Pamilacan is an island

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...

in the Philippines, situated south 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 region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It ...

island and surrounded by the

Bohol Sea The Bohol Sea, also called the Mindanao Sea, is a sea located between the Visayas and Mindanao islands in the Philippines. It lies south of Bohol and Leyte and north of Mindanao. Siquijor and Camiguin are its two major islands. The major citi ...

(also called Mindanao Sea). It is one of the of 17 barangays that compose the municipality of

Baclayon Baclayon, officially the Municipality of Baclayon ( ceb, Munisipalidad sa Baclayon; tgl, Bayan ng Baclayon), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 22,461 people. ...

. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 1,418, comprising about 240 families whose main livelihoods now concentrate on dolphin- and whale-watching tours and subsistence fishing, but in the past also included whale, dolphin and manta ray hunting. Pamilacan perhaps means "resting place of the mantas", but it can also be considered to derive from the word ''pamilac'', or harpoon, a device that was historically used to capture the mantas, dolphins and whales. On the northeast part of the island is a 200yearold Spanish fort, which in the past served as a

watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

for the Spaniards to look out for intruders, such as pirates and other enemies, particularly those coming from the south. Along with the other watchtowers in

Dauis Dauis, officially the Municipality of Dauis ( ceb, Munisipalidad sa Dauis; tgl, Bayan ng Dauis), is now a 2nd class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,492 people. The tow ...

, Panglao, Maribojoc, Loay and

Balilihan Balilihan, officially the Municipality of Balilihan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Balilihan; tgl, Bayan ng Balilihan), is a 4th class rural municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 18,694 peopl ...

, the island's watchtower was declared by the

National Museum of the Philippines The National Museum of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas}) is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines including ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and vis ...

as a National Cultural Treasure under the collective group of ''Bohol Watchtowers'' on August 29, 2011 Aside from being famous for the whaleshark and dolphin-watching activities, the island is also known for its white sand beaches and renowned for its snorkeling and dive sites, such as Dakit-Dakit. ' or ' is a sunken plateau about deep, to the west of Pamilacan. It is covered with coral but lies in the middle of the ocean, which is why there usually is a very strong current. Here one can see black-white banded sea snakes,

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

moray eel Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and a few are f ...

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to match, ...

s and bucket sponges.

References

{{reflist Islands of Bohol