Camiguin
| Camiguin | |||
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| — Province — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country |  Philippines |
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| Region | Northern Mindanao (Region X) | ||
| Founded | 1565 | ||
| Capital | Mambajao | ||
| Government | |||
| - Governor | Jurdin Jesus M. Romualdo (NPC) | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 237.95 km2 (91.9 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 79th out of 80 | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| - Total | 81,293 | ||
| - Rank | 79th out of 80 | ||
| - Density | 341.6/km2 (884.8/sq mi) | ||
| - Density rank | 14th out of 80 | ||
| Divisions | |||
| - Independent cities | 0 | ||
| - Component cities | 0 | ||
| - Municipalities | 5 | ||
| - Barangays | 58 | ||
| - Districts | Lone district of Camiguin | ||
| Time zone | PHT (UTC+8) | ||
| ZIP Code | |||
| Spoken languages | Cebuano, Kinamigin | ||
Camiguin is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bohol Sea, about ten kilometers off the northern coast of Misamis Oriental in Mindanao. It is the second-smallest province both in population and land area next only to Batanes. The capital of the province is Mambajao and it is a part of the Northern Mindanao region.
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Etymology
The name Camiguin is derived from the native word “Kamagong”, a species of the Ebony tree that thrives near Lake Mainit in the Province of Surigao del Norte. Earlier inhabitants of the islands are Manobos from the Surigao region. An earlier Spanish geography book writes the island as "Camiguing". There is reason to suppose the Spaniards dropped the final g.[1]
History
Spanish Colonial Era
Old Spanish documents indicate that the renowned explorers, Ferdinand Magellan and Miguel López de Legazpi landed in Camiguin in 1521 and 1565, respectively. The first Spanish settlement in what was later to be known as Guinsiliban was established in 1598. Guinsiliban comes from the old Kinamiguin word “Ginsil-ipan” which means “to look out for pirates from a watchtower”. An old Spanish watchtower where the Camiguinon kept watch for Moro pirates still stands in Guinsiliban. The first major Spanish settlement established in 1679 was called Katagman or Katadman (known as Catarman). The settlement grew and prospered but was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vulcan in 1871. The former location is what is now Barangay Bonbon of Catarman.
Sagay, located south of Catarman, was formally established as a town in 1848. The word Sagay is derived from the name of poisonous fruit tree that grow in the area. Mambajao became a town in 1855. The name was coined from the Visayan terms “mamahaw”, meaning to usher breakfast, and “bajao”, which is leftover boiled rice. In the early 1900s, Mambajao prospered to become the busiest port in Northern Mindanao. Mahinog was established as a municipality in 1860. The name Mahinog comes from a Visaya word meaning “to ripen” or “to become ripe”. Although Guinsiliban was the oldest settlement in the island, it was only in 1950 when it became a municipality. Mahinog was formerly governed by Mambajao while Guinsiliban was formally governed from Sagay.
American Colonial Era
In 1901, in the middle of the Philippine-American War (1898-1904), American soldiers landed in Camiguin to assume political control over the island. A group of Camiguinon, armed with bolos and spears, led by Valero Camaro fought for the island’s independence from foreign invasion during a short battle in Catarman. Valero Camaro was killed by a bullet on the forehead. He became one of the unsung Camiguin patriots of the early independence movement.
In 1903, the first public school in Camiguin was built in Mambajao and in 1904 the first public water system was installed.
World War II
| Battle of Camiguin | |||||||
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On June 18, 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army landed in Camiguin and set up a government in Mambajao. They gutted down central Mambajao in reprisal to guerrilla activities that helped the Philippine Commonwealth forces in the area. The remains of some of these buildings still exist today.
In 1945, Filipino forces of the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army landed in Camiguin and liberated the island against the Japanese Imperial forces in the Battle of Camiguin near the end of World War II.
Independence
On July 4, 1946, the country gained independence from the US and became the Republic of the Philippines. The island of Camiguin was part of Misamis Oriental until 1958, when it became a sub-province. It was made into a separate province on June 18, 1966, but was not formally inaugurated until 1968.
People and culture
The people of Camiguin are called “Camiguingnon.” The original inhabitants of Camiguin were “Manobos” who migrated from Surigao. Currently, the general population is of Visayan descent and Visayan and Cebuano languages are widely spoken. A few still speak Kinamigin - the original dialect of Camiguin - which is similar to the dialect spoken in Surigao. Nearly everyone speaks English fairly well.
Education
Camiguin was a center of secondary-level education in northern part of Mindanao especially before the eruption of Mt. Hibok-hibok in 1951. Several prominent people in Misamis Oriental graduated in Camiguin Institute (now Fatima College of Camiguin).
Economy
The main livelihood of the people is fishing and farming, with copra providing the greatest income contribution. Other agricultural products are abaca, rice, mangoes, lanzones and other fruit trees. Small cottage industries are increasing in number to accommodate the influx of visitors.
DTI Report
Reports from Dept. of Trade and Industry (DTI), total amount of trade and investments for the year 2001 reached to 195.645 million pesos broken down from the following sector:
- Agri-Based: ₱ 28.027M
- Services: ₱ 64.116M
- Consumer manufacturers: ₱ 1.230M
- Others (bank releases): ₱ 80.888M
- Trading: ₱ 21.385M
Total: ₱ 195.645 M
New Zealand Grant
On September 2007, The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) signed a memorandum of agreement with the Camiguin provincial government for the implementation of a 5-year integrated coastal resource management system in 40 coastal barangays (villages) and 5 municipalities. Gov. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said the 5-year project got P 116 million funding from the New Zealand Agency for International Aid (NZAID). The system includes granting of livelihood enterprises for small-scale fishermen and 10,378 households will benefit from the project. [2]
Geography
Physical
Camiguin is of volcanic origin and composed of four young stratovolcanoes overlying older volcanic structures. The last eruption was from Hibok-Hibok in 1953, and it is still considered as active. The other major volcanic edifices are Mt. Vulcan,671 meters (2,201 ft), northwest of Hibok-Hibok; Mt. Mambajao,1,552 meters (5,092 ft) in central Camiguin; Mt. Guinsiliban,581 meters (1,906 ft), southernmost Camiguin; and Mt. Uhay, north of Mount Guinsiliban. The other domes and cones are Campana Hill, Minokol Hill, Tres Marias Hill, Mt. Carling, Mt. Tibane, and Piyakong Hill.
Natural Disasters
Volcanic Eruptions
- On February 16, 1871, earthquakes began to be felt on the island, which increase in severity until April 30 when a volcanic fissure opened up 400 yards southwest of the village of Catarman, northwest of Hibok-hibok Volcano. Mt. Vulcan was born and continued erupting pouring lava into the sea at the same time gaining in height and width. In 1875, the Challenger expedition visited the area and described the mountain as a dome, 1,950 ft. in height, without any crater, but still smoking and incandescent at the top.[1]
The town of Catarman was destroyed and portion of the town sank beneath the sea. The settlement moved to where the town center is presently located and today, all that remains of old Catarman are the ruins of the ancient Spanish church, a convent and a bell tower.
- From 1948 to 1951, Mt. Hibok-Hibok was constantly rumbling and smoking. The first minor eruption in 1948 caused little damage and loss of life, but in 1949, the larger eruption caused 79 deaths due to pyroclastic flows. The largest eruption occurred the morning of December 4, 1951. The volcano unleashed lava flows, poisonous gases, and pyroclastic flows destroying nearly 19 squares kilometers of land, particularly in Mambajao. All in all, over 1,000 people were killed. Before the eruption of Mt. Hibok-Hibok in 1951, the population of Camiguin had reach 69,000. After the eruption, the population was reduced to about 34,000 due to massive out-migration.
Typhoons
- A disastrous typhoon hit the province in the dawn of November 7, 2001. The tropical storm named "Nanang" brought with it tornadoes that dropped on the mountains causing multiple massive mudslides killing about 200 inhabitants, most were missing.
Flora and Fauna
At least four vertebrate species are believed to be endemic to Camiguin:
- Bullimus gamay, a rodent
- Apomys camiguinensis, a mouse
- Loriculus camiguinensis, the Camiguin Hanging-parrot
- Oreophryne nana, a frog.
Political
Municipalities
Camiguin is subdivided into 5 municipalities:
- Catarman
- Guinsiliban
- Mahinog
- Mambajao
- Sagay
Prominent Political Figures
- Dr. Jose Palarca Neri was the first Governor of the newly-founded province of Camiguin.
- The first governor of Misamis Oriental was Governor Pacencio Ysalina whose wife, Josefa Rodriguez Gabucan hailed from Catarman, Camiguin.
- Misamis Oriental's first judge was Eufrosino Palarca Limbaco of Mambajao,Camiguin while his brother, Meliton Limbaco, was a former Municipal Mayor of Mambajao.
Highlights
Churches
Several centuries-old Spanish Colonial churches are found in various parts of the island.
Santo Rosario Church
The famed church of Santo Rosario Church in the municipality of Sagay was built in 1882.
Old Catarman Church Ruins
The church of the Old Catarman town was destroyed and partly submerged by volcanic debris during the eruption and formation of Mt. Vulcan from 1871 to 1875. Also known as Gui-ob Church, only the ruins of the church and bell tower remains of the old town. A unsightly modern white lighthouse was recently erected close to the bell tower.
Baylao Church
The Church located in Baylao is claimed to be miraculous attributed to saving many lives during the last volcanic eruption of Hibok-hibok.
Old Ancestral Homes
Beautiful and ornate ancestral homes that date back to the Spanish Colonial Period and American Colonial Period, are still abundant and can be found on the streets of Camiguin.
Lanzones Festival
Each year in October, a festival is held celebrating the Lanzones, a small grape-sized tropical fruit grown all over the island. The week-long Lanzones Festival is one of the more colorful events in the Philippines.
Sunken Cemetery
During the volcanic birth of the Mt. Vulcan that lasted from 1871 to about 1875, some areas in the town of Bonbon subsided, sinking the cemetery of the town to below sea level. The place is commemorated by a huge cross erected in 1982.[3]
Natural Attractions
Islands
Located just a few kilometers off the coast are the two beautiful islands of Camiguin.
- White Island is accessed from Agoho which is about 5 Km west of the town of Mambajao.
- Mantigue Island can be reached from Mahinog about 14 Km south of Mambajao.
Waterfalls
- Katibawasan Falls. Located 5 Kms. (3.1 mi) southeast of Mambajao, the beautiful Katibawasan Falls cascades 250-foot (76 m.) down to a pool surrounded by orchids and ferns. An invigorating dip on the pool is popular especially on warmer days and several hiking trails are within the park. This is also the favorite jump-off point for trekkers and mountaineers in search of adventure on the slopes of Mt. Hibok-Hibok.
- Tuasan Falls is located 6 Kms. (3.7 mi) northeast of Catarman. Getting to the falls entails a very scenic hike passing through the quaint Barrio of Mainit, Catarman and along the rocky river bed. The pool below the waterfalls is deep and clear. The surrounding scenery is unspoiled and perfect for a peaceful picnic, the only sounds around you is that of the tumbling falls and running water.[4]
Springs
- Ardent Hot Spring. In the heart of the island bubbles the mineral pools of Ardent Hot Springs. Wisps of steam can be seen rising from the running waters heated up by the cauldron of Hibok-Hibok, the most recently active of the seven volcanoes on the island.
- Sto. Niño Cold Springs and Bura Natural Soda Water Swimming Pool are other popular places to get a relaxing dip on the island.
- Tangub Hot Spring is an interesting hot spring located on the shore close to the Sunken Cemetery. Most of the spring is submerged and can be partly seen during low tide. The spring can also be examined by scuba diving or snorkeling, as visibility is excellent and it is also a recommended spot for observing underwater life.[5]
Accessibility
Camiguin is accessible by air and sea from Cebu City however flights into the province's only airport is only seasonal. Most fly in to Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental Province, the gateway to Northern Mindanao. One would then take 2 more or less hours bus or hired van from Cagayan de Oro City to the port of Balingoan. Ferries leave Balingoan to Camiguin Island every hour from 6:00 am until 5:00 pm.
See also
- List of volcanoes in the Philippines
- White Island (Philippines)
- Cagayan de Oro City
Gallery
 Mambajao Church |
 Sagay, Camiguin Church |
 Catarman, Camiguin Church |
External links
- Province of Camiguin official website
- "Camiguin". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0701-08=. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Becker, George F., "Report on the Geology of the Philippine Islands",p.42. Washington Government Printing Office, 1901.
- ↑ Inquirer.net, Camiguin gets NZ funding to protect coastal resources
- ↑ "Camiguin is famous for..." - Department of Tourism
- ↑ Places to See: Tuasan Falls. Retrieved on 2010-06-10.
- ↑ Tangub Hot Spring. Visayan Silent Gardens. Retrieved on 2010-06-10.
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