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The Awit sa Bohol or Bohol Hymn is the official provincial hymn of the province of Bohol, Philippines. The lyrics and music were written by Justino "Ning" Romea ^[1] and arrangement was made by Ms. Maxelende Ganade. The original lyrics are in Boholano with an available English version. The Cebuano translation is credited to Ms. Maxelende Ganade.^[1]During every program or gatherings, the Boholanos sing the Bohol Hymn after the Philippine National Anthem. ^[2]

According to Bohol.ph: "The Boholanos are a freedom loving and independent people, who take pride in their Island, whereever they are. No wonder, the province even has its own provincial anthem".^[1]

Contents 1 Awit sa Bohol 2 Bohol Hymn 3 Composer 4 Other Bohol provincial symbols 4.1 Provincial Seal 4.2 Bohol flag 4.3 Provincial bird 4.4 Provincial tree 4.5 Provincial Fruit 4.6 Provincial Plant 4.7 Provincial flower 4.8 Provincial Hero 4.9 Provincial Dance 5 References 6 External link

(Lyrics in Boholano)
Yuta kong minahal
Hatag ni Bathala
Sa adlaw'g gabii
Taknang tanan
Dinasig sa
kinaiyahan
Sa mga bayani yutawhan
Imong kalinaw giampingan
Lungsod sa bungtod nga matunhaw
Ug matam-is nga kinampay

Puti ang kabaybayonan
Walog sa suba binisbisan
Bahandi ang dagat ug kapatagan
Gugma ang tuburan
Sa kagawasan sa tanan
Panalanginan ka
Ihalad ko lawas ug kalag
Sa mutya ko'ng Bohol

(English version)
This is the land I love,
The land God gave to me,
Caressed by the sun,
Bathed by the sea,
And kissed by the cool breeze
Night and day.
Here’s where the early heroes lived,
Here’s where they wrought peace and here they bled,
Here rise the marvelous cone-shaped hills,
Here’s sweet kinampay grows.

Blessed with white sandy beaches,
Rivers that water valleys,
Seas teem with fishes and cows graze
on the plains,
In ev’ry home love reigns,
God keep my homeland always free,
Let her forever be,
I pledge my strength, my heart and soul,
To my dear home, Bohol

Justino "Ning" Romea is a native of Barangay Napo, Loon, Bohol. He is the composer of the Bohol Hymn "Awit sa Bohol". He is also the composer of the Rafael Palma College or RPC Song (now UB Hymn) and many other school anthems. He is best remembered for the love song "Ako Kang Paabuton", the folk song "Sa Daplin sa Baybayon" as well as most of the songs featured in the annual 'drama' presentations in his native Napo for which he served as writer, director and musical arranger. ^[3]

While the Philippines has its national bird (the Agila or the Philippine Eagle), flower (Sampaguita, Jasminium sambac), dance (Cariñosa), leaves (anahaw), and tree (narra), Bohol has also declared its own provincial symbols.

The provincial seal features the Chocolate Hills which are Bohol's famous tourist attraction symbolizing the abundance of natural beauty in Bohol. The green color symbolizes that Bohol is an agricultural province with most of its people depending on farming for livelihood. The Blood Compact between Sikatuna and Legaspi symbolizes the Boholano's love for peace.

In the official flag of the province of Bohol has several symbolism. For colors, the blue stands for nobility, the white for purity and red for courage. The bolos commemorate the Tamblot and Dagohoy rebellions. The two arms in the middle depict the blood compact between Datu Sikatuna and Miguel López de Legazpi, and behind that are shown the world famous Chocolate Hills. The lone star in the top left is to honour Carlos P. Garcia, the Boholano president of the Philippines.

The independent trait of the Boholanos is well known, through its history of resistance against the Spanish, American and Japanese invaders, and is expressed by the prominent placement of two large bolos (local swords) on the official provincial flag.

The independence of the Boholano also reflects itself in the relative absence of large landownership on the island: most farmers still own their own often small, patch of land, a big contrast to some other islands, such as Negros, where large areas of land are held by a few families.

The provicial bird is the antolihaw or dimodlaw (Oriolus chinensis), a bright yellow bird which can be found all over the province especially during the summer when it will make a loud noise: 'waw-waw-waw'.

The molave (Vitex parviflora) is declared the provincial tree. A small tree, it is richly branched with trifoliate leaves. The flowers are violet-colored and the fruits pea-sized and dark purple to black. It is a native to Bohol, and grows well on its limestone soils.

The provincial fruit is the Bohol mangga, or mango, (Mangifera indica Linnaeus), which does very well in Bohol. The limestone soil is responsible for the sweet and tender fruit, which is said to be the sweetest in the Philippines. About half a million mango trees grow in Bohol.

The ubi kinampay (The purple Boholano yam; Dioscorea alata Linnaeus) is a rootcropt chosen as the provincial plant. This plant's meat ranges from white to light to dark purple color with an excellent aromatic taste. It is eaten cooked, alone or mixed with other vegetables. It is also dried and then used to flavor ice cream, candies and cakes. Even before declaring the ubi as the provincial plant, the annual Ubi Festival has been celebrated every January.

The white gumamela (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linnaeus) is the provincial flower. This white flower symbolizes the characteristic innocence and naturalness of the Boholano. Its long bowing styles bring about a language of welcome, its tender structure with pollens characterize the people's simple tastes and modest needs. The greenish, close-knit petals represent the loyalty and constancy of the Boholano family towards each of its members, conscious of the bond that joins them together in the good and bad times.

The provincial hero Francisco Sendrijas, most popularly known as Francisco Dagohoy or Dagohoy. He led the Dagohoy Rebellion which is considered as the longest revolt in the Philippine history.

The provincial dance is the Kuratsa Boholana.

• The Bohol Hymn
• Bohol Provincial Symbols
• The Bohol Provincial flag and seal