history of cagayan de oro.docx

8/14/2019 HISTORY OF CAGAYAN DE ORO.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/history-of-cagayan-de-orodocx 1/5

HISTORY OF CAGAYAN DE ORO

Cagayan de Oro�s first known name was Kalambagohan. The main town

was known asHimologan, which was a hilltop fortress. This area, now knownas Huluga, was where the first inhabitants (the island natives) settled. Thiswas sometime in 337 A.D. and the area was quite far from the location ofpresent day Cagayan de Oro.

The island natives praised and paid tribute to the Sultan of Maguindanao(Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat ). However, when the Spanish AugustinianRecollect friars arrived in 1622, they persuaded the natives to embraceChristianity, and this angered Sultan Kudarat, who attacked the settlementalong with his warriors. As a result, the island natives and their chief, DatuSalangsang, were convinced by the friars to move their settlement to the areanow known as Gaston Park.

In 1818, Misamis became a province. Cagayan de Oro, then knownas Partidos de Cagayan, became one of its districts. A number of years later,Partidos de Cagayan became a town and was named the capital of Misamis.Eventually, it began to transform into a growing center for commerce and

trade, while also becoming Mindanao�s central seat of the Spanish

government� specifically for Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental & Occidental, and

for Lanao del Norte. Partidos de Cagayan then became known as Cagayan deMisamis.

After the Treaty of Paris in 1898, the Spaniards surrendered against the Americans by giving the Philippines to the US. This was what started thePhilippine-American war. Cagayan de Misamis was eventually occupied bythe Americans in March 1900. Along with Filipino resistance fighters, Gen.Nicolas Capistrano fought the Americans on April 7, 1900. They wereunsuccessful.

In June 1900, the Filipinos, led by Major Apolinar Velez, eventually won

against the Americans in what we all know now as the Battle of Macahambus.

In May 1945, after the Second World War, Cagayan de Misamis broke freefrom the Japanese forces, who occupied Cagayan in 1942. This took placepractically a year before the Philippines gained complete independence onJuly 4, 1946.

Republic Act No. 521 turned the municipality of Cagayan de Misamis into achartered city. Thus, on June 15, 1950, Cagayan de Misamis becameCagayan de Oro City.



How Cagayan de Oro Got Its Name

How Cagayan de Oro got its name is told in of that story of a

Bukidnon chieftain on the eastern side of Cagayan River (whose

name according to old folks was Mansicampo), once had a quarrelwith a Muslim Datu across the river (now the RER Subdivision), his

name was Bagongsalibo.

The quarrel became intense that the Bukidnon chieftain wanted it

settled by war. However, the Muslim Datu across the river wanted

to live in peace with his people in that part of Cagayan.

Mansicampo then called on all his followers and relatives from theBukidnon tribes of Daan Lunsod, gathered on the eastern side of the

river ready for combat then Mansicampo ordered his son, the

Bagani, to go and see Datu Bagongsalibo and arranged for a council

of war.

Therefore, the young prince went to see the Muslim Datu and

confirmed with him. During the conference, however the young

prince noted that there was a beautiful young woman who kept on

peeping from behind a door looking at him.

She was so beautiful that the young prince was immediately

captivated and forgot his main purpose in the council. The young

prince immediately proposed his intentions to the Muslim Datu who

was only too willing to accept his land in marriage as he was not

very keen about going to war against a neighbor.

When the Bukidnon chieftain heard about his son proposing

marriage to the daughter of his enemy. His warriors bid goodbye

and left to live near the hills of Lumbia vowing never return to his

former settlement which he now call "Kagayha-an" (or in Bukidnon,

a place of shame).

Since then, Cagayan de Oro has grown into one of the most

peaceful and progressive cities in the entire Philippines.



HISTORY OF CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY

By ATTY. "TOMMY" C. PACANA

CHAIRMAN, HISTORICAL COMMISSION

Two thousand years ago, there were already ancient Kagay-anons

living around the vicinity of Hulaga, Himologan and Tagbalitang

caves around 8 kilometers south of Cagayan de Oro City.

Fr. Francisco Demetrio, S.J., noted archeologist and Filipino

folklorist of Xavier University had collected tools, implements,

potteries and shards from these areas and subjected these to the

Carbon dating process at the Philippine Historical Museum todetermine their age.

It was found that these tools and implements were already used by

the ancient Kagay-anons during the Neolithic Age.

This shows how old Cagayan de Oro is before the coming of the

Spanish "conquistadors" to the Philippines in march 1521. There

were three great Sultanates of Mindanao and Sulu.

These were Sultanates of Sulu under Sheriff Aljaluddin, the

Sultanate of Maguindanao under Sheriff Mawi, and Tagoloan under

Sheriff Mohammed Kabungsuwan.

The Sultanate of Tagoloan extended from Baloi, Lanao del Sur, to

Butuan, Cagayan de Oro (or Kalambaguhan, by which name it was

then known), was merely a passageway from Baloi to Butuan, which

was already a great trading center like Zugbu, Panay and Manila.

Kalambaguhan has a small settlement of Bukidnons who lived along

the riverbanks of the Kalambaguhan River. This river (now the

Cagayan River) was so known because of the "Lambago" trees that

grew profusely along its banks.

During this time, however, the Cachel Corralat (Sultan Kudarat)

marauding warriors attacked such places as Manticao, Tagnipa, (El



Salvador), Iligan and Kalambaguhan to bring these places with their

domain. They captured the women, children and working animals of

the inhabitants in these places and brought them to their Sultanate.

Because of these constant raids, the Bukidnons along the river fled

to the hills of Hulaga led by their ruler, Datu Salangsang.

Sometime in 1622, long after the Spaniards had established

themselves at Butuan, Spanish friars under Fray Agustin de San

Pedro known as "El Padre Capitan" went to see Datu Salangsang

and sought to invite him and his people to come down to their told

settlement at Kalambaguhan under the protection of the Spaniards.

Datu Salangsang's aunt, a Christianized woman of influence whose

name was Magdalena Bacuya. With a messenger from El Padre

Capitan reiterated his offer to Datu Salangsang and convinced him

to come down to their ancient settlement of Kalambaguhan.

To protect the Bukidnons from the constant raids of the Muslim from

Cachel Corralat, El Padre Capitan built a fortification around the

settlement, which is now Gaston Park.

Several raids of the Maguindanao warriors were repulsed by the

courageous El Padre Capitan that the Muslims never returned again

to the settlement.

It was from this 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.

Thereby, the fame of El Padre Capitan as an able military strategist,

spread far and wide. He vanquished the Muslims around Lake

Lanao.

The people of Cagayan de Oro come from a blend of two cultures

those of the Muslims and Bukidnons. These were the native people

that had settled in the region long before the coming of the

Spaniards in fact, the first Christians among these natives were the



Muslims from Lanao who were the descendants of the Samporna

clan.

They were the first to be baptized along with the Bato-Batos, the

Wagas, Abas, Dagumbals and several families.

history of cagayan de oro.docx

Documents