Again, it’s CdeO

A. Paulita Roa .

I FIND it strange and astounding that Cagayan de Oro, a highly urbanized and very progressive city here in Mindanao, continues to use, as its means of identification, the initials “CDO.” We all know that this is copied from a food corporation based in Luzon that sells the highly popular CDO Carne Norte, CDO Ulam burger, CDO Ham, CDO Hotdogs and many more. But the national and local tri-media use CDO to refer to Cagayan de Oro. And to think that in sari-sari stores and supermarkets around the country, we see a different kind of CDO stamped in food packages and cans and it certainly do not promote Cagayan de Oro!

It is obvious that many of us, Kagay-anons, do not care nor are conscious about the need for our city to have its own exclusive brand in order to project a special kind of image that sets her apart from what is commonly seen in the market shelves. Either that or we do not have an adequate knowledge of our history that will help to instill pride in our being Kagay-anons.

Well, I have news for you — the City Council passed Ordinance No.10962 – 2008 titled, “An Ordinance Adopting the Official Initials of Cagayan de Oro City as CdeO.” It was the city’s Historical and Cultural Commission that recommended the adoption of these initials in order to stop the use of initials CDO for it duly belong to a SEC-registered nationally known commercial food corporation. This kind of public information is not widely known therefore not popularly used at all.

Incorporating the letters “de” in the official initials of the city has a great historical significance. On Feb. 27, 1871, Governor-General Carlos Maria de la Torre issued a decree making Cagayan the capital town of the Segundo Distrito de Mindanao or the Misamis Province. Thus, the town was officially known as Cagayan de Misamis. This huge district was composed of the present day provinces and cities of Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Bukidnon, Iligan and Dapitan. It was governed by a Spanish military governor whose office was in Casa Real (CdeO City Hall).

During the American colonial period, the town’s name was shortened to just Cagayan. However, on June 15, 1950, President Elpidio Quirino signed RA 571 “An Act Creating the City of Cagayan de Oro.” The bill’s author, then Congressman Emmanuel N. Pelaez, explained that he appended “de Oro” to the name of the new city because he knew that for centuries, gold can be found in the city’s hills and rivers. In fact, as far back as 1884, Agustin de la Cavada wrote in a report to the Spanish colonial government that “In Misamis, gold is normally present in the riverbeds between Iligan and Cagayan.”

In Section 2 of the City Ordinance 10962, the official initials CdeO are supposed to be printed, stamped and even sewn in government stationaries, ID cards, official documents, banners, signs, posters and other similar materials. The city’s barangays, the local tri-media, private establishments, other government agencies are likewise encouraged to use it in their websites, advertisements and etc..

CdeO means Cagayan de Oro and let us use this special brand to the max. Let us stop using CDO for it is like a second hand identification of our city. Legally, we do not have the right to use this because this is a SEC-registered brand name owned by the Foodsphere Corp.. I suspect though that the owners do not mind the use of CDO because it gives them free and unlimited advertisement that is good for their business.

Let us be brand conscious by using CdeO from hereon. These initials are reflective of the history of our land and it rightly gives us the kind of identification that we can be proud of.