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History/Status of Camiguin Island
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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 period
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 period
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 Era
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.
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