Cagayan de Oro

Cagayan de Oro(CDO), officially theCity of Cagayan de Oro(Cebuano:Dakbayan sa Cagayan de Oro;Maranao:Bandar a Cagayan de Oro;Filipino:Lungsod ng Cagayan de Oro), is ahighly urbanized cityin theregionofNorthern Mindanao,Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 728,402 people, making it the10th most populous cityin the Philippines and the most populous in Northern Mindanao.
It serves as the capital of theprovinceofMisamis Orientalwherein it is geographically situated and grouped under the province by thePhilippine Statistics Authority, but governed administratively independent from the provincial government and also the largest city of that province. It also serves as the regional center and business hub of Northern Mindanao, and part of the growingMetropolitan Cagayan de Oroarea, which includes the city ofEl Salvador, the towns ofOpol,Alubijid,Laguindingan,Gitagum,Lugait,Naawan,Initao,LibertadandManticaoat the western side, and the towns ofTagoloan,Villanueva,Jasaan,ClaveriaandBalingasagat the eastern side.
Cagayan de Oro is located along the north central coast ofMindanaoisland facingMacajalar Bayand is bordered by the municipalities ofOpolto the west,Tagoloanto the east, and the provinces ofBukidnonandLanao del Norteto the south of the city.
Cagayan de Oro is also famous for itswhite water raftingorkayakingadventures, one of the tourism activities being promoted along theCagayan de Oro River.
The nameCagayan de Oro(lit. River of Gold)can be traced back to the arrival of theSpanishAugustinian Recollectfriars in 1622, the area around Himologan (now Huluga), was already known as "Cagayán". Early Spanish written documents in the 16th century already referred to the place as "Cagayán". Variations of this word—karayan,kayan,kahayan,kayayan,kagayanandkalayan—all also meanriver.
The region ofNorthern Mindanao, which included Cagayan de Oro, was granted asencomiendato a certain Don Juan Griego on January 25, 1571. It was then former Vice President of the PhilippinesEmmanuel Peláezwho appended "de Oro"toCagayan.
The name "Cagayan" is shared by other places in the Philippines; these include the province ofCagayaninCagayan Valley, northernLuzon–in which is said to have similar reference with Cagayan de Oro as they refer to their respective rivers with the same name (one being thelongest in the Philippines), theCagayan Islandsin the northern Sulu Sea, and the former Cagayan de Sulu, currently namedMapun, an island inTawi-Tawi.
The Cagayan de Oro area was continuously inhabited byLate NeolithictoIron AgeAustronesiancultures. The oldest human remains discovered was from theHuluga Caves, once used as a burial place by the natives. A skullcap sent to theScripps Institution of Oceanographyin 1977 was dated to be from between 350 and 377 AD.
The caves have yielded numerous artifacts, but most areas have been badly damaged byguanocollectors and amateurtreasure hunters. Associated with the cave is the Huluga Open Site, believed to be the site of the primary pre-colonial settlement in the region identified as  "Himologan" by the first Spanish missionaries.The site is located about eight kilometers from present-day Cagayan de Oro.
The discovery of a grave site in 2009 uncovered remains ofSong dynasty(960–1279 AD)celadon wareandSukhothai period(1238–1347 AD)Sangkhalok ceramic ware, in addition to body ornaments and stone tools. It indicates that the region was part of theancient maritime trading network of Southeast Asia. Skulls recovered from the sites show that native Kagay-anons practicedartificial cranial deformationsince childhood as a mark of social status, similar to skulls from archeological sites in neighboringButuan.
The Huluga Open Site was extensively damaged in 2001 to give way to a bridge project by the local administration. It was the source of controversy when a team from theUniversity of the Philippines-Archaeological Studies Program dismissed the archeological importance of the site by declaring it as a "camp-like area" and not a settlement and thus not worthy of heritage protection under the laws. It was alleged by local conservationists that the UP-ASP team were influenced by the local government so the bridge project could continue. The site is still not protected and continues to be quarried, despite protests by local historians and archeologists.
The Himologan settlement was still occupied by the time the Europeans made contact. In 1622, twoSpanishAugustinian Recollect missionaries reached the settlement and described it as being inhabited by a mixed stock descended from highlanderBukidnonLumadand sea-faringVisayans("Dumagat"). They described the men of the settlement as beingtattooedlike other Visayans and the women as being ornamented with intricate jewelry, some of which were golden. They also identified them asanimists, practicing traditionalanitism, though they paid tribute toMuhammad Kudarat, thesultanof the IslamizedSultanate of Maguindanaoto the south.
In 1626, Fray Agustín de San Pedro persuaded the chief of Himologan,DatuSalangsang, to transfer his settlement down the Cagayan River, to the present-day Gaston Park. De San Pedro later fortified the new settlement against Sultan Kudarat's raiders.
In 1738, Spanish dominance was felt in Cagayan de Oro. When Misamis gained the status of province in 1818, one of its four districts was the Partidos de Cagayan. In 1871, the "Partidos" became a town and was made a permanent capital of Misamis.
On February 27, 1872, Governor-GeneralCarlos María de La Torreissued a decree declaring Cagayan the permanent capital ofSegundo Distrito de Misamis. During this era, the name of the town was known asCagayan de Misamis.
In 1883, the town became a seat of the Spanish government inMindanaofor the provinces ofMisamis Oriental,Misamis Occidental,BukidnonandLanao del Norte.
The Spanish authorities surrendered toMisamis governorJose Roa and municipal mayor Toribio Chavez, both appointees ofPresidentEmilio Aguinaldo. With theFiesta Nacionalof January 10–11, 1899, their independence was celebrated as thePhilippine flagwas raised for the second time inMindanao.At that time, the town joined the Aguinaldo government in the second time it was declared.
Spain'scession of the Philippines to theUnited Statesthrougha peace treaty in 1898mainly caused opposition from residents of then Cagayan de Misamis. Their involvement in thePhilippine–American Warwas prompted by the presence of the Americans, who had invaded the municipality on March 31, 1900, and whom they fought against thrice since then.
Resistance fighters lost in the early battles. On April 7, Gen.Nicolas Capistranoledan attack in the town center, on the garrison of the U.S. 40th Infantry Regiment under Col. Edward Godwin, but were repulsed with heavy losses. On May 14, the positions of the 1st Company ofEl Mindanao Battalonin Agusan Hillwas attackedby a military unit under Col. Walter Elliot, with 38 members including their commander, Capt. Vicente Roa, killed.
On June 4, the said battalion, under Col.Apolinar Velezand Lt. Cruz Taal, repulsed the U.S. 35th Regiment during theBattle of Makahambus Hill; marking the Americans' first defeat in the war.
After the troubled years, peace finally brought back the economic activities to normality under the guidance of the United States. Consequently, from a purely farming-fishing area, Cagayan de Oro emerged into a booming commerce and trade center, attracting migrants fromLuzonandVisayasto settle in the area.
Americans gave the Philippines its independence on July 4, 1946.
On May 3, 1942, American and Philippine forces fought heroically against invading Japanese forces from Panay. Unable to resist the overwhelming and the better supplied Japanese, the allied forces retreated to more defensible positions outside the city. The Japanese burned most of the city and took up residence at theAteneo de Cagayan University, now Xavier University Grade School and used the ferry crossing near San Agustin Church. In addition, the Japanese also established at least three (likely more) "comfort stations" in the city, where enslaved local girls and teenagers were forced by Japanese soldiers into sexual slavery, which included routine gang-rapes and murders.
The Japanese army implemented a scorch-earth policy. Filipino and American guerrilla forces fought back during this occupation and American planes bombed both the university and San Agustin church on October 10, 1944. The Japanese were never able to successfully move outside the city for any length of time due to the constant pressure and attacks from the Philippine resistant movement. Combined American and Free Philippine forces landed in Cagayan de Oro on May 10, 1945, three years and 7 days after the Japanese occupation.
During this period the Japanese committed many atrocities against the local population of Cagayan de Oro, as they did throughout the Philippines. Colonel Fumio Suzuki and two hundred of his men escaped capture during the liberation of the city and withdrew into the mountainous jungle. They were caught two years later; only 38 survived, by cannibalizing the Higaonon tribal people. At least 70 people were eaten.
A Cagayanon, the physicianAntonio Julian Montalvan, was a member of an espionage team working for the return of Gen. Douglas MacArthur to the Philippines. Later, he became part of a Manila spy network. He was captured, tortured and decapitated by the Japanese.
Iponan, Gusa and Agusan, the city's oldestbarangays,were once municipalities during the colonial period.
Iponan and Agusan, along with Bayug, Gompot (Balingasag), and Tagoloan, were among thevisitasestablished by theRecollect missionariesin Cagaiang (city's former name) in 1674.The two were under Partido de Cagayan asthe then-undivided Misamiswas partitioned into fourpartidosin 1818.
Iponan was made into a separate parish in 1833. The three becamevisitasof then Cagayan de Misamis, which became the new provincial capital in 1871.
Gusawas established as abarrioin 1771, and shortly, became a municipality.Original settlers wereBukidnons, as well as fewManobosandMoros,who came frombarrioLapasan and town of Cagayan;but the increase of immigrants later resulted in all of the natives leaving the area.At the time ofthe American occupation, during thePhilippine–American War, in 1901, Gen.Nicolas Capistranochose to meet there twice with theAmerican militaryofficials for a peace conference, held in Julian Gevero's residence, eventually ending the year-long war.However, due to decrease of population following the evacuation of residents during the war, and the town's short distance from Cagayan,Gusa was reverted to abarrio,being part of Agusan.
Agusanbecame one of the tenbarriosof Cagayan in 1844. It was the starting point for those traveling toBukidnonuntil the late 1920s. On May 14, 1900, the 1st Company of the Mindanao Battalion perished ina battleagainst the Americans on the hills near the river. On May 10, 1945, the beaches of Agusan and Bugo were the landing sites of the soldiers of theUnited States Army's40th Division, which joined with that of the31st Divisionin Bukidnon where they finally defeated the Japanese in a battle.
Iponan(spelled "Yponan" in Spanish colonial records), originally calledKalumpang, was the place where there were streams meeting at one point to form Iponan River which, according to a report of British explorerThomas Forrest, was considered as among theMindanao's seven rivers abundant with gold; with asitio, known for its gold mines, frequently raided by Moros duringthe Spanish occupation.
ThroughAct No. 951, issued by thePhilippine Commissionon October 21, 1903, which reduced the number of municipalities in Misamis from 24 to 10, the territories ofBarrioGusa, along with the towns of Iponan, Opol, Salvador, and Alubijid, joined with Cagayan; while the rest of Agusan joined withTagoloan.Agusan, later abarrio, along with Bogo and Alae, were transferred from Tagoloan to the newly-converted Cagayan de Oro City in 1950.
In 1948, the barrios of El Salvador and Molugan with their sitios known as Sala, Sambulawan, Sinaloc, Lagtang, Talaba, Kalabaylabay and Hinigdaan were separated from Cagayan de Oro to form the town of El Salvador.
In 1949, a delegation headed by Cagayan de Misamis mayor Maximo Y. Suniel travelled to Manila to persuade the Philippine Congress to enact a legislative act supporting the creation of the City of Cagayan.
In 1950, the barrios of Opol, Igpit, and Lower Iponan (now Barangay Barra) were separated from Cagayan de Oro to form the town ofOpol.
On June 15, 1950, PresidentElpidio Quirinosigned Republic Act No. 521, which granted the status of achartered cityto the Municipality of Cagayan de Misamis.This was made possible through the efforts of then Cagayan de Oro CongressmanEmmanuel Pelaez.Suniel was the last municipal mayor of Cagayan de Misamis and the first city mayor of Cagayan de Oro.
During the martial law era, Cagayan de Oro was not spared from military bombings and the usage of brutal mechanisms against dissenters of the Marcos regime. By the time martial law ended, more than a thousand people from the city had been tortured, raped, electrocuted, or salvaged.This included public school teacher Nicanor Gonzales Jr., who wasdetainedfor seven months and heavily tortured, leaving an abnormal growth on his skull.He was eventually honored in 2015 by having his name inscribed at the Philippines'Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors the martyrs and heroes who resisted the authoritarian regime.
Cagayan de Oro did not take thesehuman rights abuses of the Marcos dictatorshiplightly, and the city came to have a reputation as one of the centers of political opposition in the Philippines.
Cagayan de Oro was declared a highly urbanized city by the Ministry of Local Government on November 22, 1983. In 1986, the city participated in thePeople Power Revolutionthrough rallies in the streets of the city. When the revolution succeeded and ousted Marcos from power in Manila, the city was among those who supported the installation ofCorazon Aquinoas president.
On 4 October 1990, the city was seized by a rebel army led by dissidentRAMofficer Alexander Noble and civilian supporters of theMindanao Independence Movementled byReuben Canoy, who marched across the city and took over the regional military garrison atCamp Edilberto Evangelistaas part of anattempted coupagainst President Corazon Aquino. However, Noble's forces failed to gain further support and were isolated by government forces, culminating in Noble's surrender and Canoy's arrest on 6 October.
In 1992, theNational Museum of the Philippinesrecognized the archaeological value ofHulugawhen it gave the Open Site and caves separate accession numbers. In 1999, however, mayor Vicente Y. Emano conceived the plan to bulldoze Huluga to give way to a road-and-bridge project. The project was stopped in 2001, but was eventually continued in 2002. The construction destroyed at least 60% of the archaeological site's open area, where the majority of artifacts can be found. Protests against the heritage destruction was made by cultural experts, but nothing happened with their plea.
In 2003, the Heritage Conservation Advocates (HCA) went to the open area of Huluga for a scientific surface investigation and managed to find earthenware, Chinese pottery sherds, obsidian flakes, animal bones, an ancient Spanish coin, and a whale harpoon similar to those being used in Lomblen Island, Indonesia. The newly discovered artifacts proved that there are still many artifacts that can be found in the area. This caused the HCA to file a case against Emano and the contractor, UKC Builders, before the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). However, the construction continued and was inaugurated in September 2003 by Emano.
A day later, presidentGloria Macapagal Arroyomade a speech inUNESCOabout her administration's gains in cultural conservation. In January 2004, the city council enacted an ordinance that authorized Emano to sign a contract with the Archaeological Studies Program (ASP) of the University of the Philippines to do salvage archaeology in Huluga and vicinities. The program did not make cooperative linkages with existing archeological programs from Xavier University. The ASP declared that the site was an ancient camp, not a settlement, due to their findings in the destroyed archaeological site. The report did not consider the findings of Xavier University. The issue later climbed into the Philippine Senate, whereLoren Legardaissued a resolution for investigation of the matter, but the investigation was never approved by the other members of the Senate. The artifacts found in theHuluga Cavesand its destroyed open site from 1992 to 2003 are housed in Xavier University, Capitol University, and the University of the Philippines.
On the evening of December 16–17, 2011,Tropical Storm Sendong(international nameWashi) caused widespreadflash floodingin Northern Mindanao. In Cagayan de Oro, hundreds living near the banks of the Cagayan de Oro River were killed, with hundreds still missing.
Officials said that despite government warning, some people did not evacuate. Five people were killed in a landslide, while others died in the flash floods which occurred overnight, following 10 hours ofrain, compounded by overflowing rivers and tributaries. Most of the victims had been sleeping.
In some areas, up to 20 centimeters of rain fell in 24 hours. More than 2,000 were rescued, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and at least 20,000 people were staying in 10 evacuation centers in Cagayan de Oro. Officials were also investigating reports that an entirevillagewas swept away.The confirmed death toll from the disaster is 1,268.The disaster prompted a shift in settlement patterns in the city, with residents moving away from the areas along theCagayan Riverin favor of upland areas.
In January 2017, Cagayan de Oro, along with other parts of Visayas and Mindanao, was impacted by a combination of alow-pressure areaand the tail-end of acold front. The heavy rain inundated many streets, stranding many commuters.At theUniversity of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP), about 900–1,000 students were trapped as most of their campus was flooded. The students were forced to climb to the upper floors of the school's buildings and wait until rescue arrived.The city's shopping malls on Claro M. Recto Avenue were also severely affected, withLimketkai Centercompletely inundated by the floodwaters. A basement parking area of a mall at the corner of Corrales St. was covered with water, while another one near Bitan-ag Creek was flooded as well, even though the area was elevated.
On December 21, 2017,Typhoon Vinta(international nameTembin) impacted most of Mindanao. It made its landfall in theDavao Region. Three bridges were closed due to rising water levels in Cagayan de Oro, where 1,719 individuals were forced to evacuate. Roughly 30,000 people were either stranded in ports or stayed in evacuation centers while 22,000 people moved to higher grounds due to heavy flooding.
Cagayan de Oro is located along the north central coast ofMindanao, the second-largest island in the Philippine archipelago.
The southern part of the city is bordered by the provinces of Bukidnon and Lanao del Norte. The municipality ofOpolborders the city on the west andTagoloan, Misamis Orientalto the east. To the north liesMacajalar Bayfacing theBohol Sea.
Its total land area is 488.86 kmrepresenting 13.9 percent of the entireMisamis Orientalprovince. It includes 25 kilometers of coastline and a harbor, Macajalar Bay. Approximately 44.7 percent of Cagayan de Oro is classified asagriculturalland, while 38.4 percent is classified as open spaces.
Cagayan de Oro is politically subdivided into 80barangays. Each barangay consists ofpurokswhile some havesitios.
The city is frequently categorized and referenced according to geographic factors: the 1st District (west of the Cagayan River) consisting of 24barangayswhich are mostly suburban, and the 2nd District (east of the river), made up of 56 barangays, including city proper barangays numbering from 1–40.
Under theKöppen climate classificationsystem, Cagayan de Oro has atropical monsoon climate(Am) with an annual average temperature of 28 °C. In June 1998, the city recorded its highest temperature to date of 39 °C.
Cagayan de Oro does not receive an even amount of rainfall throughout the year. The driest months are March and April while August and September are the wettest months. The rainy or wet season lasts from June until November with the relatively drier seasons lasting from December until May. The city lies outside the typhoon belt but is affected by theInter-Tropical Convergence Zone.
According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 728,402 people, making it the10th most populous cityin the Philippines.
About 44% of the household population in Cagayan de Oro classified themselves as ethnically, mixed people, 22.15% asCebuano, 4.38% asBoholano, while 28.07% as other ethnic groups, including those indigenous people from neighboring towns and provinces such as Higaonon, Subanen and Manobo; Muslim ethnolinguistic groups such asMaranaos,MaguindanaonsandTausugs; and migrants from Luzon and their descendants such asTagalogs,Kapampangans,Bicolanos,Pangasinans, andIlocanosas well asHiligaynonsfromWestern Visayas(as of 2000 census).
Roman Catholicismis the city's dominant religion, represented by almost 70 percent of the population. It is administered by theArchdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, which comprises the three civil provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, andCamiguinin Northern Mindanao, as well as the entireCaragaregion. It is a metropolitan seat on the island of Mindanao.
The current Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro is theMost Reverend José Araneta Cabantan, S.S.J.V., D.D.,who was installed on August 28, 2020. His seat is located at theSaint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral.
In 2009, theMinor Basilica of the Black NazareneinQuiapo, Maniladecided to move the replica statue of theBlack Nazareneto the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Black Nazarene (Jesus Nazareno Parish Church), located along Claro M. Recto Avenue. This was so that Black Nazarene devotees from Mindanao do not have to travel to Quiapo for their annual pilgrimage. To this day, it hosts the largesttraslaciónparade in all of Mindanao.
In September 2018, the Jesus Nazareno Parish Church underwent year-long physical renovations to make itsfaçadelook more like the very basilica in Quiapo itself.
Protestant missionary activity in the city started in 1916, although it has grown in numbers over recent decades. One of the known Protestant groups in the city isPentecostalism, which dramatically increased with 2.8 percent of the total population. About 20 churches have settled in the metropolitan area. Celebration International Church has one of the highest member attendances with a record of 735 members.
In addition, three main Pentecostal mother churches are situated in the suburban area and few in the metropolitan areas. Meanwhile,Adventists,Latter-day Saints,Lutherans, andMethodistshave lately grown in numbers within the suburban areas.
Other Christian churches with significant number of adherents include theIglesia Filipina Independiente, theIglesia ni Cristo,Members Church of God International, theUnited Church of Christ in the Philippines,Christ's Commission Fellowship,Victory Christian Fellowship,Baptists,Reformed churches, and theJesus Miracle Crusade.
Islamis practiced mainly byMaranaosettlers and theBalik Islam("reverts") in Cagayan de Oro, mostly belonging to theSunnisect. Majority of the Muslim population consists of immigrants from nearbyIliganandMarawi, where they travel to work, engage in business, and study. It has increased over the years due to conflicts in theBangsamororegion, most recently theMarawi siegethat started on May 23, 2017. Additionally, the city is also home to other sizeable Muslim minorities such asIranuns,MaguindanaonsandTausugsand Muslim foreign nationals such asArabs,PakistanisandIndonesians.
There are several large mosques and about 50 small mosques that can be found in the city, as well as Muslim prayer rooms ormusallasin some schools, malls, ports of entry, Halal restaurants, and government buildings.Masjid Oro Jammah, located in the corner of Aguinaldo and Domingo Velez streets, is the oldest mosque in the city, founded in 1930.Masjid Sharif Alawiin Barangay Balulang is the largest mosque in Northern Mindanao, with over 3,200 square meters in land area, which also includes amadrasaand community center.
During the Eid holidays, thePelaéz Sports Complexis a known place for hosting the annualSalatul Eid.
BuddhismandTaoismare practiced by majority of localChinese. Some are even members of the local chapter of theBell Churchin Barangay Macasandig.SikhismandHinduismare practiced by many Indian residents in city. A Sikhgurdwara, the Guru Nanak Indian Temple, is also located in Barangay Macasandig.
Among Cagayanons, theCebuano languageis primarily spoken.Tagalogserves as a secondary language of the city's population.Englishis mainly used for business and in local academe.Maranaois widely spoken by the city's Muslim community, the majority of which is composed of ethnic Maranaos.Subanen,Binukid,Higaonon,Maguindanaon,Tausug,Hiligaynon,IlocanoandKapampanganare also spoken to varying degrees by their respective ethnic communities within the city.Philippine Hokkienis also used by the localChinese Filipinocommunity.Indiansand their Filipino-born descendants varyingly speak severalIndian languages, mainlyHindiandPunjabi, in addition to Cebuano and Tagalog.
Poverty Incidence of Cagayan de Oro
Cagayan de Oro is the regional center and logistics and business hub of Northern Mindanao.The city's economy is largely based onindustry,commerce,trade,serviceandtourism. Investment in Cagayan de Oro City for the first six months of 2012 reached 7.4 billion pesos outpacing the local government's expectation of to nearly 100 percent. Investments in the city are dominated bymalls, high-rise hotels and condominiums and convention centers. The net income for 2012 pegged at PHP 2,041,036,807.89.
It noted theUnited Nationscited Cagayan de Oro City in 2014 as "emerging city of tomorrow," owing to its strong fundamentals that help strengthen its position as an emerging business leader in Mindanao.
FWD Life Philippines President and CEO Peter Grimes said that Cagayan de Oro City is emerging as the economic and financial center of Mindanao due to the city's conducive peace and order condition, its stable power supply, its readily available and well-trained human resource, government efficiency and appropriate infrastructure.
Cagayan de Oro is home of the multi-billion peso fuel import facility of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, dubbed as the North Mindanao Import Facility (NMIF).
In 2018, during the 6th Regional Competitiveness Summit organized by theDepartment of Trade and Industry, Cagayan de Oro was named as the country's "Top 5 Most Competitive City" in the highly urbanized cities category, notching five ranks higher as compared to its overall ranking last year outranking the country's top financial center,Makati, which ranked sixth.
Cagayan de Oro is the home ofmultinational companies, likeDel Monte,Nestle, Liwayway Marketing Corporation (goes by a more well-known name, Oishi), Unipace Corporation (a multi-national company carrying the Gaisano Group),Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Inc.(PMFTC), Madison Shopping and Supervalue, Inc. (runs all SM Malls and Savemore Supermarkets and also into heavy manufacturing and distribution).
Cagayan de Oro, as the regional economic center of Northern Mindanao, houses the Cagayan de Oro Branch of theBangko Sentral ng Pilipinas(Central Bank of the Philippines). As of December 2019, at least 143 banks are operating in the city.
Limketkai Centerwhich has two shopping malls (Limketkai M & Robinsons CDO Mall) host many flagship tenants which include two supermarket branches.
Business process outsourcing(BPO) in Cagayan de Oro is booming due to ample supply of human capital supported by available health, research, educational, and modern telecommunication facilities. The increase of BPO companies in the city has led to new buildings and zones dedicated for contact centers which are all PEZA registered.
Cagayan de Oro is home tocooperativesthat provide employment, economic assistance, and considered one of the prime drivers of the city's economy. The extension office of Cooperative Development Authority, located in the city as the center of Northern Mindanao (Region X), provides technical advisory services, regulatory services, and online application processing.
The big names of Cooperatives located in Cagayan de Oro are:
Elected and appointed public officials have governed Cagayan de Oro since June 15, 1950, with a strongmayor-council government. The city political government is composed of the mayor, vice mayor, twocongressional districtsrepresentatives, sixteencouncilors, oneSangguniang Kabataan(SK) Federation representative and an Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) representative. Each official is elected publicly to a three-year terms.
The following are the current city officials of Cagayan de Oro:
Cagayan de Oro is politically subdivided into 80barangays. These are grouped into two congressional districts, 24 barangays in the 1st district (West) and 56 barangays in the 2nd district (East), with the Cagayan de Oro River as the natural boundary. The city has a 57 urbanized barangays and 23 rural barangays all in all.
There are several notable events in the city. Each barangay orbarriohas its own feast locally known asFiesta(orfestivals) honoring their patron saints after achieving recognition in their own rights.
TheHigalaay Festival(formerly the Kagay-an Festival, then the Higalaay Kagay-an Festival) is a week-long celebration in honor of Cagayan de Oro's patron saintSt. Augustineheld every August.
Highlights of the Higalaay Festival are the Kahimunan Trade Fair, which features the native products of the city and province, particularly agricultural, Miss Cagayan de Oro, Folkloric Street Dancing Competition featuring colorful attires and cultural dances of the Higaonon tribes, Higalas Parade of Cagayan de Oro Icons and Floats, Halad sa Lambagohan, PE Rhythmic Dance Competition, Kalo Festival andKumbira, a culinary show and exhibit that started in 1996 by Kagay-anons hoteliers and restaurants. It has since evolved over the years and now hosts a culinary competition among students and professionals from all over Mindanao.The competition is divided into students and professionals where hotel and restaurant management schools and professional chefs compete against each other in their respective categories. There are also cultural shows, competitions and celebrity concerts. In more recent years, some of these competitions have been replaced with new ones, such as the Folkloric Street Dancing Competition, which was replaced by the Cagayan de Oro Carnival Parade in 2014.
The Pasko de Oro festival of December 2023 after the AugustHigalaay Festivalis hosted at the 2.5-kilometer two-lane Rio de Oro Boulevard along theCagayan de Oro River, which was declared  a majortourist attraction. The festival features the dragon boat racing, street dancing competition, fluvial religious procession, agro fair, photo contest, cowboy rodeo festival and trade fair.
The annual religious tradition of the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Cagayan de Oro City is held every January 9 by having a procession called "Traslacion" in which hundreds of thousands of devotees participate. Cagayan de Oro is one of only three sites in the country to have this 'Traslacion'.
"Himugso", which meansbirth,is a week-long celebration of Cagayan de Oro's Charter Day and Philippine Independence Day. Cagayan de Oro's cityhood was established on June 15, 1950. Independence Day is the national commemoration of the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. Both Charter Day and Independence day are non-working holidays and a roster of special activities is lined up annually to mark the dual special occasion.
RODELSA Hall, operated by Liceo de Cagayan University, serves as a center for the performing arts. Concerts of many genres have been performed at RODELSA. Cine Europa (films) featuring European Union's cultures which include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania were shown at RODELSA.
Xavier Center for Culture and the Arts (XCCA), part ofXavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, commissions and hosts culture and arts programs (Filipino and foreign, classical and contemporary).
In addition, the city is also the birthplace of Kadaiyahan festival,which claimed to be the first Mindanao-wide Pride March. Mindanao Pride, an emerging social movement that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) rights and welfare in the island's regions. Kadaiyahan is the Visayan word for diversity and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) community. The LGBTQI are at the forefront of fighting for acceptance, not just tolerance in Philippine society.
Cagayan de Oro food cultures include a variety of world cuisines influenced by the city's immigrant history.WesternandAustronesianimmigrants have made the city famous forpastel bread,chicharrónand Hamon de Cagayan. Some mobile food vendors licensed by the city sellstreet foodlikekwek-kwek,fish balls,tempuraand proven and grilled meat.
Cagayan de Oro has local, national, and foreign owned restaurants (ChineseandKoreancuisines), eateries, fast-foods, snack bars, bakeshops, and coffee shops that sprout all over the city.
Cagayan de Oro is the home of the Cagayan de Oro Stars and Cagayan de Oro Rapidsbasketballteams. This major teams of the city is member community ofMindanao Visayas Basketball Association, an amateur commercial basketball league in southern Philippines sanctioned by the country's National Sports Association for basketball, theSamahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas(SBP). It is also the home of "Holcim MoneyGram-Misamis Oriental" and "Holcim Pryce Pharma", which commencing the Misamis Oriental province. Aside from basketball, Cagayan de Oro is known for its oldestlawn tennisclubs like the "Golden Friendship Tennis Club". In addition, the city is ornamented with amateurvolleyballteams like theXavier University Volleyball Team.
The city was known for its leading sport,chess, one of the most common recreations by continuing championships in Mindanao since the 1990s.White water raftingandkayakinghave annual sport events through the Cagayan River.
Sport venuesinclude one of the biggest sports complex in Mindanao thePelaez Memorial Sports Center, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan Gymnasium, Liceo Civic Center, University of Science and Technology in Southern Philippine Gymnasium and others, a sports and entertainment complex that also hostsconcerts. The Pelaez Memorial Sports Center serves as the home complex of Misamis Oriental sports teams.
Cagayan de Oro's new indoor sport isgo-karting. The Speed Master Go Kart Race Track at SM City Carpark Building was the first race track in the city and in Mindanao. F1 Go Karts will be the second facility of its kind in the city and the first to use electric cars.
Cagayan de Oro is home to Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club, the cities only championship golf course. The Robert Trent Jones Jr. design stretches out to 7,000 yards from the championship tees, but has numerous tees for all skill levels. PDOGCC has also hosted premier professional golf events, most recently the 2019 ICTSI Pueblo de Oro Championship on the Philippines Golf Tour.
As the gateway toNorthern Mindanaoand the rest of Mindanao, Cagayan de Oro is accessible via land, air and water transportation.  Main public transportation systems within the city are metered taxis,jeepneyswith fixed routes, and motorelas within the city. There have also been new additions of transportation such as trisikads(pedicabs), which can transport people within close ranges at an affordable rate (roughly 14 PHP or $0.14). Vans have also been a new mode of transport which can take people outside of the city towards places like the Laguindingan airport, and other further places. In some areas of the city there are motorcycles that could take you to the much harder to get parts such as the mountainous areas.
The Port of Cagayan de Oro in Macabalan is located near the estuary of the Cagayan de Oro River. It has an anchorage depth of 18 meters (59 ft) and is around 400 meters (1,300 ft) from the shoreline. It has four large gantry cranes and the biggest international and domesticseaportin Mindanao.It handled 1.399 million metric tons (1,377,000 long tons; 1,542,000 short tons) of cargoes during the first quarter of 2016 to rank 3rd in the country after Manila'sNorth Harborwith 5.577 million metric tons (5,489,000 long tons; 6,148,000 short tons) and Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) with 3.746 million metric tons (3,687,000 long tons; 4,129,000 short tons). The Port of Cagayan de Oro increased its volume of cargoes by 9.7% from 2015. This is according to data from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
The Port of Cagayan de Oro (Macabalan Port) serves regular trips to and from cities ofManila,Cebu City,Tagbilaran,Bacolod,Dumaguete,Iloilo CityandJagna, Bohol.
General Milling and Del Monte Philippines also operate their own port facilities within Cagayan de Oro. The $85 millionMindanao International Container Portlocated in nearby townTagoloan17 kilometers (11 mi) from Cagayan de Oro serves the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate. This city's sub-port connects Mindanao to the ports of major cities in Visayas, Batangas, Metro Manila and the rest of the world.
Cagayan de Oro'sLaguindingan Airport(CGY), declared recently as the 7th hub of Cebu Pacific Airlines, handles domestic flights to and fromManila,Cebu City,Iloilo CityandDavao City. It will serve international flights in the future. It sits on a 4.17 square kilometers (1.61 sq mi) site in Barangay Moog,Laguindingan, some 46 kilometers (29 mi) northwest of Cagayan de Oro.The airport was inaugurated on January 11, 2006, by then PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo, who advocated the idea of an international airport along the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor,and was officially opened on June 15, 2013.
Laguindingan Airport is accessible by various modes of transportation provided by several transport operators from CDO and vice versa. These are ALPHAT Airport metered yellow taxi, regular metered taxi, and several shuttle express vans that run on an hourly basis (Magnum Express with its terminal at Limketkai Center, LAX Shuttle with its terminal at Ayala Centrio, Odyssey Airport Express with its terminal at SM CDO Downtown Premier, CAGATRANSCO, Glorymer Transport, Donsals Express, JTS, The Lord's Transport Services, Europcar, Super 5, CDOTRANSCO, Numano Express). All have booths near the parking area at Laguindingan Airport.
In 2019, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has granted Original Proponent Status (OPS) to Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. for its unsolicited proposal for the upgrade, expansion, operations, and maintenance of the Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental. The₱42.7 billionproject involves capacity augmentation through expansion or construction of new passenger terminals, installation of required equipment, and enhancement and development of airside facilities.
There are two bus terminals in the city: The Eastbound Integrated Bus Terminal also known as Market City and The Westbound Integrate Bus and Jeepney Terminal.
The Eastbound Integrated Bus Terminal (Agora) also known as Market City offers regular landtrips to and from eastern municipalities ofMisamis Orientalor eastern part of Mindanao includingBalingoanandGingoog,Carmen,Nasipit,Butuan(change buses travel toSurigao City),Bukidnonincluding Central or Southern portion of Mindanao such asMalaybalayandValencia,Davao City,Kabacan,TacurongandGeneral Santos.
The Westbound Integrated Bus and Jeepney Terminal also has regular land trips to and from western municipalities of Misamis Oriental or Western part of Mindanao includingEl SalvadorandLaguindingan,Iligan,Marawi,Tangub,Ozamiz,Dapitan,Dipolog, Cotabato City and the rest ofZamboanga PeninsulaincludingPagadianandZamboanga City.
Water services are provided by the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD), the first water district established in the entire Philippines. The Bulk Water Supply, a supply agreement between COWD and the contractor, has a total production capacity of 198,262 cubic metres per day, and comes from treated water from Cagayan de Oro river, the main water source of the city.
Electricity in the city is provided mainly by Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company (CEPALCO) and partly by Misamis Oriental 1st Rural Electric Service Cooperative (MORESCO-1). Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company (CEPALCO). CEPALCO, which began operations in 1952, covers almost all of Cagayan de Oro and the municipalities of Tagoloan, Villanueva and Jasaan, all in the province of Misamis Oriental, including the 3,000-hectare PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate and caters to more than 100,000 consumers. The company's distribution system network includes 138,000 volt, 69,000 volt, 34,500 volt and 13,800 volt systems. CEPALCO's power supply is mainly coming from embedded power generators, namely: 165MW-Coal Power Plant of Minergy Power Corporation in Balingasag, 46MW-Diesel Power Plants of Minergy in Tablon, 8MW-Cabulig Hydro Electric Power Plant in Claveria, 7MW-Bubunawan Hydro Power Plant in Baungon-Libona, Bukidnon, 12.5MW Kirahon Solar Power Plant in Villanueva. CEPALCO is also operating the Developing World's first and largest (at the time of its inauguration in 2004) on-grid solar photovoltaic power plant. The 1-megawatt polycrystalline silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) plant in Barangay Indahag of this city is connected with the distribution network of CEPALCO. It is the biggest solar power plant connected to the power grid inSoutheast Asia.Misamis Oriental −1 Rural Electric Service Cooperative (MORESCO-1) whose office is located in Laguindingan covers remote parts of Cagayan de Oro. These are barangays Canitoan, Pagatpat, San Simon, and Baikingon.
Telecommunications are provided byPLDT, Philcom, Misortel,Globe,Smart, andSun.
Cagayan de Oro is the regional base of thePhilippine Air Force,Philippine Army, andPhilippine National PoliceinNorthern Mindanao.Lumbia Airportis currently used as an air base, operating service equipment such as OV-10 Bronco aircraft, UH-1 Huey, and MD-520MG Defender helicopters. The 15th Air Strike Wing from Sangley Point, Cavite will be moved to Lumbia Airport.
ThePhilippine Armyoperates the largest military camp in Mindanao located in Barangay Patag with an area of 129 hectares. Camp Evangelista is home to the4th infantry divisionof thePhilippine Army. The camp's external jurisdiction covers theNorthern MindanaoandCaragaregions. Minor military camps are also located in Barangay Lumbia and Upper Puerto.
ThePhilippine National Police(PNP) operates its Regional Headquarters at Camp Alagar in Barangay Lapasan. Camp Alagar has jurisdiction over the entirety ofNorthern Mindanao, namely the provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental including its major cities; Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.The PNP and AFP, with the help of Cagayan de Oro's local government unit formed a new integrated security force named Task Force Oro.
Cagayan de Oro upgraded its emergency services on October 30, 2017. Dialing the 911 will immediately link the call to CDRRMC, utilizing computer-aided emergency response. The city patterned its improved emergency response program after Davao City's central 911 emergency call.
TheJudiciary's Court of Appealsholds office in Cagayan de Oro. TheCourt of Appeals of the Philippinesis the Philippines' second-highest judicial court. Cagayan de Oro's Court of Appeals has 3 divisions covering all of Mindanao.
Cagayan de Oro has a hospital bed-to-population ratio of 1:474 as of 2003. The Justiniano R. Borja General Hospital (a.k.a. City Hospital), the Camp Evangelista Station Hospital (Phil. Army), and Northern Mindanao Medical Center (formerly Provincial Hospital) are the three government-run hospitals.
Capitol University Medical City, Polymedic General Hospital, Polymedic Medical Plaza, Maria Reyna–Xavier University Hospital, Cagayan de Oro Medical Center, Madonna and Child Hospital, Sabal Hospital, Puerto Community Hospital, and Maternity-Children's Hospital and Puericulture Center (formerly Oro Doctor's Hospital) are privately owned.
A special medical facility for drug-abuse treatment and rehabilitation is the Department of Health-Treatment and Rehabilitation Center-Cagayan de Oro located at Upper Puerto, Barangay Puerto.
Many of these government-owned and privately owned hospital facilities have undergone expansion, renovation and modernization.
The city has five majorprivateuniversities/colleges:Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan,Capitol University,Liceo de Cagayan University,Lourdes College, andCagayan de Oro College. TheUniversity of Science and Technology of Southern Philippinesis the only state university in the city.Other higher education institutions include Southern Philippines College, Pilgrim Christian College,Informatics College MindanaoandSTI College– Cagayan de Oro with Senior High School programs. There are also a number of foreign schools in the city with study programs.
Notable public and private elementary and high schools include Cagayan de Oro National High School, Bulua National High School, Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School,Gusa Regional Science High School - X, City Central School, St. Mary's School,Corpus Christi School,The Abba's Orchard Montessori School, Merry Child School,International School, Marymount Academy, Vineyard International Polytechnic College,St. Mary's Academy of Carmenrun by theRVMSisters, and Montessori de Oro. There are also schools in Cagayan de Oro that use theAccelerated Christian Educationsystem. Two of these schools include Cavite Bible Baptist Academy-CDO branch, and Shekinah Glory Christian Academy. There are two Chinese schools in the city: Kong Hua School (Roman Catholic) and Oro Christian Grace School (an Evangelical Christian school). There are two international schools run by Koreans, namely:Nanuri International SchoolArchivedOctober 19, 2021, at theWayback Machineand Immanuel Mission International School.
Cagayan de Oro currently has six local and five international sister cities, as classified by the city government.