Mayor Maximo Suniel, Congressmen Pedro Baculio and Emmanuel Pelaez: the Distinguished Gentlemen behind the Cagayan de Oro City Charter

On June 15, 1950, President Elpidio Quirino signed R. A. 521, a law that converted the Municipality of Cagayan de Misamis into a chartered city. This year, 2025, marks the 75th or Diamond Anniversary of Cagayan de Oro as a city. That historic event in 1950 was just a few years after the country’s devastation caused by the Second World War. On the other hand, there was the joy of American and Filipino victories over the Japanese. There was also the glory of the independence granted by the United States to the Philippines on July 4, 1946, which was just a year after the end of the war. Those memories were still fresh in the Kagay-anons’ mind on that charter day.                                                                

The Japanese surrendered to the American and allied Forces on September 2, 1945, which formally ended the war. A year later, an election was held on April 1946 that resulted to the election of Manuel Roxas as president. Three months later, on July 4, 1946, the United States granted independence to the Philippines thus ending the country’s commonwealth status.                                                                    

In Cagayan de Misamis, in the aftermath of the war and the granting of the country’s independence, the municipality went through the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged infrastructures. Government institutions had to be re-established. Local government officials at that time saw the need to elevate Cagayan to a city Status. In this regard, the municipal council created a three-man committee led by treasurer Maximo Suniel to promote the conversion of Cagayan into a chartered city. Relative to that move, Pedro Baculio who was the congressman of Misamis Oriental sponsored bill 2829 for that purpose. In 1948, President Roxas died of a heart attack and Vice President Elpidio Quirino took over as president who then appointed Maximo Suniel as Mayor of Cagayan.   

                                                 

The term of the first congress expired in 1949 with the bill not yet enacted into law. Emmanuel Pelaez who succeeded Pedro Baculio as the representative in Misamis Oriental worked for the passage of bill in congress. The bill was signed into law by President Quirino on June 15, 1950. Cagayan de Misamis became a chartered city by virtue of R. A. 521. Immediately after the signing, the president sworn in Maximo Suniel as the mayor of the newly created city. The word “Misamis” was removed from the name and in its place was the Spanish word “Oro” which means gold. Oro was an appropriate word addition because Cagayan River is known for the presence of gold sediments and nuggets as well as the hospitable and friendly dispositions of the residents which are considered as golden traits. Thus, the official name of the newly charted city was Cagayan de Oro. The signing of the charter was 4 years after the Philippines independence and 5 years after the war.   

The distinguished gentlemen behind R. A. 521:       

                                                                   

Maximo Yparraguirre Suniel was born in Carascal, Surigao on November 18, 1898. At age 24, he became the municipal treasurer of Mambajao, Camiguin. He moved to Cagayan de Misamis as a municipal treasurer on January 24, 1924. When war broke out, he joined the resistant movement against the Japanese. After the war he was given back his job as a treasurer. On September 25, 1947, the municipal council created a three-man committee to work for the conversion of Cagayan into a city. In 1948 he was appointed as the mayor of Cagayan. Upon the signing of President Quirino of R. A. 521 of the city’s charter, the president immediately sworn in Maximo Suniel as the mayor of the new city. Thus, Maximo Suniel was the last mayor of Cagayan de Misamis, and the first mayor of Cagayan de Oro City.     

                                                                                                                                        

Pedro Salvador Baculio, a lawyer, was born on October 19, 1909. He was the acting governor of Misamis Oriental on August 1, 1945, which at that time included the island of Camiguin and Cagayan de Misamis. He represented the province in the first congress from 1946 to 1949. In Mar 1953 he was the appointed mayor of the new city of Cagayan de Oro. The loss of President Quirino that he supported in the election of 1953 cut short his stint as Mayor in December 1953. As a congressman, he was responsible for sponsoring a bill in 1948 to convert the municipality of Cagayan de Misamis into a City. 

 Emmanuel Neri Pelaez was born on November 30, 1915, in Medina, Misamis Oriental. He topped the 1938 bar exam with a rating of 91.3%. He succeeded Rep Baculio as the Misamis Oriental representative in congress on December 30, 1949. In that capacity he worked for the passage of the bill filed by Rep. Baculio. Pelaez’ effort helped in the signing of the bill to become R. A, 521 that converted Cagayan into a chartered city. In the 1953 election he ran for senator and won. In the 1959 election, he won as vice president in tandem with Diosdado Macapagal who was elected president. In the Macapagal administration, Pelaez was also appointed as Secretary of Foreign Affairs. His differences with Macapagal caused his resignation of the post, and he later transferred to the Nacionalista Party where he made himself available as its presidential nominee. During the party convention to select the party candidate for president, Senate President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. who topped the bar in 1939, bolted the Liberal Party to join the Nacionalista and challenged Pelaez in the presidential nomination. In the convention marred with allegations of coercion and vote buying Marcos defeated Pelaez as the party’s presidential candidate. In the election that followed Marcos defeated Macapagal to become the new president of the Philippines. After his vice presidency, Pelaez served as a congressman, as a senator and as a member of Batasan Pambansa in the Martial law period. During president Corazon Aquino’s term of office, he was appointed as the Ambassador to the United States in 1986.                                     

Pelaez was one of the most popular political personalities in the Philippines at the prime of his political career. He was an admired and beloved figure of the people of Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental who fondly called him “Maning. He was the first person in Mindanao to top the bar exam. He was also the first politician from Mindanao to become vice president of the Philippines. His ambition to become the President of the Philippines was within a hair’s breadth had Ferdinand Marcos Sr. not seized from him that opportunity.

Sagpulon Falls

A tourist destination in Barangay San Isidro in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental is the Sagpulon Falls. It is located about 7 kilometers from the national highway and Spring View Resort road crossing. Arriving at the vicinity of the waterfall resort, visitors pay the entrance and the table and cottage if they wish to avail those amenities. They then hike toward the main site passing through rough and narrow ascending and descending paths. The terrain in the area has high grounds, trees, boulders and a river.

The main attraction of the resort is a waterfall which is about 150 feet and in the middle of a steep cliff. Its waters stream down and gather into a round shaped plunge pool. Near the bottom of the water fall are some smaller water falls with waters emanating from the cracks of rock layers on the cliff's wall and a rock shelter.

Some visitors enjoy venturing into the lower portion of the cliff near the falls by climbing into its ledges so that they can dive into the pool. However, those actions may not be safe because anytime pieces of rocks or soil from the top of the cliff may come off and fall down so that they may hit people below the cliff and cause serious injuries.  The resort management allow visitors to swim in the plunge pool provided they wear the life vests that it provides.

There are two swimming pools for those who do not wish to swim in the plunge pool. The water of the swimming pools are sourced from the waters flowing from the wall of the cliff. One end of a hose is inserted into a crack in the rock layers to direct water into the hose, and the other end lets the water flow out to fill the swimming pool, thus assuring a continues supply of fresh water.

Other amenities include cottage with table and a common comfort room and bath room. It is advisable for visitors to bring their own foods and drinks and to clean their accommodation area of trash and waste before leaving the resort. The resort is open only up to 5 pm, and there is still no accommodation for those who want to stay overnight there.

The Divine Mercy Shrine of El Salvador, Misamis Oriental

The Divine Mercy Shrine of El Salvador, Misamis Oriental has become one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the Philippines. Pilgrims come to the shrine to pray, attend masses, make confession, make spiritual retreat or healing petition, and attend important religious occasions such as the Holy Week, the Feast of the Divine Mercy and the birthday of Mama Mary or the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.                                                                                                             

The shrine is situated on a 9-hectare Divine Mercy Hill in Barangay Ulaliman, El Salvador City. The main feature of the shrine is the statue of Jesus Christ. The statue was made in accordance with Mother Faustina  Kowalska’s  description of the Divine Mercy who is Jesus Christ who appeared to her in dreams. The 50-foot tall statue overlooks Macajalar Bay and awes visitors and pilgrims with its imposing size. Over the head of the statue is a halo. The right hand is raised in blessing while the left is placed on the breast which flows forth two rays. In the “rays” are stairs leading to the chamber of the Sacred Heart where devotees can make their petition to God. The ones in the right go up into the chamber while the others in the left descend into the ground. A well manicured garden adorns the sloping ground in front of the statue. And right below it is a huge lawn where devotees can gather to attend mass that is held in the open during special religious occasions. Devotees are required to dress modestly while inside the shrine premises. Female devotees are required to wear long skirt. Those without it are given one upon their entry into the shrine. Another important feature of the shrine is the almost completed church that is oval in shape and is spacious. On the outside at the edge of the roof is crown of thorns adornment that encircles the church.

Following pictures were taken during the birthday of Mama Mary on September 8, 2014 at Divine Mercy Shrine, El Salvador Misamis Oriental.

The Colors of Christmas Lights in the City

It is Christmas season and homes as well as public buildings, parks and malls are adorned with Christmas trees and lights, and Christmas carols are played in some of those places. The front of the city hall of Cagayan de Oro is bedecked with myriads of small lights and the main entrance is adorned with three “angels” that are fashioned from Christmas lights. The colors of lights range from yellow, red, light green, among others.

Just across the city hall is the Gaston Park which is one the city’s landmarks. The park is situated by the St. Augustine Cathedral, the oldest Catholic Church of the City. The fountain in the middle of the park is temporarily shut down and its basin emptied of water to make way for the installation of a 40-foot tall Christmas tree. The “tree” is fashioned from steel bars and bands with Christmas lights wrapped around it. At day time the “tree” is not a beauty to behold. But at night the lights of the Christmas tree make the people feel the spirit of Christmas.

The people from the provincial government have also put up a conspicuous display of lights at the Vicente de Lara Park that fronts the provincial capitol building. That park has for its feature old hard wood Philippine trees that give shelter to visitors and passersby from the heat of sunlight. The trees have already lamps at them to illuminate the park at night. But to give variety this Christmas season, personnel from the provincial government treat people with a display of violet lights that shine at the park’s vicinity. It is a lighting display that people from the city or the province have never seen before. To work with the innovative idea, the capitol personnel collected empty plastics gallons, cut off their bottoms and painted the remaining bodies violet. It then cased the lamps at the trees with those gallons. When the lamps are on, violet colored lights are shone through the plastic gallon-made lanterns. 

MOHS/MOGCHS through the Years

Statue of Gov. Apolinar Velez on horseback

In the early years of American occupation only few places in the country had schools to serve the need of children aspiring to get higher education. People from the provinces had to send their children for their education to the capitals of the country. In that context only rich families were capable to provide their children better education. Fortunately, the Americans were more dedicated in improving the literacy of the Filipinos than their Spanish predecessors. Education was the greatest legacy the Americans left to the Filipinos. Under their administration they saw to it that children from age 7 years and above should be in school and that free educational materials were availed to them. The Americans also helped facilitate the establishments of elementary, secondary and tertiary schools in different parts of the Philippines.

In 1907, Don Apolinar Velez, one of the founding fathers of Cagayan de Oro and the governor of Misamis Oriental thought of establishing a secondary school  in his native place so that parents would not have to send their children either to Manila or Cebu to study. He conveyed his proposal to the Philippine legislative assembly which was headed by Speaker Sergio Osmeña of Cebu. During that time the Philippines was one of the unincorporated territories of the United States. Filipinos were given a semblance of autonomy by having all-Filipino elected members of the National Assembly. Executive power however was vested to the American governor general who was appointed by the President of the United States.                             

Don Apolinar’s effort came into fruition when he was granted an audience by Governor General William Cameron Forbes. The latter gave a green light to the plan. He told Don Apolinar to secure a piece of land for the school that would include a large athletic field which was a necessity since American school curriculum included sports.

The site of the school should include an athletic field

The generosity of some people of Cagayan de Misamis now Cagayan de Oro to donate their lands as the site of the school realized the establishment of the Misamis Provincial High School which was also called Escuela Provincial. The school was inaugurated on December 15, 1909 with no less than Governor General William Cameron Forbes as the guest of honor. Other guests included Speaker Sergio Osmeña and other dignitaries.

Classes formally opened on January 10, 1910 with an all American faculty. The first principal was the American Mr. Henry Smith. The last one who was American was Mr. William Goodrich. Mr. Simeon Vale was the first Filipino to hold that office in 1928. Due to the increasing number of students the intermediate grades were separated from high school administration in 1926.                                                               

The periods of the Philippine Commonwealth, the Second World War and the Philippine Independence saw the transformation of MOHS from an American administered school into a Filipino administered one with its curriculum attuned to the cultural, educational and other circumstances of young Filipino personalities. On June 1, 1965 RA 4247 converted MOHS into a national high school, and since then it has been known as Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School or MOGCHS.

Cagayan de Oro as a highly urbanized city became administratively independent from Misamis Oriental. The province however still keeps its seat of government in the city. And it still owns some properties and institutions inside the city. This includes MOHS which is presently called MOGCHS.

During the term of President Corazon Aquino a new 1987 Philippine Constitution provided for a compulsory and free education for all children at the elementary and high school levels. The provision has benefited many Filipino families specially the poor who could not afford to send their children to private schools.

Today, it is easier even for poor families to enable their children have elementary and high school educations because they are for free and schools are widely available so that even barangays have their own national high schools. Families belonging to middle class and the rich usually send their children to private schools. 

Being a public school, MOGCHS is a school for the masses and for everyone who wishes to study there.  Although the school is under the administrative jurisdiction of the province of Misamis Oriental, it is in essence a school for the people of Cagayan de Oro because most of its students are from the city and that its location is in the heart of the city. MOGCHS and its athletic field which is now the Pelaez Sports Center are not only pioneer institutions of learning and sports in the city but they are also historical sites of Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental. 

Laguindingan International Airport Has Opened for Business

The largest and the first ever in Northern Mindanao, the Laguindingan International Airport has officially opened on June 15, 2013. The event is a milestone in the history of Northern Mindanao and the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. Personnel of the old Lumbia airport move its equipment and facilities to the new airport which will serve the airline passengers of the region. Lumbia airport is turned over to the Philippine Air Force which will use it for its flight operations.   

                                                                                                                             

A flagship project of the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor Development Project (CIC), the new airport was conceptualized in 1991 during the term of the late President Corazon C. Aquino. The CIC was envisioned to develop a growth area in Northern Mindanao with the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan as hubs of economic activities. The plan for the airport was started during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos. On January 10, 2006, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo led the ground breaking ceremony for the start of its construction.

The newly finished airport sits in 4.17 square kilometers of land at Barangay Moog, Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental. It has a 2.1-kilometer long and 45-meter wide runway. A 4.4-kilometer, four-lane access road connects the new airport to the Laguindingan national highway. It is 46 kilometers from Cagayan de Oro and 61.9 kilometers from Iligan. The airport is equipped with the most modern facilities. However, for the meantime, the airport will operate under the Visual Flight Rule (VFR) because the Instrument Landing System (ILS) which will enable the pilots to land plane at night and in poor visibility is yet to be installed. 

                                                                                                                                                                       

The construction was undertaken by Yooshin Engineering of Korea, Schema Konsult Inc. of Ortigas Center, Pasig and Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Company, the general contractor of the project. Cost of the airport which was funded by the Philippine government and foreign loans was 167.09 million US dollars or 7.853 billion Philippine pesos.    

On April 18, 2013, the Department of Communications and Transportation (DOTC) announced that the opening would be postponed to June 15 instead of April 30, 2013 because the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) received request from airline companies to postpone the transfer after the summer peak season because the April 30 opening would require cancellation of several booked flight tickets.

Business groups from Cagayan de Oro such as the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce Foundation Incorporated voiced their concern and opposition to the “premature” opening of the airport citing safety reasons since the new airport has yet to install the ILS which means that the airport could operate only during day time. They also added that the lack of night flights could mean losses in billions of pesos. But aviation authorities said that the problem can be dealt with by increasing the number of flights during the day. And that the airport can operate safely without the ILS. The Mactan International Airport in Cebu operated without ILS for 3 years.

CAAP Director General William Hotchkiss and Secretary of DOTC Joseph Emilio Abaya assured the public that the airport is safe for the aircraft and passengers. They added that the Laguindingan Airport is safer than  Lumbia Airport because of the ideal ground elevation of the former. They said that Lumbia is difficult to land during extreme weather because it is on a mountainous ground with an elevation of 183 meters or 601 feet while Laguindingan is situated at a coastal area with an elevation of only 190 feet above sea level which makes it easier for a pilot to land a plane even in an unfavorable weather condition.    

                                                                                                                             

President Benigno Aquino III inspected and inaugurated the airport on June 11, 2013. He was met by notable personalities such as Governor Oscar Moreno, the newly elected mayor of Cagayan de Oro City, Archbishop Antonio Ledesma and Manila-based business Tycoon Jaime Zobel de Ayala. With the president were DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas III, DOTC secretary Jose Abaya and other presidential staff. The landing of the presidential plane at the airport’s runway is a tacit assurance from the president himself that the airport is indeed safe for airline passengers.

Remaining navigational aid equipment is expected to be installed within this year and that by early 2014 the airport will be capable of accommodating bigger planes for international flights such as an airbus with a seating capacity of 300 passengers. The volume of traffic in 2012 in Lumbia airport is about 1.4 million of passengers. The new airport at Laguindingan has a terminal that can accommodate 1.6 million of passengers annually. Another terminal will be constructed to accommodate the influx of more passengers in the future. The Laguindingan International Airport will surely boost tourism and economic activities of Northern Mindanao with the city of Cagayan de Oro having the lion’s share of the economic windfall that comes with the opening of the new international standard airport.