Blood Compact
May 25, 2009 by Christian
Vincent Antonio (Quezon City)
Blood Compact by Ynah Pilarta
Considered as the first international treaty, Spaniard Miguel Lopez de Legazpi entered into a pact called Sandugo with Bohol chieftain Datu Sikatuna ensuring friendly relations with the Filipinos on March of 1565. Sandugo or blood compact is a Visayan term which fuses the words isang and dugo meaning one blood.
One ironic thing about the blood compact is its aftermath. Performing Sandugo was relatively significant to the Bohol natives as it symbolized brotherhood and peace. Howbeit, Lopez de Legazpi took possession of the island in the name of King Phillip II few days after the compact. It was the commencement of the 256-year rule of the Spaniards; reason why Spanish influence is very much obvious in Filipino’s culture
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Good write up, but no details are mentioned about the image of the picture…which depicts the initiation ‘Blood Compact’ into the Katipunan. That image was designed after Carlos V. Franciscos’s famous mural entitled “Blood Compact”.
There is another famous painting done by our most famous artist Juan Luan that was also called “Blood Compact”, which depicts the agreement between Legazpi and Sikatuna. Jose Rizal(who was good friends with Luna in Europe) was also used as a stand in for one of the characters in the painting. That image of the painting was later used on the back of an older Philippine banknote…the original painting now hangs in Malacanang Palace.