A Heritage to Treasure (The City of Golden Friendship)

      Located along the costal coast of Northern Mindanao with a total land area of 488.86 square kilometer representing 13.9% of the entire Misamis Oriental Province is suited the City of Golden Friendship, Cagayan de Oro City. Thousands of years have passed since the first Kagay-anons stepped in the floor of the old Cagayan de Oro City and I bet the young perks didn’t know the history of our City. Let us all reminisce the past and treasure it as we go beyond. Sit back and enjoy.

            The History

            The City’s history dates back many centuries before the Spaniards came to Cagayan when territory was called Kalambagohan or Kalambaguhan. Its main town, Himologan, was a hill-top fortress situated some eight kilometers south of the present Poblacion.

·         Two thousand years ago, there were already ancient Kagay-anons around the vicinity of Huluga, Himologan and Tagbalitang caves around 8 kilometers of Cagayan de Oro City. An archeologist and a Filipino folklorist of a known University here in Cagayan de Oro had collected tools, implements, potteries and shards from these areas and subjected to the Carbon Dating process at the Philippines Historical Museum to determine their age and it was found that the tools was used by the ancient Kagay-anons during the Neolithic Age.

·         Kalambaguhan has a small settlemen of Bukidnon who lived along the river banks of the Kalambaguhan River (Now the Cagayan de Oro River) was so known because of the “Lambago” tress that grew profusely along its banks.
During this times, the archel Corralat (Sultan Kudarat) marauding warriors attacked the places of Manticao, Tgnipa (El Salvador), Iligan and Kalambaguhan to bring these places as their domain. They’ve captured women, children and working animals and were brought to their Sultanate. Because of these constant raids, the Bukidnons along the river fled to the hills of Huluga led by their ruler, Datu Salangsang. To protect the Bukidnons from constant raids of Muslims from Cachel Corralat, El Padre Capitan built a fortification around the settlement, which is now the Gaston Park. It was from small settlement that the Present Cagayan de Oro originated. A small church was built on the site, which later became the present San Agustin Cathedral. Kagay-anons came from a blend of two culturesof the Muslim and Bukidnons. These were the native people that had settled in the region long before the Spaniards came. In fact, the first Christians among these native were Muslims from Lanao who were the descendants of the Samporna clan. They were the First to be baptized along with the Bato-Batos, Wagas, Abas, dagumbas and several Families.

The Entomology

            There are lots of versions that clarify why Cagayan de Oro got it name. Some are very interesting and some are just jokes but I chose the best.

·               Pre war- folks said that Cagayan came from “Cagaycay”. It is an ancient Bukidnon word which means rake in the earth or with one’s bare hands or with a piece of wood.

·         The name Cagayán de Oro can be traced back during the arrival of the Spanish Augustinian Recollect friars in 1622, the area around Himologan (now Huluga), was already known as "Cagayan".In fact, early Spanish documents in the 16th century already referred to the place as "Cagayán". The area of Northern Mindanao, which included Cagayán de Oro, was granted as Encomienda to a certain Juan Griego on January 25, 1571. It was Emmanuel Peláez who appended de Oro to Cagayán in recognition of the gold mining activities in the area, harking back to the Spanish colonization. Thus, the city's full name is a combination of the ancient Malayo-Polynesian and Spanish languages that translates to "City of the River of Gold".

The Mayors

The mayors of Cagayan de Oro from 1901 to 1941 were the following.

1. Tirson Neri	1901 – 1904
2. Cayetano Pacana	1904 – 1905
3. Pedro Velez	1905 – 1906
4. Cipriano Vamenta, Sr.	1906 – 1908
5. Isidro Vamenta	1908 – 1909
6. Anastacio Neri	1909 – 1910
7. Ramon B. Neri	1912 – 1916
8. Uldarico Akut	1912 – 1916
9. Segundo Gaston	1916 – 1919
10. Pedro P. Mabulay	1919 – 1922
11. Fernando Pacana, Sr	1922 – 1925
12. Vicente P. Castro	1925 – 1928
13. Apolinar Velez	1928 – 1931
14. Lucio S. Ramos	1931 – 1934
16. Julio B. Pacana	1934 – 1937
	1938 – 1941
	(First Mayor to be re-elected)
17. Herminiglido Wanceña	1941 – 1945
After the war, the following Mayor were elected:
1. Lucio S. Ramos	1946 – 1947
2. Maximo Y. Suniel	1948 – 1953
3. Pedro SA. Baculio	March 1953 to December 1953
4. Justiniano R. Borja	1954 – 1964
5. Jesus V. Seriña Sr.	1964 – 1971
6. Reuben R. Canoy	1972 – 1976
7. Concordio C. Diel	1976 – 1979
8. Pedro N. Roa	1978 – 1980
9. Aquilino Pimentel Jr.	1980 – 1984
10. Pablo P. Magtajas	1984 – 1998
11. Vicente Y. Emano	Present Mayor

  

The mysterious Oro

If you’re a native Cagayanon, you have probably heard of the “giant fish” tale along the Cagayan de Oro River. Some say it’s just a myth, a legend, a tale from the old age carried over the years. Based on the story, the giant fish even ate a priest from nearby St. Augustine Church.

If we follow the legend, only few locals know of an old tablet carved from stone depicting that “incident involving the priest and the giant fish”. Many years before, this tablet was located somewhere on the southwest concrete fence of what is now St. Joseph’s Garden of St. Augustine Church. Interestingly, this tablet (shown above) was transferred right at the back of the Archbishop’s Palace, away from the public view. A closer view of the tablet clearly shows the hapless American priest being caught by the giant fish….Now, is this still a myth? The tablet is believed to be very old. Who would have made this and why would someone carve this “incident”?
But if you’re not into myths and legends, the tablet would be that of Jonah who was swallowed by a whale as written in the Bible.

In modern times, there really exists a giant carp as shown below and is very common in Southeast Asia. Still, this giant carp could be very much bigger in the older days which can easily gobble up anything the size of a man. Now, this giant fish is often depicted in the floats during the annual fiesta.

            Some says that it was maybe the Prophet Jonah. Here’s the story:

Jonah is also the central character in the Book of Jonah. Ordered by God to go to the city of Nineveh to prophesy against it “for their great wickedness is come up before me”  Jonah seeks instead to flee from “the presence of the Lord” by going to Jaffa and sailing to Tarshish, which, geographically, is 180 degrees in the opposite direction. A huge storm arises and the sailors, realizing this is no ordinary storm, cast lots and learn that Jonah is to blame. Jonah admits this and states that if he is thrown overboard the storm will cease. The sailors try to get the ship to the shore but in failing feel forced to throw him overboard, at which point the sea calms. Jonah is miraculously saved by being swallowed by a large fish specially prepared by God where he spent three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17). In chapter two, while in the great fish, Jonah prays to God in his affliction and commits to thanksgiving and to paying what he has vowed. God commands the fish to vomit Jonah out.

But some says that it was maybe the giant fish. A person commented that when she was 5 or 7 years old there was news that they saw a giant fish in the CDO River. Some says that their grandparents told them that their lots of secrets that was not reveled in the Garden of Saint Agustin Cathedral.

            Histories in some places are very valuable, some can preserve it but some can’t because of the rise of technology and urbanizing. I hope that we Kagay-anons will remain the same as time goes by. I hope that we can preserve the history, the myth, and the reasons behind why we are known as we are right now. Always live in the future but remain vocal to the past. 

source :http://www.cagayandeoro.gov.ph/?page=about&cat=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cagayan_River_(Cagayan_de_Oro)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Cagayan_de_Oro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cagayan_de_Oro
http://heritage.elizaga.net/history/index.html
http://www.ormanmanansala.com/?s=Oro+Fish