This document provides an overview of the history, geography, economy, culture and sights of Region X - Northern Mindanao with a focus on Misamis Oriental province and Cagayan de Oro city. It discusses how the name Misamis originated from native words and the early settlers of the region. It details the Spanish colonization in the 1600s and the establishment of Cagayan de Oro city in 1622. It provides statistics on the population, industries, agriculture and economy of Misamis Oriental today. It also gives insights into the local culture, traditions, language and major events like the Kagay-an Festival celebrated in Cagayan de Oro city.

1. REGION X-
Northern Mindanao
Prepared by: GROUP 13

2. REGION X-Northern Mindanao
Map of the Region X

3. History of Misamis Oriental
The 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Misamis Oriental
Misamis 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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: 2,615,000
Employed: 2,476,000
Unemployed: 139,000
Employment rate: 94.7 percent
Unemployment rate: 5.3 percent
In Cagayan De Oro
Population 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. Economic Profile, Products and Industries
in 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.

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. Cagayan De Oro
Topography: 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.

26. 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 kilometers
Population: 553,966
Cagayan de Oro Local Culture
Cagayan 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.

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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 Oro
The 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).

31. Cagayan De Oro Sights and Events
City Events Agro-Trade Fair
The 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.

32. 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.

33. 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.

34. Attractions in CDO
Misamis Oriental Heritage
Monument
A 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.

35. 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.

36. 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.

37. Historical Sites in CDO
Bonifacio Park, Plaza Divisoria
The 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.

38. 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.

39. 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.

40. References:
http://misamisoriental.elizaga.net/infrastructure/power.html
http://www.globalpinoy.com/gp.topics.v1/viewtopic.php?pos
tid=4ee5e32b60104&channelName=4ee5e32b60104
http://cdoguide.com/sights/attractions/misor-heritage-
monument.html