that year on September 24, 1970, the Bohol Provincial Board passed Resolution No. 215, making the song the official hymn of Bohol. A few years later, the provincial government launched a competition to translate the song's lyrics into Boholano, with the winning entry being written by lyricist and composer

Maxelende Ganade Maxelende Bag-ao Ganade (Tagbilaran, November 24, 1937–Tagbilaran, October 11, 2020) was a Filipino musician, lyricist and composer. She translated the original English lyrics of the " Bohol Hymn" into Binisaya (Awit sa Bohol). The Bohol ...

. Ganade's lyrics were subsequently adopted by the Provincial Board with the passage of Resolution No. 151 on September 13, 1974.

Lyrics

While "''Awit sa Bohol''" has official English and Boholano lyrics, and the song is normally performed in Boholano, the

Eskaya The Eskaya, less commonly known as the Visayan-Eskaya, is the collective name for the members of a cultural minority found in Bohol, Philippines, which is distinguished by its cultural heritage, particularly its literature, language, dress an ...

cultural minority also have a version of the provincial anthem in their language, Eskayan. However, unlike the English and Boholano versions, the Eskayan version is unofficial. The lyrics of the song have been interpreted as being a strong statement of Boholanos' commitment to their culture, history and environment.

Performance

Singing "''Awit sa Bohol''" is mandatory whenever there is an official event being held in the province of Bohol. In 2017, after noticing that the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

began implementing it in schools, Governor

Edgar Chatto Edgardo Migriño Chatto (born February 21, 1960), more commonly known as Edgar Chatto, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who is currently the Representative of the 1st Legislative District of Bohol since 2019. He previously served in that posi ...

mandated the performance of "

The ASEAN Way "The ASEAN Way" is the official anthem of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The lyrics were written by Payom Valaiphatchra; and the music composed by Kittikhun Sodprasert; and Sampow Triudom.; The anthem was the winning ...

", the anthem of the

Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

, in government offices throughout the province, which is to be performed after "'' Lupang Hinirang''" (the National Anthem), "''Awit sa Bohol''" and, if so required, the municipal hymn.

References

Bibliography

External links

*, produced by Department of Trade and Industry {{National anthems of Asia Regional songs Culture of Bohol English-language Filipino songs Asian anthems Philippine anthems National anthem compositions in F major