Loay Town

Established in 1740, Loay lies on the southwestern coast of Bohol, 18.3 kilometers from the city of Tagbilaran. Loay is located at the mouth of the Loboc River with a land area of 3,479 hectares divided into 24 barangays.

The Loay town celebrates its feast day in May (the date is movable) with the Santisima Trinidad as Patron Saint. One big event is the Sambat Mascara Y Regatta Festival celebrated every 1st Saturday of December in honor of the town’s second Patron Saint, St. Francis Xavier.

Loay is divided into two parts: the lower called Canipaan because of its many nipa swamps, and the upper called Ibabao because of its elevated location. The Loay Church is located on a plateau overlooking the sea.

One prominent feature of Loay is the Plaza. The plaza depicts a Spanish colonial plaza in its simplicity with only a wide open stretch of grassy space devoid of any landscaping and decorative elements. Flanking the plaza are two coral stone buildings: a one-story and a two-story building, both plainly designed and classical to look at.

The one-story building is being used by the public school while the two-story building, with the emblem of the Virgin Mary and directly opposite that of the one-story building, is in the process of renovation. The diocese of Tagbilaran is converting this building into an archdiocesan archive for church documents from the Spanish period coming from 38 parishes comprising the diocese.

Loay Bohol Church Front Facade

Aside from the Loay Church and the Clarin Ancestral House, the town’s other tourist attractions are the Clarin Beach Resort, the Himontagon Hills, Punta Baluerte, and Rio Vista Heights including the Spanish watchtower at Villalimpia in the lower part of the town.

The principal industries of the people today are farming, copra making, peddling, saguran weaving, fishing, tuba gathering, and nipa thatch making.