Baclayon

Baclayon is a 4th municipal income class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 20,591.^[3] In the 2016 electoral roll, it had 12,166 registered voters.^[4]

The town is the home town of multi-award-winning actor Cesar Montano,^[5] and accomplished physicist Caesar Saloma.

Baclayon was the first municipality to be established in Bohol by the Spaniards and included originally the areas now made up by the municipalities of Alburquerque, Balilihan, Corella, and Sikatuna. Its original name was Bacayan, from the root word bacay, meaning "detour" in reference to the fact that travellers used to make a detour there around a rocky cliff.^[6]

In 1595, two Jesuit priests, Juan de Torres and Gabriel Sanchez, arrived in Bohol to convert the local populace to Catholicism. With native help, they built a stone church which is considered as one of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines, and marked the beginning of the town. In 1600, Moros raided the fledgling settlement, which prompted the Jesuits to relocate their residencia to Loboc.^[7][8]

In 1717, Baclayon gained status of a parish. In 1742, Tagbilaran was separated from Baclayon, followed by Alburquerque in 1868, Balilihan in 1828, and Corella in 1884.^[7]

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baclayon,_Bohol}