Loon, Bohol

Loon, officially the Municipality of Loon (Munisipalidad sa Loon; ), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines which was established in 1753. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,224 people.

Loon was among the hardest hit towns in the 2013 Bohol earthquake. About a third of all casualties occurred in this town, and its church, dating from the 1850s, completely razed to the ground.

Geography
28 km north of Tagbilaran is the town proper of Loon, the westernmost municipality of the island province. Cabilao and Sandingan islands are part of the municipality. Lanao Lake on Cabilao island (also known as Cabilao Island Lake) is the only natural lake in Bohol province.

Loon lies halfway between Tagbilaran and Tubigon, Bohol's major ports of entry, each of which is only 40 minutes away by public utility buses, jeepneys and vans-for-hire that frequently ply the north–south route. Loon has one provincial secondary port and six fishing ports. The secondary port is being converted into the Loon Bohol International Cruise Ship Port. Currently it serves the Loon—Argao (Cebu) route.

Topography
Loon is composed of land mass, coastlines and natural waters and has a relatively rolling topography consisting of moderate hills, rolling plains, sparse plateaus interspersed with valleys, and some ravines.

Barangays
Loon is politically subdivded into 67 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

 soso a freshwater shellfish species

badba-an a local shrub or tree

bagakay or bamboo abundant in the area
 * katipuhan a place where "tipolo" trees grew in abundance
 * kawayan a bamboo thicket beside a small pool of mud where carabaos wallow
 * saong a tree species whose sap thought similar to paste used in the making of Noah's Ark

 bahi the hard portion of the trunk of a "pugahan" palm

 basac from the visayan word "basa", which means "wet" and many years passed by, turned into "basac"

 ba'as means sand
 * daku means big; wide shoreline of the barangay
 * diyo means small; a patch of sand on its shoreline

 biasong: a variety of orange grown near the Moalong River

 trabongko: a legendary shining ball that giant snakes amused at night

 bugho or hole, references to the ravines and gorges of the barangay

 after the plant bakong

 land purportedly belonging (Ca) to the first inhabitant named Badug

 kabug bats hanging from the branches of "tipolo" trees

 after the swaying coconut trees which looked like fighting (galayug)

 ba's nga nag-ekis-ekis or sand that crosses from one side to other depending on the waves. (A popular yet wrong tale means "come back and kiss".)

 patud a spring in a thick forest where hunters go

 legendary ever-burning stump of dead tree to kindle (daig) lamps

<td style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 > kanhangdon root word is "hangad" or to look up from the Moalong River

<td style="text-align:left;" > nigaran a legendary place where big niga trees grew

<td style="text-align:left;" > mamag or tarsier, which were plentiful

<td style="text-align:left;" > manok where wild chickens abound

<td style="text-align:left;" > after a spring of the same name

<td style="text-align:left;" > subayon the act of walking the banks of creeks

<td style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 > tam-is means sweet
 * bago is a vegetable
 * baslay the name of a spring

<td style="text-align:left;" > taongon tree was abundant

<td style="text-align:left;" > sondo a creek where one needs to take a leap (tukad)

<td style="text-align:left;" rowspan=3 > tagbak means to barter or exchange goods
 * katagbacan is a location where barter takes place
 * handig a location on slopes that rise from the plain

<td style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 > kogon grass

<td style="text-align:left;" > "Kawasi!", an order to disembark or jump overboard (to save the cargo)

<td style="text-align:left;" > the legend says an ill farmer called out because his carabao was hinomolan (wallowing in the river)

<td style="text-align:left;" > tuwang-tuwang, the changing movement of sand blown by south and north winds

<td style="text-align:left;" > the curved shape of its coastline na lo-ok

<td style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 > pok-pok, the warning drum hung from a mangrove tree (pagatpat) when Moros pirate kumpits were coming

<td style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 > moto or hill, located above the original settlement, the coastal barangay of Napo

<td style="text-align:left;" > nagatuwang whereby flow of water from a spring is absorbed higher

<td style="text-align:left;" > napolo or napo'o means place formed from sand

<td style="text-align:left;" > Spanish for 'new life'; the new settlement built when Catagbacan became too big

<td style="text-align:left;" > panankilon, a medicinal herb

<td style="text-align:left;" > from tulod-tulod the thrusting action of the waves shifting sand by the wind blow

<td style="text-align:left;" > pi-ot the narrow stretch of road which widened by blasting, resulting in the fleeing of the monkeys from their habitat

<td style="text-align:left;" > pundo-pundo or pondol juts into the sea or pools of water

<td style="text-align:left;" > kinubkoban holes dug looking for sources of water.

<td style="text-align:left;" > sondol or donsol, a sea slug species abundant in its seashore

<td style="text-align:left;"  > so-ongon, an arch-like rock formation along the shoreline; where one has to stoop (so-ong) to pass

<td style="text-align:left;"   > talisay trees which growing on cliffs over the shoreline

<td style="text-align:left;"   > tan-awan means a place where one gets a good view of the villages below it

<td style="text-align:left;"   > tangnan is cave that contains fresh water

<td style="text-align:left;" > taytay a bridge, narrow hilltop-located pathway that leads to the center of the village

<td style="text-align:left;" > tikog plant whose leaf strips can be woven into mats

<td style="text-align:left;" > tiwi the trees that once grew on the eastern part

<td style="text-align:left;" > tontonan means to use a rope (tonton) to scale a high mountain

<td style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 > tubod means spring
 * daku means big
 * diyo means small

<td style="text-align:left;" > tuburan is a spring

<td style="text-align:left;" > nag-ubay sa baybayon means straddling the shoreline

<td style="text-align:left;" > ulbohan a well where water gushed in spurts (ga ulbo-ulbo)

Economy
Gross Annual Income (2014): ₱63.2 million

Major industries: agriculture, fishery, cottage (ready-to-wear clothes, mats, baskets), transportation, trading, tourism

Loon's public markets include two main public markets and five barangay/feeder markets. There are more than 800 business establishments and entrepreneurs in Loon.

Indigenous culture and crafts

 * Processing of "binago", grated and dried cassava steamed over a perforated coconut half-shell fitted onto the mouth of an earthen pot half-filled with water; common in the barangays on Sandingan and Cabilao islands and in Ubayon.
 * Production of "tubâ" or toddy from coconut in Cantaongon and other upland barangays.
 * "Drama" or community theater in Napo, a fervently sustained local tradition that originated during the Spanish period. Local residents get involved as actors, singers, directors, stage managers and playwrights.
 * Weaving of mats from romblon palm in Cabilao; production of nypa shingles near Moalong River; and weaving of baskets and other handicrafts from bamboo, rattan, baliw, nito, sigid, sagisi and other materials in some upland barangays
 * Production of corn and cassava on the rocky slopes of Basdio. The "farm-on-the-rocks" is itself a tourist attraction because from below, the crops seem to grow not on soil but on black rocks and boulders.
 * Christmas caroling: "Daygon", "Pastores" and "Igiigi"
 * Good Friday dawn pilgrimage to Big Cross
 * Good Friday procession and Easter "Sugat/Hugos" rites in the town center
 * September "Festival of Lights" or "SidlaKasilak" in honor of the town's patroness
 * Town fiesta on 8 September and barangay fiestas throughout the year.

Heritage and historical sites

 * Inang-angan (grand stairway of coral stone blocks, 212 steps): A National Cultural Treasure
 * Sombria Bridge: stone bridge with the highest elevation among colonial bridges in the province.
 * Napo Ruins: possibly the remnants of a watchtower
 * Ferandos House: ancestral house (chalet) built during the American period.
 * Gabaldon building: the main building of Loon South Central Elementary School built in 1915.
 * Loon Public Plaza
 * Big Cross: a pilgrimage site marked by a Big Cross on the slopes Cabug offers a majestic view of the Cebu Strait. A road leading to the place features replicas of the 14 Stations of the Cross.
 * Virgen de la Paz Hermitage: home of the Virgen de la Paz hermit nuns that sits on a cliff that overlooking the mangroves and marine sanctuary in Tangnan and offers an unobstructed view of the sea and the blue mountains of Cebu.
 * Solar-powered Lighthouse: located in Punta Baluarte in Pantudlan, Cabilao Island, this modern lighthouse is a donation of the Spanish government and stands beside the old one retained for its historical value.
 * Punta Baluarte Eco-Museum: a Spanish-era bulwark on Cabilao Island that has been transformed into an eco-cultural museum
 * Mesina House: the only remaining ancestral house of such design. With some families experiencing early the economic boom brought about by success in the retail business, mostly in Leyte, Samar, Negros and Mindanao, and in the practice of their professions, all the other old houses have been replaced with modern designs.

‡ Totally destroyed by the 15 October 2013 earthquake.
 * Church of Nuestra Señora de la Luz (including old convent): A National Historical Landmark and National Cultural Treasure
 * Spanish-Era Mortuary Chapel: A National Cultural Treasure
 * Spanish Colonial Cemetery (1800–1860s): A National Cultural Treasure
 * Christ the King Monument: an imposing structure on the church plaza that features a figure of the Risen Christ atop a three-sided column at the center of an ornate and multi-layered circular base
 * The Grotto: depicts the scene in Lourdes, France where Mary appeared to a girl named Bernadette. It is a favorite backdrop for the annual reenactment of the Last Supper and many other photo opportunities
 * Hugosan: a four-column platform serving as main gate of the church; used during Easter Sunday rites

Natural attractions

 * Loon Coastal Geomorphic Conservation Park (417 ha intertidal zone uplifted as a result of the 2013 earthquake)
 * Loon Macaques: a mainstream tourist destination featuring the crab-eating mangrove monkeys (Cantomocad)
 * Cabilao Island
 * Dive sites
 * Cabilao Island Lake
 * Green Footprint Lagoon
 * Cabacungan Fish Sanctuary
 * Tubig-Loon Spring Park
 * White beaches and sand bars (Cabilao and Sandingan Islands)
 * Mangrove gardens (Tangnan, Pig-ot, Basdacu, Napo, Cogon Norte, Basac, Tajang Causeway, Sandingan)
 * Caves (Cantam-is Baslay and many upland barangays)
 * Mount Canmanoc
 * Mount Tan-awan: highest point of Loon
 * Moalong River and Antaeg Spring and Lagoon
 * Piong and Kabantian Falls
 * Danicop Ticugan Springs
 * Endemic animals: hammerhead shark, pygmy seahorse, monkeys, exotic birds, "mamag" (tarsier), "kagwang" (a lemur-like gliding mammal), "tinggawong" (bearcat)

Transportation
Road network:
 * national - 24.0 km
 * provincial - 12.8 km
 * municipal - 8.0 km
 * barangay - 145.0 km

Health and safety

 * one provincial district hospital (Cong. Natalio P. Castillo, Sr. Memorial Hospital)
 * two Rural Health Units
 * 12 Barangay Health Stations
 * one private dental clinic
 * three private medical clinics
 * one LGU emergency response unit ("Alagad" Center)
 * Model Senior Citizens Center
 * Lying-in / Birthing Centers, including IMAP Lying-in Center in Calayugan Norte and Catagbacan Norte
 * Public security: one PNP station; 704th Regional Public Safety Battalion (Catagbacan Norte)

Utilities
Water is made available to more than 42 barangays principally by the Loon Waterworks System, which has about 3,000 active individual water service connections reaching the northernmost barangay of Pondol, the southernmost barangay of Song-on, all barangays on Sandingan Island, and many hinterland barangays. The rest of the upland barangays are served by Level II communal water systems.

The abundance of water in Loon has also encouraged investors to establish water-refilling stations in the town.

Education

 * Public educational institutions: Loon North District - 12 elementary schools; 8 primary schools; 3 secondary schools - Cabilao National High School, Sandingan National High School and Gov. Jacinto Borja National High School (formerly Cantaongon High School)
 * Public educational institutions: Loon South District - 10 elementary schools; 9 primary schools; 1 secondary school, Loon South National High School
 * Private secondary schools: University of Bohol–Loon Institute, Sacred Heart Academy, Saint Teresa Academy
 * Preparatory schools: 64 public preparatory schools (day-care centers); UB Loon Institute Learning Center; Trinitas Learning Center; Saint Teresa Academy Kindergarten School; Catechetical Learning Center (Cuasi)

Notable personalities

 * Vivoree