Camiguin

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Camiguin

Camiguin is a small island province of the Philippines in the Northern Mindanao region.

Its capital is Mambajao and it is the second-smallest province both in population and land area. Only Batanes is smaller. The island of Camiguin is in the Bohol Sea about 10 kilometers north of Misamis Oriental.

People and culture

The people of Camiguin are called "Camiguingnons". The main occupation of the people is fishing and farming. Coconut is the major production as far as sources of income is concerned. Other plantations are abaca, rice, mangoes, lanzones and other fruit trees. Small cottage industries are increasing in number to accommodate the influx of visitors. The population is of Visayan descent. "Cebuano" and "Hiligaynon" are the main dialects. Cebuano is the main language while a few speak Kinamiguin, an ancient dialect. Nearly everyone speaks English fairly well.

Economy

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: PHP28.027M
Services: PHP64.116M
Consumer manufacturers: PHP1.230M
Others (bank releases): PHP80.888M
Trading: PHP21.385M

Total: PHP195.645 M

Geography

Political

Camiguin is subdivided into 5 municipalities.

Municipalities

Physical

History

The name Camiguin is derived from the native word “Kamagong”, a tree of the Ebony family that thrives near lake Mainit in the Province of Surigao del Norte. The original inhabitants of Camiguin were “manobos” who migrated from Surigao. The old native language in Camiguin is called “Kinamiguin”, which is similar to the dialect spoken in Surigao.

Spanish colonial era

Old Spanish documents indicate that the renowned explorers, Ferdinand Magellan and Miguel Lopez 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 “Guinsiliban” which means “to look out for pirates from a watchtower”. An old Spanish watchtower where the Camiguinons 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 to what is now Barangay Bonbon. On May 1, 1871, Mt. Vulcan Daan erupted and destroyed the town. A portion of the town sank beneath the sea. After the eruption, the settlement moved to were the Catarman town center is presently located. Today, all the remains of old Catarman are the ruins of the ancient Spanish church, a convent and a bell tower. 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 Cebuano 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. Both Mahinog and Guinsiliban were formally governed from Sagay.

American colonial era

In 1901, in the middle of the Spanish-American War (1898-1904), American soldiers landed in Camiguin to assume political control over the island. A group of Camiguinons, 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. On June 18, 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army landed in Camiguin and set up a government in Mambajao. The Japanese Army gutted down central Mambajao in reprisal to guerrilla activities there. The remains of some of these buildings still exist today.

Independence

On July 4, 1946, the country gained independence from the United States of America and became the Republic of the Philippines. From 1946 to 1958, Camiguin was part of the Misamis Oriental. In 1958, it became a sub-province and in 1968, a full-fledged province with Mambajao as its provincial capital.

From 1948 to 1951, Mt. Hibok-Hibok constantly rumbled and smoked. Its minor eruption in 1948 caused little damage and loss of life. In 1949, its eruption caused 79 deaths due to landslides. In the morning of December 4, 1951, the volcano erupted again. This, time, however, it unleashed boiling lava, poisonous gases, and landslides enough to destroy nearly 19 squares kilometers of land particularly in Mambajao. All in all, over 3,000 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.

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 formally inagurated only in 1968.

Highlights

Several centuries-old churches are found in various parts of the island. One of the famous churches is the Sto. Rosario Church in the municipality of Sagay built in 1882, and the church ruins of San Roque in Barangay Bonbon.

Ancestral Homes Camiguin Island is famous for its ancestral homes gracefully dotting the streets all over the island

Endemic species

Scientists have recently discovered two new species endemic to Camiguin in the southern Philippines, bringing the number of vertebrates living only on this island to four: two rodents Bullimus gamay and Apomys camiguinensis, a parrot Camiguin Hanging-parrot (Loriculus camiguinensis) and a new species of frog.

External links

Province of Camiguin official website

Provinces of the Philippines | Islands of the Philippines

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