Dapitan

Dapitan lies on the northern shore of the Zamboanga peninsula, facing the sea between Mindanao and the Visayas. Subanen communities inhabited the surrounding river country, while migrants from Bohol established a settlement here in the sixteenth century. The newcomers brought with them the name of their former center of power and made Dapitan a place known for commerce and for the fighting reputation of its people.

After a devastating attack on Bohol in the 1560s, followers of the leader Pagbuaya crossed to northern Mindanao. Sources differ on whether Portuguese or Ternatan attackers were responsible for the violence that prompted their migration. Under Spanish rule, Dapitan's inhabitants took part in campaigns elsewhere in Mindanao, while missionaries established a Christian presence in the settlement.