REGION X- Northern Mindanao

Prepared by: GROUP 13

REGION X-Northern Mindanao

Map of the Region X

History of Misamis OrientalThe name Misamis is said to have been derived from the Subano word kuyamis, a local variety of sweet coconut and a Negrito staple. It is also said to have been derived from the Spanish word misa meaning “mass.”  Native converts used to shout Misa! Misa! upon the arrival of a priest. The earliest known settlers of the territory were Negritoes.  Centuries later, Malay colonists fought the natives for control of the rich Cagayan River coastal plains.  The struggle for possession was finally won by the native Visayans over the Bukidnons.

Spanish missionaries first landed near Cagayan de Oro in 1622 and a triangular fort called San Jose was built on the beach.  The coastal settlements they founded suffered frequent Moro raids. 

Misamis used to be a part of the province of Cebu. 

In 1818, it became a corregimiento comprising four partidos or divisions: Misamis, Cagayan, Dapitan and Catarman. 

During the later part of the 19th century, Misamis was one of the six districts of Mindanao and later, one of the seven districts of Mindanao and Sulu at the close of the Spanish era with Cagayan de Misamis (now Cagayan de Oro City) as capital.

During the Philippine-American War, Filipino forces led by Nicolas Capistrano, Clemente Chacon and Apolinar Pelayo clashed with American forces in Cagayan de Oro. 

On June 4, 1900, outnumbered and ill-equipped Filipino forces under Maj. Apolinar Velez scored a major victory over vastly superior American forces at Macahambus Cave.

During World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his party from Corregidor landed in Macabalan Port on his way to Australia. 

On May 3, 1942, Japanese forces landed in Cagayan de Oro.  The city was liberated by the U.S. 40th Infantry Division on May 10, 1945. 

Legislative Act No. 3537, approved November 2, 1929, divided the province of Misamis into two provinces due to lack of geographical contiguity.  However, it was not until 10 years later that the division was implemented by an amendment Act No. 3777, adopted on November 28, 1939.

Misamis OrientalMisamis Oriental is one of the five provinces of Northern Mindanao, Philippines. Its strategic location, numerous factories and large international seaports make it the regional business center.Capital: Cagayan de Oro, a charted city, i.e., having an administration separate from that of Misamis Oriental, but has a wide economic influence on the province and the rest of the region.Land area: 316,730 hectares.

Location: Between eight degrees, twenty eight minutes, thirty eight seconds, five hundred sixteen latitude (8º28’38”516 Lat.) and one hundred forty two degrees, thirty eight minutes, thirty five seconds, two hundred thirty five longitude (142º38’35”235 Long.). Bounded on the north by Macajalar Bay, on the west by Iligan Bay, on the east by Agusan del Norte and Gingoog Bay, and on the south and southwest by the provinces of Bukidnon and Lanao del Norte.

Political division: Has three cities-- Cagayan de Oro, Gingoog and El Salvador -- and 23 municipalities.

Geography of Misamis Oriental

Land area: Misamis Oriental occupies 3,570.01 square kilometers. Claveria, the only landlocked municipality, is the largest (894.90 square kilometers); Binuangan the smallest (30 square kilometers). Topography. Generally rugged, with 70 percent mountains and hills. The rest are coastal plains and valleys traversed by brooks and rivers that provide adequate underground water.On the eastern portion of the province are two inactive volcanoes -- Mt. Balatucan, which at 2,560 meters, is the highest peak; and Mt. Lumot.

Soil: Dominantly clay, alluvium, shale, sandstone, coralline and limestone.

Climate: Relatively stable, since the province is outside the typhoon belt and earthquake faults. January is coldest; August, hottest. Dry season is November to April; wet season is May to October. Average temperature is 27 Celsius.

Land use: Forest land occupies 47 percent of land area, alienable and disposable lands 53 percent. In 1996, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-10) reported forest land occupied only 62.43 square kilometers.

Provincial Land Use Hectares

Alienable and Disposable (Production) 173,944.80

Forest Land (Production and Protected) 168,846.70

Built-up or Protected 10,786.50

Industrial 3,432.00

Source: PPDO, 1995 Provincial Profile

People of Misamis Oriental

Population in 2000: 1.126 million, the largest among the five provinces in Northern Mindanao.Languages: Local dialect is Cebuano but majority can speak and understand Tagalog and English. Most Chinese descendants speak Fookien. There are Korean and Japanese migrants, very few German. Other dialects are Maranaw, Higaunon (the language of the original settlers), Ilongo, and Waray.

Religion: Almost 80 percent of the population are Roman Catholics. The rest are either liberal or conservative Protestants, such as Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Iglesia Ni Kristo, and Philippine Independent Church. There is a small but growing population of Muslims. Fewer are Buddhists and Hindus.

Average annual family income and expenditure in 2003: Php 89,640.00 and PhP 70,989.00, respectively.

Labor force: Misamis Oriental is the educational center of Northern Mindanao, with major schools concentrated in Cagayan de Oro. Young, highly skilled workforce is available. A survey by the National Statistics Office in January 2008 gives the following data:Labor force: 2,615,000Employed: 2,476,000Unemployed: 139,000Employment rate: 94.7 percentUnemployment rate: 5.3 percentIn Cagayan De OroPopulation in 2000: 461,660 (41 percent of the population of Misamis Oriental)Average annual family income and expenditure in 2003: Php 176,552.00 and Php 132,237.00, respectively.

Resources in Misamis Oriental

Crops, Livestock and Poultry

Coconut vendor in Opol, Misamis Oriental. The province is one of the country's major producers of coconut.

Crops: Misamis Oriental is self-sufficient in some crops. Forty-three percent of the land is cultivated with cereals, fruit trees, vegetables, root crops, and industrial, non-food plants. The top five agricultural products are coconut, banana, corn, rice, papaya and cassava.

The province is one of the country's major producers of coconut. This explains the presence of coco-based factories such as Pilipinas Kao, Inc., Fiesta Brands, IndoPhil Oil Mills, Limketkai and Sons Milling Corporation, and Pacific Activated Carbon Company.

Livestock and poultry: Hog population remains highest among livestock. Poultry production is increasing because of the entry of leading multi-national food processors -- like San Miguel Corporation, Swifts Corporation and Purefoods -- that promote contract-growing schemes.

To support its expansion, Swifts Corporation has constructed the biggest dressing facility in Mindanao at the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate.

Economic Profile, Products and Industriesin Misamis Oriental

With modern infrastructure facilities, Misamis Oriental has become a preferredlocation for investments in the region. It is home to the 3,000 hectare PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Tagoloan town which host a modern container terminal. This is in addition to the busy port of Cagayan De Oro. Soon the province will have an international airport once the one being constructed in Laguindingan town is finished.

Agricultural production of Misamis Oriental in 2007 are as follows (figure in thousand metric tons, rank among 79 provinces)

Product Metric Ton Rank

Palay 25.8 70

Corn 84 20

Banana 140 12

Mango 11.4 25

Coconut 494 9

Fish 19 42

Animal inventory of Misamis Oriental in 2007 are as follows (figure in thousand, rank among 79 provinces)

Chicken 2,791 15

Hog 197 21

Cattle 22.8 38

Source: NSCB

History of Cagayan De Oro

According to Dr. Lawrence Reid, a linguist at the University of Hawai'i, the name "Cagayan" is derived from a lost, ancient sound that evolved into "kagayan", "karayan", "kalayan", and others. These derivatives all mean "river".There are three places in the Philippines named Cagayan, namely: Cagayan Province in Northern Luzon, Cagayan Islands in the Sulu Sea and Cagayan de Oro City (formerly Cagayan de Misamis) located in Northern Mindanao.People usually confuse Cagayan de Oro with Cagayan Province or vice versa, hence it is important to emphasize "de Oro" and "city" to distinguish Cagayan de Oro from other Cagayan places.

In 1622, when the first Spanish Missionaries arrived, the people of Cagayan had tributary relation to Kudarat, the Muslim Sultan of Maguindanao Empire. Yet the people had not fully embraced Islam. With the encouragement of Friar Agustin, the local natives finally settled down in the area what is now Saint Augustine Cathedral and Gaston Park.

On February 27, 1872, the Spanish Governor General issued a decree declaring Cagayan the permanent capital of Segundo Distrito de Misamis. All Spanish politico-military Governors of Misamis Province, who were all Lieutenant Colonels, lived at the Casa Real de Cagayan (now the City Hall). During this era, the town was known as Cagayan de Misamis.

After the 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States. In 1899, conflict between the Filipino Government led by General Emilio Aguinaldo and the American colonizers erupted with the Philippine-American War (Philippine Insurrection).

On March 31, 1900, the Americans invaded Cagayan de Misamis. Resistance fighters had already organized before the attack, but only retaliated only on April 7, 1900, led by General Nicolas Capistrano. The fighting erupted in the town center. This was followed by the Battle of Agusan Hill, led by Captain Vicente Roa, who was killed with his men.

After years of resistance, the Americans finally colonized the town. Decades of peace and progress ensued. This however was broken when World War II erupted. In 1942, the Japanese detachment from Iloilo sailed to Cagayan and burned most of the town leaving few important buildings. In 1945, Cagayan was liberated by the Americans but suffered heavy bombardment.

After the war, the town started rebuilding. Through the efforts of Congressman Emmanuel Pelaez,the town of Cagayan de Misamis became a city on June 15. 1950. The town name was changed to Cagayan de Oro. Congressman Pelaez appended "de oro" to Cagayan in recognition of gold mining activities in the hinterland barrios known to Spanish explorers.

Cagayan De OroTopography: Mainly flat coastal plain along Macajalar Bay. Highland areas are separated by steeply inclined slopes. Lowland is dominantly flat; elevation is not more than 10 meters above sea level. The highlands, consisting of plateaus, terraces, hills, mountains, canyons and gorges bound the city in the south from east to west.

Soil: Clay is abundant especially in Bulua, where a pottery industry is flourishing. Sand, loam to clay loam are also present.

Climate: In Cagayan de Oro, rains are evenly distributed through out the year. There is more rain from June to October (wet season) and less from November to May (dry season).Land area: 412.80 square kilometersPopulation: 553,966Cagayan de Oro Local CultureCagayan de Oro is a small developing city. It still has a provincial atmosphere where most people are laid back, casual and a bit conservative.Religion affects all aspects of Filipino life. Festivities, gatherings and beliefs are centered on it. This is one reason why Filipinos (especially in rural areas) are superstitious.

Most Kagayanons are from the conservative Roman Catholic faith. There is a growing number of Protestants and Muslims coming mostly from Lanao migrating to the city. Unknown to many, there is a Buddhist community thriving in the city but is quite reclusive.

The city has a young population with a median age of 22 years old. One would not be surprised to see many children and teenagers around, most of which are influenced by American or Western culture. The mixture of Asian and Western influence has created a unique culture among Kagayanons and Filipinos in general.

Kagayanons dress casually in almost all occasions. However in formal affairs such as weddings (if you are part of the entourage), executive meetings, inductions or high government affairs, a "Barong Tagalog" is appropriate. You can also use a Polo Barong which is basically a more casual, less expensive than the Jusi and Piña type Barong. You can buy ready-to-wear Barong at most shopping centers.

Unless you are an actress with bodyguards, women should not wear clothing that reveals too much skin or cleavage. This is to avoid unnecessary attention and sexual advancement from local men. Also dress appropriately in Churches and Muslim areas of the city.

Filipino Wedding. For foreigners who want to marry in the Philippines, make sure the bride or groom is at least 18 years of age. Philippine laws prohibit marriage below the legal age, with or without parental consent.Depending on the region, there are different marriage traditions in the Philippines. Among Cebuanos and Kagayanons, the groom with his family goes to the bride's house and asks the bride's parents for their daughter's hand in marriage. Usually the groom brings something like food for the brides parents. After the announcement, parents of both sides will discuss plans for the wedding.Unlike western traditions, in the Philippines it is the groom that spends for the entire wedding. However, due to difficult times both bride and groom share wedding expenses. A Philippine wedding has a coin bearer. The groom is supposed to give 13 gold or silver coins (currently people use gold or silver plated coins) to the bride.

These coins are called Wedding Coins or Arras. This symbolizes the groom's commitment to the welfare of his wife and children. There are no divorce laws in the Philippines. Annulment is an alternative process but is long and meticulous.Local Language in Cagayan De OroThe Filipino greeting "Mabuhay" which means "To Live" or "Long Live..." is rarely used. This greeting is commonly used for tourism purposes, formal letters, political rallies or to motivate people in a formal or government affair.The Cebuano language is influenced by Spanish. Cebuano dates, time and some numbers are in Spanish. Example: Time - 2 o'clock (Alas Dos), Date - May, Monday (Mayo, Lunez), Numbers - Ten (Diez).

Cagayan De Oro Sights and Events

City EventsThe trade fair showcases the different indigenous and home-made products from various parts of Northern Mindanao including Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental province. Products include woven bags, goat's milk, soap, local wine, processed food and others. It is one of the core activities of the Kagay'an Festival.

Agro-Trade Fair

Kagay-an Festival in CDO

The festivity usually starts in mid August and ends on August 28, the feast day of Saint Augustine, the city's Patron Saint. Highlights of the Kagayan Festival are the Agro-Trade Fair, Miss Kagay'an, Higaonon Street dancing, Golden Float Parade and the Lambaguhan fluvial parade. There are also cultural shows, competitions and concerts.

Golden Float Parade in CDO

Started in 2007, it includes marching bands from different city schools. It is also participated by local government departments and commercial establishments. It is one of the core events in the Kagay'an Festival.

Attractions in CDOMisamis Oriental Heritage MonumentA monument honoring the rich cultural heritage of Misamis Oriental Province.  Located within the Vicente de Lara Park, the sculptures are designed and created by Filipino artist Eduardo Castrillo, who is also responsible for the Press Freedom Monument.

Vicente de Lara Park in CDO

Formerly named MacArthur Park in honor of General Douglas MacArthur who landed in Cagayan after escaping from Corregidor enroute to Australia. The park is located in front of the Provincial Capitol Building and is now named after a Provincial Governor, Vicente de Lara. Recently renovated, it has become a favorite place for people to jog and have an evening stroll, Its obelisk monument honors the Filipino soldiers who died in Philippine wars and conflict.

White-Water Rafting in CDO

Cagayan de Oro is now known as the "Whitewater Rafting Capital of the Philippines". It is the only whitewater rafting destination in the country that has a whole year round of maneuverable rafting courses and is located within the city limit. Last 2003, President Macapagal-Arroyo went whitewater rafting in Cagayan de Oro River to promote tourism in the Philippines. Since then several national competitions have been held.

Historical Sites in CDOThe monument is both dedicated to Andres Bonifacio, leader of the Philippine-Spanish revolution and the local town heroes. Beneath the monument are the remains of local soldiers including that of Captain Vicente Roa, who died in the battle of Agusan hill during the Philippine-American War.

Bonifacio Park, Plaza Divisoria

City Museum in CDO

Managed by the City Government, the museum is located in a renovated water tower built in 1922.  It is located adjacent to the Archbishops Palace in front of Gaston Park.

Rizal Park, Plaza Divisoria in CDO

Dedicated on June 19, 1917 in perpetual memory of the country's national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal who was executed on December 30, 1896 by the Spanish authorities. Its marble marker is inscribed in Spanish. The monument has survived the ravages of time including World War II.

References:

http://misamisoriental.elizaga.net/infrastructure/power.html

http://www.globalpinoy.com/gp.topics.v1/viewtopic.php?postid=4ee5e32b60104&channelName=4ee5e32b60104

http://cdoguide.com/sights/attractions/misor-heritage-monument.html