page_title: Bislig
section_title: Etymology
hierarchical_section_title: Bislig / Etymology
caption_attribution_description: English: This photo is taken by myself. I own this photo and you may only reproduce this if you honor me as the owner.
context_page_description: Bislig, officially the City of Bislig, is a 3rd class city in the province of Surigao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 94,535 people.
  It is the most populous among the cities and municipalities in the province of Surigao del Sur.
  Barangay Mangagoy, the downtown area often dubbed by its residents as "the little city within the city", is the center of trade and industry of Bislig which has a population of 32,464 as of the 2015 estimate. It is the largest barangay in the city in terms of population. Since Barangay Poblacion is often referred by the locals simply as 'Bislig', Mangagoy on the other hand is often mistaken as a separate town though it is only just one out of the 24 barangays that comprises the entire City of Bislig.
  In 2000, Bislig was converted into a city per Republic Act 8804. It is the easternmost city in the Philippines in terms of geographical location.
context_section_description: The legendary allusions as to how Bislig got its name could be traced back to the era prior to the coming of the Spanish conquistadors. The town got its name from a forest vine of the rattan family that grew in abundance along the banks of its rivers. This vine was noted for its strength and became known for saving a royal couple who crossed the swollen river in one of their hunting expeditions and who almost died as they were carried downstream by the rushing current. The legend has it that these hunters had already lost hope of surviving until they were able to cling to a vine which was about 1/4 inch in diameter called Bislig. As a sign of thanksgiving, the ruler named this place Bislig.
  Historically, Bislig derived its name from the word "bizlin", a kind of gold, "which is worth two pesos a tael. The weight of a tael is one and one-eight ounces" in the 16th century, which the natives used for trade and barter. Prior to the coming of Spaniards, this terminology was understood in Luzon and in Mindanao. In the report of the Administrator of Royal Properties Andres Mirandaola dated 8 September 1573 sent to King Philip of Spain that "much gold found in the island of Mindanao, District of Butuan, Surigao ..." It is believed that this kind of gold found in the rolling hills and mountains of the southernmost portion of Bislig and Agusan Province.
  However, historical records shows that the name has been variously spelled by the Spanish chroniclers. Conquistador Miguel de Loarca, in his extreme exploratory survey trip of the archipelago, first mentioned and spelled it "Beslin" in his historical accounts "Relacion de los Yslas Filipinas" in 1582, as well as in the Confirmaciones de Encomienda (1616–1700) which Bislig was under the encomienda of Alferez Juan delas Marianas in 1619. In the "Historia general de los religiosos descalzos del orden de San Agustin" of Fray Andres de San Nicolas in 1664 spelled it "Bislin" and also in the "Historia general... del Orden de San Agustin" of Fray Luis de Jesus in 1681. A Franciscan writer, Fray Juan de San Francisco de San Antonio spelled it "Baslig" in his "Cronicas" in 1738. Other Spanish chroniclers spelled it "Bislic" and "Bisliq".
  In the first detailed map of the Philippines in 1749, published in "Historia de la Provincia de Filipinas" by a Jesuit, Father Pedro Murillo Velarde spelled it Bislig, as did in the "Historia General ..." of Fray Pedro San Francisco de Assis in 1768 and in the "Mapa dela Provincia de Caraga" by Francisco Alegre in 1751. A complete statistical data of District of Caraga compiled in 1750 spelled as "Bislig", and also in the document titled "Provincia de San Nicolas de Tolentino de Agustinos descalzos dela Congregacion de España y Indias" in 1879.
  From the time on, it is known and spelled as Bislig.
caption: Bislig City Hall