MODULE 8 PACTO DE

SANGRE LEARNING
ACTIVITY

The Blood Compact was made between Sikatuna and
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in Bohol, painted by Juan
Luna
"Since the same blood now circulated through
their veins, they had become members of the
same family, compelled to observe loyalty to one
another (Arcila, pp. 36-37, 2001)," the blood
compact, or sandugo, means. In other words, the
rite made Sikatuna and Legazpi blood brothers.
However, on April 15, 1565, Legazpi, in the name
of the King of Spain, took control of the island of
Bohol. He then proceeded to bombard and
conquer Cebu.
Spanish colonialism begun on April 27, 1565, the
expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in
the Cebu, Philippines from Mexico. In Cebu, he
established the first permanent settlement. Much
of the archipelago fell under Spanish control,
resulting in the creation of the Philippines, the
world's first united political system.

The Sandugo, or Blood Compact, was a
Filipino rite. The blood contract
between Spanish Explorer Miguel
Lopez de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna,
the Chieftain of Bohol in 1565 is
commemorated by this monument on
the island of Bohol.
The writers of Tadhana described Legazpi's sandugo (literally, united
blood) ceremony with Sikatuna and Sigala, as well as Kolambu and
Magellan's, but chose to focus on the rite that took place in Cebu
between Tupas and Legazpi, explaining
“Now, in a solemn ceremony, native and foreigners would dedicate the
friendship that had eluded previous efforts. Despite the fact that their
blood had merged, their minds remained separate. The blood compact
was an arrangement between equals for the Filipinos, a promise of
everlasting fraternity and alliance. In the same moment that Tupas and
Legazpi emptied their cups, it was obvious to the Spaniard that this was
a victory and defeat ceremony. . . . (Marcos 1976, 45)”
Zeus Salazar agrees with this understanding (2009). 4
In his 1971 book, An Introduction to Philippine History, Fr. José Arcilla,
S.J. (1984, 14–15), he made no mention of the blood ceremony. Arcilla
(1991) began mentioning the Blood Compact in Rizal and the
Emergence of the Philippine Nation.
During the Spanish colonial era, Christianity, the code of law, and Asia's
oldest modern university were all introduced. The Philippines were
governed by the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which was headquartered in
Mexico. The colony was then directly ruled by Spain.
The Boxer’s Codex (Anon. 1975, 233) puts it thus:

“When they make friends with those with whom they are at war or with others, some are accustomed to taking a small amount of
blood from the weapons or other parts of the body and giving it to those who wish to become their friends to drink, and others do
the same, and in this way they claim peace and friendship are made completely and will not be broken.”

Taken at face value, these interpretations indicated that a central concept in the Spanish accounts was their perception of these
oaths as a way to create "friendship" in order to stop or end a bloody conflict between individuals possibly within one village or
across two villages. The conditions that led individuals or whole villages to decide to become friends after a time of enmity are
unknown. However, once the parties—whose numbers were not specified—had agreed to become friends rather than rivals, they
would "taste" or partake in each other's blood, cementing a never-ending bond.

“Sandugo: peace pacts in which the two sides drank a few drops of each other's blood in a draught of wine.... It was a procedure
by which two men who were not inherently rivals became blood brothers, vowing to remain together through thick and thin, war
and peace, and to follow mourning restrictions if they were separated.”

Scott (ibid.) clarifies that “These peace pacts were made between two datus, however, not between two nations or tribes, and so
were binding on other members of the group only to the degree of the pact holder's effective authority, and in no case on other
datus,” perhaps in response to how blood oaths have been perceived since the rise of Filipino nationalism. Scott emphasizes the
"localized" nature of blood oaths. He does point out, however, that the parties to such a pact did not have to be rivals, and that
the expectation was the same whether or not there had been previous animosity: a relationship that would last through “war and
peace.” Scott elevates this sworn bond to the status of blood brotherhood.

Spain's strategy toward the Philippines, its only colony in Asia, had three goals: gaining a share of the spice trade, developing
relations with China and Japan to further Christian missionary activities there, and converting the Filipinos to Christianity.