Tamblot | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Religion | Indigenous Boholano belief systems |
| Flourished | 1621–1622 |
| Known for | Igniting native resistance against Spanish occupation in Bohol |
| Occupation | Priest (babaylan) |
Tamblot (fl. 1621–1622) was the name given to a babaylan (a Visayan term for mediums and religious leaders in the Philippines' pre-colonial and early colonial periods) who incited a series of uprisings against Spanish colonial rule in the island of Bohol. Indigenous religions and beliefs played a huge part behind the revolts' inception as Roman Catholicism spread throughout the Philippine archipelago, a process which many of its inhabitants rejected in favor of their local customs. A few uprisings in the early colonial era such as this one were thus motivated in part by resistance against the presence of Christianity.
Tamblot successfully convinced parts of the Boholano population to revolt against the Spanish Empire, who held full dominion over the island, by informing the residents about a diwata—a localized term for a deity or god—who pledged to aid them in expelling Spain out of Bohol. Persuaded, people in most of the island's villages began to revolt and wreak havoc, gaining the attention of the nearby province of Cebu and its alcalde-mayor by the name of Don Juan Alcarazo. Some colonial sources explain that the diwata also promised to grant the Boholanos a joyous future in exchange for their servitude to and construction of a shrine dedicated to the deity in question, apart from their departure from Spain's religion and authority.
Alcarazo subsequently assembled his troops consisting of Spanish and Philippine soldiers then traveled to Bohol, leading the others through the thick, mountainous forests inland in pursuit of the rebels. The enemy forces eventually met, and a downpour of rain befell the battle scene. Tamblot and the other Boholanos interpreted the rainfall as the act of their diwata, who they believed was sabotaging Alcarazo's troops and their weapons. However, his soldiers managed to push them back and cause them to retreat. Afterwards, the alcalde-mayor eventually quashed the revolt, killing and capturing many of its insurgents. Despite the victory, Alcarazo would have to put down more acts of civil unrest in the Pintados Islands[note 1] before peace in the region could be restored.
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