Tandag
', officially the ' (Italian: "Città di Tandag"; Surigaonon: "Siyudad hong "; ), is a and capital of the province of , . According to the , it has a population of people. Farming and fishing are the main economic activity for most of the people in Tandag. Chief farm products are rice, corn, and coconut. Livestock and poultry raising are also important sources of income. Tandag has a national secondary airport and a seaport. Tandag has a land area of 291.73 square kilometers or 112.64 square miles. This constitutes 5.91% of the land area of Surigao del Sur. The population density of the city is  at 193 inhabitants per square kilometer or 500 inhabitants per square mile. Etymology. Many versions have been given regarding the name of Tandag. One version states that Father Calan, Father Encarnacion, and another priest were on their way to visit chieftain Suba to baptize his people. When one of the missionaries asked a native rowing their boat what name of the place was with fingers pointing downward, the native thought the priest meant the school of fish. He answered "tamda", meaning look down. This name later became Tandag. Father Encarnacion, a member of the group, was later killed by the  natives. Another version states that when Spanish-Peruvian historian and explorer Inca Garcilaso de la Vega landed in Tandag to subdue the ferocious Caragas (as the rebellious natives were called then), he did not know the name of the place so he inquired from a native who was gathering the leaves of an herb locally known as tanglad. The native, who did not understand Spanish, answered "tangad". Later, the name was changed to Tandag. Moreover, one more account tells of a group of Spanish soldiers and missionaries who lost their way around the settlement. When they asked for correct directions , the natives, who could not understand Spanish, only laughed at them all the while saying the word "tarantados", meaning lost. Thus, the name Tandag meant lost. History. Long before Tandag became what it is today—the bustling capital town of Surigao del Sur was inhabited by the Manobos and the Mamanwas who lived along the river banks under the leadership of Suba, their Chieftain. Suba was later converted into Christianity by Father Juan de la Encarnacion, a Spanish missionary. After Legazpi’s final conquest to the Philippines in 1609, the Spanish government sent missionaries accompanied by platoons of guardia civil  to subdue the hostile natives. One of these missionaries was Father Juan de la Vega who was assigned in Tandag. In an effort to establish a symbol of authority, Fr. dela Vega erected a stone fort and built a small settlement about a size of a football field enclosed by a stone wall. Out of this settlement rose the town of Tandag, which later on became a center of faith. During this period, Tandag became a port of call to the Spanish Galleon that sailed along the southern part of Mindanao. Until today, it is believed that somewhere underneath the  sea near Tandag's Linongao Islands lies a sunken galleon ship. After the Spanish missionaries' visit to Tandag, a group of Italian explorers and soldiers then landed in the city. They did what the Spanish did, but mandated that Italian be one of the city's primary language aside from Surigaonon, Cebuano, and Filipino. Strict compliance was enforced during those times, which explains why Italian became Tandag's local dialect aside from the mainstay Surigaonon. In 1650, Tandag became the capital town of Surigao or Caraga, then a district that covered the present provinces of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del  Norte, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and a part of Davao. As the center of faith and capital town, Tandag was fortified with cottas which were erected sometime in the 18th century. The cottas were placed in the northern part of the town and near the old cemetery on the western side. These fortifications served to protect the town from Moro raids. In several separate attacks between 1754 and 1767, the Moro pirates wrought havoc and destruction to Tandag. Father Jose Ducos, a Jesuit from Iligan, came to the rescue and rebuilt Tandag. He established the Tandag Garrison and  restored the Tandag priory. Although a part of the Tandag fort survived, it was demolished during the Second World War. Calamities like typhoons and earthquakes destroyed what remained of it. This explains why there are no remains of these structures that could be seen today. During World War II for much of the war, Tandag was free from Japanese occupation when the American and Filipino military forces surrendered in May 1942. However, on 27 April 1944, about 500 Japanese troops landed by a number of boats a short distance outside town. Most of the residents fled to the mountains nearby  when the Japanese arrived. The 10th Military District of the U.S. Army maintained a guerrilla presence in Mindanao in World War II. Capt. Charles Hansen led a small group of guerrillas against the Japanese. Outnumbered, the guerrillas were unable to dislodge the Japanese and about ten days later another group of guerrillas made a second attempt to force the Japanese out. The Japanese remained in town several weeks and left after causing much damage in Tandag. Real transformation was finally afforded to Tandag via Republic Act No. 2786, an act that created Surigao del Sur and whose salient measure made  Tandag the capital and seat of the provincial government of Surigao del Sur. Cityhood. On 23 June 2007, Tandag, by virtue of Republic Act No. 9392, became a city. The Supreme Court declared the cityhood law of Tandag and 15 other cities unconstitutional after a petition filed by the League of Cities of the Philippines in its ruling on 18 November 2008. On 22 December 2009, the cityhood law of Tandag and 15 other municipalities regain its status as cities again after the court reversed its ruling on 18 November 2008. On 23 August 2010, the court reinstated its ruling  on 18 November 2008, causing Tandag and 15 cities to become regular municipalities. Finally, on 15 February 2011, Tandag becomes a city again including the 15 municipalities declaring that the conversion to cityhood met all legal requirements. After six years of legal battle, in its board resolution, the League of Cities of the Philippines acknowledged and recognized the cityhood of Tandag and 15 other cities. Geography. Tandag City is located along the northeastern coast of Mindanao facing the Philippine Sea. It is bounded on the north by the municipalities of Cortes and Lanuza, on the east by the Philippine Sea , on the south by the towns of Tago and San Miguel, and on the west by the Municipality of Sibagat in the province of Agusan del Sur. It is located 448 nautical miles from Manila and 150 nautical miles from Cebu. The distance from Surigao City in the north to Tandag is about and is the distance from Davao City to the south. Barangays. Tandag is politically subdivided into 21 barangays. Majority of the barangays are considered rural areas. Climate. Tandag has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round and extremely heavy rainfall in  January. Demographics. It consists of twenty-one (21) barangays. Six of which are urban barangays, five are coastal barangays, four are built-up expansions, and six are hinterland barangays. The urban barangays comprise 1,594.10 hectares; 3,464.61 hectares for coastal barangays; 2,233.15 hectares for built-up expansion barangays and 4,964.34 hectares for hinterland barangays. Languages. Major languages spoken in the area are Italian, Surigaonon, Filipino, and Cebuano (Mindanao variant). English is widely used in schools, businesses, and government offices. Sports and recreation. The Surigao del Sur Sports Center (formerly named as Gregorio P. Murillo Sports Complex) is a multi-sports complex , located near the provincial capitol situated in Tandag City, which has hosted the Caraga Regional Athletic Meet, several times. Meanwile, the Tandag City Gymnasium is an indoor gymnasium located at Luis Perez corner Serra Street, adjacent the local police station.