Loay, officially the Municipality of Loay (; ), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of 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 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,855 people. Recent historical research found that instead of being in Bool, Tagbilaran, the actual site of the

Blood Compact Blood compact ( Spanish: ''Pacto de sangre''; Tagalog: ''Sanduguan'') was an ancient ritual in the Philippines intended to seal a friendship or treaty, or to validate an agreement. The contracting parties would cut their hands and pour their blo ...

between Legazpi and Sikatuna may be in barangay Hinawanan. Loay is also known for the many antiques discovered in its soils, thus indicating a civilization before the Spanish came to Bohol: it has become a haven for the treasure hunters. The town of Loay, Bohol celebrates its feast in May (the date is movable), to honor the town patron Santisima Trinidad/Blessed Trinity.

History

During the period 1751–1754, Loay was a small village called Santissima Trinidad located at the strip of the Loboc River, as mentioned in the accounts of Father Juan . As a ''visita'', it formerly belonged to the Municipality of Loboc. It was separated from the Loboc mission in 1795, although some state 1815 as the foundation date, and reflects that it became an independent parish in 1799. The

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

and belfry of Loay were severely damaged by the 2013 earthquake. On April 27, 2022, the old Clarin Bridge carrying National Route 850 (N850) over the Loboc River in Loay collapsed, killing 4 people and injuring 15. The bridge was damaged during the 2013 earthquake and still being used while a new replacement bridge was under construction next to it. One possible cause was the stationary traffic on the bridge that exceeded its capacity.

Geography

Located at the mouth of the Loboc River, the municipality can be divided into a lower and an upper part. The lower part used to be called Canipaan because of the presence of nipa swamps in this part of the town, while the upper part is named Ibabao, being located on a plateau. Loay is from

Tagbilaran Tagbilaran, officially the City of Tagbilaran (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popu ...

Barangays

Loay is politically subdivided into 24 barangays. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Tourism

Loay is one of the locations to take a Loboc river lunch cruise. Lunch cruise on the Loboc river.jpg, Lunch cruise on the Loboc river loaychurch.jpg, Loay church 2006 Remains of Loay church post-2013 earthquake 01.JPG, Remains of Loay church post-2013 earthquake

References

Sources

* *

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Municipality of Loay
{{Authority control Municipalities of Bohol