Flags are raised at the center of the Capitol grounds in Misamis Oriental. GSD File By Photo by Cong B. Corrales
- Advertisement -

Raul Ilogon .

THE title is not mine.

- Advertisement -

I can’t remember much of my early childhood. I was told that I was always at my mother’s side even while on the bed. A weakling not only mentally but physically as well, I was able to comprehend, read and write only when I was in 4th grade. I played “jolen” and “lastico” but always ended up as the loser. I was weak in muscle motor skills. Bisan onsaon dili gyud ka shoimoi. I was excluded in my cousins’ academic games because I can’t put one and one together. For one reason or another, I was always confined in the hospital.

When I turned eight years old, my mother died. Abruptly, my world changed. I was often left alone but I was never alone. I had me, me and me. My imagination kept me company and we liked each other. Since then, we were inseparable.

History is an interesting subject. But if you are putting together missing pieces of our history without primary or secondary sources, that’s another story. Well, you can still make it up but it’s no longer called history. It’s called imagination. And this is where I’m good at.

Cagayan de Oro’s old name was Cagayan de Misamis. When the Americans took over from Spain, the “de Misamis” was dropped. It was simply called Cagayan, Misamis Oriental.

On June 15, 1950, Cagayan, Misamis Oriental became a chartered city through Republic Act 521. We knew that it was the then congressman Emmanuel N. Palaez who worked for the approval of that bill. But do you know that the original author of that bill was congressman Pedro S. Baculio?

But that’s not my point.

My point is… ang pangutana nga nagtangag ug dakung ganti… Mao kini!

How, why and where did Pelaez get “de Oro”? OK, we know the Americans dropped the “de Misamis.” But why did Pelaez append “de Oro”? Where did it come from?

What is the story? Unfortunately,  even my good friend, Bong Pelaez, cannot come up with an answer that is good enough for me. In fact, no one has.

Now, this is where my “friend” imagination comes in. This where he is good at. He is a good story teller.

And here is my imagination’s story:

At the turn of century, 1900, peace came to Cagayan de Misamis after one year of war with the Americans. So, many of our heroes died but those who were left behind wanted to move on. Our young, the best and the brightest, pinned their hopes on the promises of our new colonial masters. A promise of new beginning — free education and a prosperous future.

Free education was given to everyone — schools were built — new oportunities abound. Our best and the brightest young men, the hope of the nation, went to Manila to get the best education. Cagayan sent them off to far away Manila with a mission and vision – that is, be the best that you can be. Come back as leaders and help develop Cagayan.

In Manila, our youth, majority stayed in one house, the home of an illustrious Kagay-anon. He motivated them further and fueled their imagination, to be leaders and help develop their beloved Cagayan, Misamis Oriental.

Their young, intelligent and educated minds were asking questions like how to help develop our place. What did we have to offer? What to do to boost and sustain economic activities?

Be in national politics, attract investors and businessmen. Exploit our natural resources, encourage migration. Agriculture, lumber and mining were also discussed.

How to bring businessmen and migrants to invest? To attract capital and labor, they needed a very good marketing and sales strategy. But they went further than that. They went into branding. They repackaged Cagayan and branded her as Cagayan de Oro. They added “de Oro” because it is the king of metal which is abundant in our mountains.

It was a masterstroke. After all, who can resist the glitter that was gold. Soon, conversations and correspondences all referred to her as Cagayan de Oro. Unofficially, she was known all over the country as Cagayan de Oro.

In the 1920s, a hotel named Cagayan de Oro Hotel was built. It was located at the corner of Tiano and Abejuela streets in Divisoria. Miners, loggers and big capitalists were the regular clients.

Soon, the city saw migration.

No, Congressman Pelaez did not pluck it out from thin air. The name Cagayan de Oro was branded by our young and brightest students, a product of many brainstorming sessions in boarding houses, dorms, classrooms, side streets cafeteria, smoke-filled salons, and cabarets, perhaps over many bottles of beer.

Like a movie, the story is based on true events.

Disclaimer

Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.

- Advertisement -
Previous articleThink of it
Next articleBandwagon
TRAILBLAZER. Established in 1989, Mindanao Gold Star Daily aimed set ablaze a new meaning and flame to the local newspaper industry. Throughout the years it continued its focus and interest in the rural areas and pioneered the growth of community journalism.