Panglao Island is situated on the southwestern corner of the Island of Bohol and connected by bridge. From Panglao Island, it is about a 30 minute ride into Tagbilaran, the capitol city of Bohol. Bohol is an island province located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of Bohol Island and 75 minor surrounding islands.

The province is a popular tourist destination with its beaches and resorts. The Chocolate Hills, numerous mounds of limestone formation, is the most popular attraction. The island of Panglao, located just southwest of Tagbilaran City, is famous for its diving locations and routinely listed as one of the top ten diving locations in the world. Numerous tourist resorts dot the southern beaches and cater to divers from around the world. The Philippine Tarsier, considered the second-smallest primate in the world, is indigenous to the island.

Boholanos, the natives of Bohol, refer to their island homeland as the "Republic of Bohol" with both conviction and pride. A narrow strait separates the island of Cebu and Bohol and both share a common language, but the Boholanos retain a conscious distinction from the Cebuanos. Bohol's climate is generally dry, with maximum rainfall between the months of June and October. The interior is cooler than the coast. It is the home of Carlos P. Garcia, the fourth president of the Republic of the Philippines (1957-1961) who was born in Talibon, Bohol.

According to the 2000 census, there are a total of 1,137,268 residents of Bohol living in 209,588 households yielding an average household size of 5.41 persons, significantly higher than the national average of 4.99. The annual growth rate is 2.92%, higher than the national growth rate of 2.36%. With this growth rate, Bohol's population will double in 24 years.

During the Philippine-American War, American troops under Major Henry Hale landed in Tagbilaran and took over the island. He hired and outfitted Pedro Samson to build a police force for the island. Instead Samson took his troops and equipment into the interior of Bohol and began an insurgency. After being massacred in their first battle, Samson turned to guerrilla tactics and influenced the interior of the island while Hale's forces controlled the outer edge and Tagbilaran City. In January, 1901, the fighting had reached a lull. In May, 1901 an American soldier was murdered by the fiancé' of a woman he had assaulted. In retaliation, Capt. Andrew S. Rowan,[14] the soldier's commander, ordered the burning of the town of Jagna. This infuriated the population of Bohol and reignited the insurrection. At first Rowan was suspended from duty for this decision. But eventually support for burning villages increased in the military command. The burnings continued, usually as a reaction to collaboration. In addition, livestock was raped and prominent civilians tortured. Water cure was a commonly used torture technique. By the end of the fighting, American troops had burned 16-20 villages. Major Edwin F. Glenn, who had personally approved the tortures, was later courts-martialed for the crime. Samson and his men surrendered on December 23, 1901 after being granted amnesty and taking a loyalty oath. The war largely ended at this time. However, a month later Samson had rearmed and ordered the killing of J. R. Hegg, the provincial supervisor. This inflamed passions and almost restarted the war. But war did not resume and the last American troops left in February, 1902. On March 10, 1917, the Americans made Bohol a separate province under Act 2711 (which also established most of the other Philippine provinces).

In WWII, the Japanese occupation of Bohol was initiated when the Japanese Imperial Army landed in Tagbilaran on May 17, 1942. Boholanos struggled unsuccessfully to provide resistance against the Japanese forces. Bohol was later re-conquered by the combined forces of the Boholano Guerrillas, Filipino troops and American infantry when the liberation landings started on April 11, 1945. The officers and men of the 3rd Battalion of the 164th Infantry Regiment of the Americal Division under the command of Lt. Col. William H. Considine along with their Filipino soldier comrades, landed at the Tagbilaran Wharf at 7:00am April 11, 1945. The convoy taking the Filipino and American liberation forces to Bohol consisted of a flotilla of six landing ships (medium), six landing crafts (infantry), two landing crafts (support), and one landing craft (medium-rocket). Upon arrival, the reinforced battalion combat team advanced rapidly to the east and northeast with the mission of destroying all hostile forces in Bohol. Motor patrols were immediately dispatched by Col. Considine, Task Force Commander, and combed the area to the north and east, approximately halfway across the island, but no enemies were found during the reconnaissance. Finally on April 15, an enemy group of undetermined strength was located to the north of Ginopolan in Valencia, near the Sierra-Bullones boundary and a battle ensued. By April 17, the Task Force was poised to strike in Ginopolan and continued fighting lasted until the 25th, when it was confirmed that the bulk of the Japanese force had been destroyed and beaten in the ten days of action. Bohol was officially declared liberated on May 25, 1945 by Major General William H. Arnold, Commander of the Americal Division.

Having been blessed with such unique attributes as the geology of the Chocolate Hills, the biology of its pristine and easily accessible coral reefs, its very mild and dry climate, the beauty and white sand beaches of a coastline 261 kilometers (162 mi) long and being one of the few natural habitats of the tarsier, it is easy to see why Bohol is one of the top world-wide exotic destinations. Bohol is even one of the top 5 domestic destinations of choice for native Filipinos.

During our tour of Bohol, we will circumnavigate the entire island on motorcycle (a very nice ride considering the roads are in excellent condition and most of the roadway hugs the shoreline), visit the Chocolate Hills and also take a tour up the Loboc river on a floating restaurant (about a 1½ hour cruise). There are a number of old churches on Bohol, same as everywhere else in the Philippines, that make very good points of interest.

The Chocolate Hills are a famous tourist attraction of Bohol. According to the latest accurate survey done, there are 1,776 hills spread over an area of more than 50km² (20mi²). They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, due to the mountains being a natural sedimentary formation of almost solid limestone. The domes vary in sizes from 30 to 50 meters (98 to 160 ft) high with the largest being 120 meters (390 ft) in height. They are scattered throughout the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan. They are featured in the Bohol provincial flag and seal to symbolize the abundance of natural attractions in the province. They are in the Philippine Tourism Authority's list of tourist destinations in the Philippines; they have been declared the country's 3rd National Geological Monument and proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

One of the historical sites we will visit, that is on the way to board the Loboc river boat, is a place known as the site of the Blood Compact. Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi, after having his initial landing thwarted in Cebu by hostile natives (thinking he was there to pillage and plunder, same as Magellan), arrived in Bohol to look for spices and gold. Again, Legazpi was confronted by the hostile natives. This time, however, with the assistance of his Malay pilot, he was able to convince the native chieftains that they were not the Portuguese and were not there to pillage and plunder like Magellan. Miguel López de Legazpi then was successful in making a peace pact, on 16 March 1565, with Datu Sikatuna of Bool and Datu Sigala of Loboc. This pact was signified with a blood compact between Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna. It was with this pact in hand that Legazpi was successful in his second landing attempt in Cebu that happened the following month. The blood compact, called the Sandugo (one blood), is celebrated in Bohol every year during the Sandugo Festival. The blood compact is also depicted on Bohol's provincial flag and the Bohol provincial seal.

Under Spanish rule, Bohol became a separate politico-military province on July 22, 1854 together with the nearby island of Siquijor. After the defeat of the Spaniards and subsequent purchase of the entire island chain by the USA, the Americans made Bohol a separate province, on March 10, 1917, under Act 2711 (which also established most of the other current Philippine provinces).

If there was ever a stereotypical Philippine island, Bohol would surely qualify. But that is not to say that being stereotypical is necessarily boring, considering that the stereotype in play is one of exotic beaches, natural and geological wonders, pristine waters, abundant ocean life, beautiful tropical flora, interesting and rare animal life and the general ambiance of being a tropical paradise.