Iligan City, Philippines

Limunsudan Falls

Ma. Cristina Falls


The City of Iligan (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Iligan; Tagalog: Lungsod ng Iligan) is a highly urbanized city north of the province of Lanao del Norte, Philippines, and the province's former capital. It is approximately 795 kilometers southeast of Manila. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 308,046 people.

The History

Iligan had its beginnings in the village of Bayug, north of the present Poblacion. It was the earliest pre-Spanish settlement of native sea dwellers. The monotony of indigenous life in the territory was broken when in the later part of the 16th century, the inhabitants were subdued by the Visayan migrants from the island kingdom of Panglao. In the accounts of Jesuit historian Francisco Combes, the Mollucan King of Ternate invaded Panglao. This caused Panglaons to flee in large numbers to Dapitan City|Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte. In Dapitan, the surviving Prince of Panglao, Pagbuaya, received Legazpi's expedition in 1565. Later, Pagbuaya's son Manook was baptized Pedro Manuel Manook. The Christianized Manook subdued the Higaunon village in Bayug and established it as one of the earliest Christian settlements in the country. The settlement survived other raids from other enemies, and, because of their faith in God and in their patron saint, Saint Michael the Archange, the early Iliganons moved their settlement from Bayug to Iligan. The name Iligan is from the Higaonon word iligan or ilijan' meaning "fortress of defense" against frequent attacks by pirates and other hostile Mindanao tribes.

A stone fort called Fort St. Francis Xavier was built in 1642 where Iliganons sought refuge during raids by bandits. But again, the fort sank due to floods. Another fort was built and this was named Fort Victoria or Cota de Iligan. In 1850, because of floods, Don Remigio Cabili, then Iligan's governadorcillo, built another fort and moved the poblacion of the old Iligan located at the mouth of Tubod River west of the old market to its present site. Iligan was already a town of the once undivided Misamis Province in 1832. However, it did not have an independent religious administration because it was part of Cagayan de Oro, the provincial capital. It was one of the biggest municipalities of Misamis Province. In 1903, the Moro Province was created. Iligan, because of its Moro residents was taken away from the Misamis Province. Then Iligan became the capital of the Lanao District and seat of the government where the American officials lived and held office. Later in 1907 the capital of the Lanao District was transferred to Dansalan.[1]

The Spaniards abandoned Iligan in 1899, paving the way for the landing of the American forces in 1900. In 1914, under the restructuring of Moroland after the end of the Moro Province (1903–1913), Iligan became a municipality composed of eight barrios together with the municipal district of Mandulog. After enjoying peace and prosperity for about 40 years, Iligan was invaded by Japanese forces in 1942. The liberation in Iligan by the Philippine Commonwealth forces attacked by the Japanese held sway in the city until 1944 to 1945 when the war ended. On November 15, 1944, the city held a Commonwealth Day parade to celebrate the end of Japanese atrocities and occupation.[2]

Using the same territorial definition as a municipality, Iligan became a chartered city of Lanao del Norte on June 16, 1950. It was declared a first class city in 1969 and was reclassified as First Class City "A" on July 1, 1977 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 465. In 1983, Iligan was again reclassified as a highly urbanized city.

The Geography

Iligan City is bounded on the north by the 3 municipalities of Misamis Oriental (namely Lugait, Manticao and Opol), to the south by the 3 municipalities of Lanao del Norte (Baloi, Linamon and Tagoloan) and the 2 municipalities of Lanao del Sur (Kapai and Tagoloan II), to the northeast by Cagayan de Oro City, to the east by the municipality of Talakag, Bukidnon; and to the west by Iligan Bay. This is also the 2nd largest city in Northern Mindanao next to Malaybalay City, capital of Bukidnon Province.

Known as the City of Majestic Waterfalls, there are around 23 waterfalls in and around Iligan. Among them is the Maria Cristina Falls, home of Mindanao's primary hydroelectric power station, and Limunsudan Falls.

Iligan is also the Industrial Center of the South. It produces hydroelectric power for the Mindanao region through the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), the site of the Mindanao Regional Center (MRC) housing Agus IV, VI and VII hydroelectric plants. It also houses industries like steel, tinplate, cement and flourmills. The National Steel Corporation, one of the largest steel manufacturers in the Southeast Asian region, now Global Steelworks International Incorporated was re-opened in 2003 after heavy setbacks resulting to its closure in 1999. Iligan along with its neighboring city, Cagayan de Oro City, are the two major components for the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor, the fastest developing area in Northern Mindanao.

To the west, Iligan Bay provides ferry and container ship transportation. East of the city, flat cultivated coastal land gives way to steep volcanic hills and mountains providing the waterfalls and cold springs for which the area is well known.

The Climate

Iligan falls within the third type of climate wherein the seasons are not very pronounced. Rain is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. Because of its tropical location the city does not experience cold weather. Neither does it experience strong weather disturbances due to its geographical location (being outside the typhoon belt) And also because of the mountains that are surrounding the city.

Transportation

Sea

There are five shipping lines serving Manila, Cebu City, and Ozamiz City routes namely: Superferry, Cebu Ferries, Carlos A. Gothong Lines, Negros Navigation, Sulpicio Lines, and Cokaliong Shipping Lines.

Land

Rural Transit (RTMI) and Super 5 Transport are the dominant public land transportation in this City. The Integrated Bus and Jeepney Terminal (IBJT) caters trips to and from Cagayan de Oro City and various parts of Misamis Oriental, while the Southbound Bus and Jeepney Terminal caters trips to and from Dipolog City, Pagadian City, Ozamiz City, various parts of Lanao del Norte and Marawi City. The public mode of transportation withinin this city is by Jeepneys, Taxis, and Pedicabs. There is also the famous "Tartanillas" (calesas) that is also a public mode of transportation which serves through Barangay Pala-o and Barangay Tambacan. Passenger vans are also available for the various municipalities in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.

Air

Iligan City was served by Maria Cristina Airport in the late 1980s at Baloi. Aerolift, a defunct regional airline, ceased its services when its passenger plane crashed at some structures at the end of the runway of the Manila Domestic Airport in 1990 which resulted to its bankruptcy. Thus, it ended its service to Iligan's airport at Balo-i which also resulted to the closure of the airport. Philippine Airlines served the city for many years before stopping services in 1998 due to the Asian financial crisis. After a decade of not serving the city, PAL subsidiary, PAL Express, revealed in August 2008 of its interest in returning to the city with four weekly flights to Manila and three weekly flights to Cebu. However, this development did not push through with the advent of the recent US and World depression.[citation needed]

The opening of Laguindingan International Airport in 2012 which is located at Laguindingan town in Misamis Oriental, is expected to replace Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City. It is also expected to augment the city's need for a nearby airport as the new airport is only 65 kilometers away or at most 35 to 40 minutes away from Iligan. The new airport is a flagship project of the Mindanao Super Regions project of the President as a major project of the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor (CIC).

People and culture

Iligan is predominantly Christian (93.61%). Iliganons compose of the Cebuano speaking locals and the minority that compose of the Maranao, Tagalog and some other cultural minorities and immigrants from other places. It is not only rich in natural resources and industries but it is also the home of a mix of cultures, Maranaos of Lanao del Sur, Higaonons of Bukidnon, and many settlers and migrants from other parts of the country. It is known for its diverse culture.

Cebuano is the major language in the city (about 93%). The rest speak Tagalog, Maranao, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Chavacano, and Waray-Waray. The majority of the population can speak and understand English.

Government

Iligan City is a highly urbanized city and is independent from the Province of Lanao del Norte. Registered voters of the city no longer vote for provincial candidates such as the Governor and Vice Governor unlike its nearby towns that make up the provinces as a result to its charter as a city in the 1950s.

Iligan City's seat of government, the city hall, is located at Buhanginan Hills in Barangay Pala-o. The government structure compose of one mayor, one vice-mayor and twelve councilors. Each official is elected publicly to a 3-year term and can be re-elected up to 3 terms in succession. The day to day administration of the city is handled by the city administrator.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 9724, an Act separating the City of Iligan from the First Legislative District of the Province of Lanao del Norte was approved by Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last October 20, 2009.

The Economy

The economy of Iligan is largely based on heavy industries. After the construction of Maria Cristina (Agus VI) Hydroelectric Plant by National Power Corporation (NPC, NAPOCOR) in 1950, the city experienced rapid industrialization and continued until the late 1980s. The largest steel plant in the country, National Steel Corporation (NSC), was also established during that period (Specifically in 1962).[3]

During the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the city experienced severe slowdown in terms of economic growth. A good number of industrial plants are closed, notably the National Steel Corporation. Its closure also created a domino effect on its ancillary industries, causing some companies to close shop while putting others in grave financial distress.[4]

The city made its economic revival with the reopening of the National Steel Corporation, named Global Steelworks Infrastructures, Inc. [GSII] on 2004. Thus, putting the city back on track.[5] On October 2005, GSII officially took a new corporate name: Global Steel Philippines (SPV-AMC), Inc. not only reflects the company's commitment to the Philippines but also presents a clear, strong, and unified brand presence for Global Steel operations in Asia, Africa, and Europe.[6]

Lessons learned from the crisis, the city government makes its move to diversify the economy. Among those are tourism, agriculture, and agribusiness. In One Town, One Product (OTOP) Project of Department of Trade and Industry, the city is producing abaca and its product lines.[7] Other proud product of Iligan are the popularly known Sukang Pinakurat, Sukang Sinarapan, and Honey-man-C.

The city has currently two call centers namely HP solutions and Cybercity services which are located inside MSU-IIT.there is also a proposed construction of Excentrix, another call center which makes the number of call centers in Iligan the largest in the Region.

The current industrial plants in operation and their locations are the following:

* Treasure Steel Corporation (Formerly National Steel Corporation) — Barangay Suarez
* Mabuhay Vinyl Corporation — Barangay Maria Cristina
* Granexport Manufacturing Corporation — Barangay Kiwalan
* Petronas Energy Philippines, Inc. — Barangay Dalipuga
* Pilmico Foods Corporation — Barangay Kiwalan
* Pilmico Iligan Feedmill — Barangay Kiwalan
* Platinum Group Metals Corporation (Formerly Maria Cristina Chemical Industries, Inc.) — Barangay Maria Cristina
* San Miguel Corporation-Iligan Coconut Oil Plant — Barangay Santa Filomena
* Refractories Corporation of the Philippines — Barangay Dalipuga
* Iligan Cement Corporation — Barangay Kiwalan
* Mindanao Portland Cement Corporation — Barangay Kiwalan
* Holcim Philippines, Inc. (Formerly Alsons Cement Corp.) — Boundary of Barangay Dalipuga and Lugait, Misamis Oriental
* Iligan Bar and Rod Mill — Barangay Suarez
* Fort Steel and Cargo - Barangay Tomas Cabili
* Global Steelworks Inc. - Barangay Suarez

Banking

Iligan City holds several banks that cater the needs for the city and the Lanao del Norte province. They are the following:

* Metro bank
* Philippine National Bank
* Bank of the Philippine Islands
* Land bank
* Philippine Veterans Bank
* Banco De Oro
* Union Bank
* China Bank
* United Coconut Planters Bank
* PBcom
* Banco Filipino
* Security Bank
* One Network Bank
* Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation
* Rural Bank of Iligan
* Saim Bank
* Allied Bank
* 1st Valley Bank

Telecommunications

Iligan City's pioneering communication company is the Maranao Telephone Company (abbreviated as MaraTel which is majority controlled by PLDT), Bayan Telecommunications Inc., Italtel, a government controlled communications system then followed. Recently major national carriers such as PilTel, Globe Telecom, Mobile telecommunications are catered by Smart Communications, Globe Handyphone, and Sun Cellular are serving the telecommunication needs of Iligan City.

The city has four (3) local television channels. They are ABS-CBN, GMA Network, and Studio 23.

The city has six (6) FM and two (2) AM radio stations:

FM Stations:

* 90.1 WOW - RGMA
* 102.3 I FM - Radio Mindanao Network (RMN)
* 103.1 Wild FM - UM Broadcasting Network
* 105.5 Yes FM - Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC)
* 107.1 Love Radio - Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC)
* 95.9 The Edge FM (Your Ipod Radio Station)

AM Stations:

* 711 dxIC - Radio Mindanao Network (RMN)
* 1476 dxRJ - Rajah Broadcasting Network

Barangays

Iligan City is politically subdivided into 44 barangays.

* Abuno
* Acmac
* Bagong Silang
* Bonbonon
* Bunawan
* Buru-un
* Dalipuga
* Del Carmen
* Digkilaan
* Ditucalan
* Dulag
* Hinaplanon
* Hindang
* Kabacsanan
* Kalilangan



* Kiwalan
* Lanipao
* Luinab
* Mahayahay
* Mainit
* Mandulog
* Maria Cristina
* Pala-o
* Panoroganan
* Poblacion
* Puga-an
* Rogongon
* San Miguel
* San Roque
* Santiago



* Saray-Tibanga (Saray)
* Santa Elena (Tominobo Ilaya)
* Santa Filomena
* Santo Rosario
* Suarez
* Tambacan
* Tibanga (Canaway)
* Tipanoy
* Tomas Cabili (Tominobo Proper)
* Tubod
* Ubaldo Laya
* Upper Hinaplanon
* Upper Tominobo
* Villaverde

Santa Filomena

Santa Filomena has 21 puroks.

Sitio Pandan, the old name of Santa Filomena, was established on 1912, under the Municipality of Iligan. In December 1966, through Sangguniang Panlungsod City Ordinance 323, Barangay Santa Filomena is founded and it was originally composed of seven sitios: Pandan, Acmac, Barinaut, Lambaguhon, Dawag, Matuog, and Kiwalan.[citation needed]

In 1973, Filipinas-Eslon established the plant making water pipes, followed by Iligan Coconut Oil Mill (ILICOCO). In 1982, Caltex Fuel Depot was built on this barangay, followed by Summa Alta Tierra, a limestone processing plant.[citation needed]

Despite of being under industrial zone, the barangay has a good number of beach resorts namely: Regs Beach Resort, Snowland By The Sea, Tellies Beach, Halibas Beach, Ello's Beach, and Chelina Beach Resort and Lodging House.[citation needed]
[edit] Santo Rosario

Santo Rosario has 8 zones.[citation needed] It was carved out from the growing barangay of Hinaplanon in 1986 during the administration of President Corazon C. Aquino. The appointed Barangay Chairman then was Jose Guadalupe Zalsos.[citation needed]

It is mainly a residential area but is slowly developing into a commercial zone. Grageda Compound, Abragan Compound, Villania Compound and Cherry Blossom are among the many compounds and subdivisions found within the territory.[citation needed] The Pepsi Cola's Iligan Office is also found along the National Highway as well as the Shell Station and DBC Machineries. In addition, the barangay is also the location of the city's famous badminton arena, Powerflick.[citation needed]

Tibanga

Tibanga is home to the renowned Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology and the Mindanao Sanitarium Hospital. It is also home to the city's three main television channels namely: ABS-CBN (Ch. 4), GMA (Ch. 11) and Studio 23 (Ch. 26).

Education

The City of Iligan has one state university and 7 private colleges specialized in Engineering and Information Technology, Health Services, Maritime Science, Business and Administration, Primary and Secondary Education, and Arts and Social Sciences. Among these educational institutions is the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology, one of the few autonomous external campuses of the Mindanao State University and "the light-bearer of the several campuses of the MSU System."[8] It is not only one of the best universities in the Visayas and Mindanao regions but considered as well as one of the best universities in Philippines with a standing of being within the top ten (10) best universities in the country with excellence in Science and Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Information Technology, and Natural Sciences.

Capitol College of Iligan, Inc., more popularly known as Iligan Capitol College (ICC), is a private, non-sectarian, co-educational institution of learning which was established in 1963 by the late Engr. Sesenio S. Rosales and Madame Laureana San Pedro Rosales. It was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in February 12, 1964.[9] In 1997, Iligan Capitol College established Lyceum Foundation of Iligan which is to become its sister college beside Corpus Christi Parish in Tubod, Iligan City.

St. Michael's College, Iligan City is known as the oldest school in the Lanao area, founded as a catechetical center way back 1914 by Fr. Felix Cordova, S.J. It was formally established in 1915 as Escuela de San Miguel in honor of the patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel. Now on its active bid to become the city's first Private Catholic University, Saint Michael's College of Iligan currently offers 6 disciplines: Business Administration, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Engineering and Information Technology, Nursing, Criminology, Education, Arts and Sciences and the Basic Education. It also offers the TESDA Ladderized Courses and the education - related Graduate Studies Program. SMC is currently expanding its infrastructures to support the growing needs of the academic community and even to the City of Iligan.[9]

The colleges primarily focused on Medicine and Health Services are Iligan Medical Center College and Mindanao Sanitarium and Hospital College. Saint Peter's College is another school known for its engineering, accounting and business administration courses.

Lyceum of Iligan Foundation focuses on maritime and engineering courses. It also offers courses on Hotel and Restaurant Management, Nursing, Business Administration, and other allied Health Services.

Other well-established technical schools include:

- La Salle Academy (Iligan City) - Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology Integrated Developmental School - ICTI Polytechnic College, Inc. formerly Iligan City Technical Institute (ICTI) - Iligan Capitol College (ICC) - Iligan Computer Institute - ICTSI - STI - AMA Education System - Picardal Institute of Technology (PIST) - Saint Lawrence Institute of Technology - Masters Technological Institute of Mindanao - St. Peter's College

With a total of 181 schools (106 public; 75 private; 17 madrasah) including vocational and technical schools, Iligan City has an average literacy rate of 94.71, one of the highest in the whole Philippines.[citation needed]

Tourism

Iligan is also known as City of Majestic Waterfalls because of its numerous waterfalls that are located within its area of jurisdiction. There are about 20 waterfalls in the city. The most famous as well as the city's major landmark, is the Maria Cristina Falls. It is also the primary source of electric power of the city, harnessed by Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant. The Tinago Falls, accessible through a 300-step staircase, is located in the upper part of Barangay Buru-un. It is another place worth visiting as it showcases one of the most beautiful natural landscapes located within the reach of Iligan's urban landscape. It features a curtain-like cascade that falls beautifully into a lagoon. The breath taking setting alone makes it an ideal place for picture taking with its natural landscape as the falls is beautifully mixed with the lush tropical forest that the area is abundant of. Other famous waterfalls in the city are, Mimbalut Falls, Abaga Falls, and Dodiongan Falls. Some waterfalls are inaccessible to vehicles, which requires trekking for several hours to two days (in case of Limunsudan Falls) to the destination.

The city is also famous for Timoga Springs. It is well-known for the ice-cold, crystal-clear and none-chlorinated springs that flow freely all the way to the numerous swimming pools of each of the resorts. The resorts are a popular place for easing out the hotness of the summer heat. These five cold-spring resorts are all located along the national highway at 500 to 1 km (1 mi) before the Barangay of Buru-un and are accessible to all walks of life as they offer entrance fees that are affordable and easy to reach for the general public. The Bucana beach, located along the highway, halfway between Suarez and Buru-un is one of the more accessible ocean beaches in the city, although the best beaches are found further along the road in the province of Linamon.

Iligan City is Lanao Del Norte's main shopping district with the recent opening of Gaisano Citi Super Mall which is considered to be one of the largest Gaisano malls in Mindanao. Other department stores for shopping are the Old Gaisano Department Store, Trendline Department Store, Iligan Fiesta Mall, Unicity, Squareland Shopping Center, Berds Theater Mall and Jerry's Shoppers World. Unitop is positioning a local branch in the city at the former Boys Scouts of the Philippines' building at Quezon Avenue.

The City has various hotels such as the Maria Cristina Hotel, Elena Tower Inn, Farrah Hotel ,Cheradel Suites and Famous Pensionne House(which has two branches). It also has numerous motels such as the newly opened D'Morvie Motel, Casa Royale (1 and 2) and Celadon Pensionne House. The city also has several drive-in motels such as Lovingly Pensionne House, Citi Best 1 (Pala-o) and Citi Best 2 (Hinaplanon).

Aside from the waterfalls that the City of Iligan boasts of, other places of interest are the newly renovated City Public Plaza, The Centennial Park, Maze Parks and Resorts, the Buhanginan Hills (within premise of the City hall), and Saint Michael's Cathedral.


Iligan City is known not only for its rich natural resources but also for the wealth of the culture that abounds in the area. Majority of Iligan's people come from the Visayas and migrants from the other places of Mindanao. Iligan is literally and geographically located at the crossroads of rich culture – the Maranaos of Lanao Sur, Higa-unons of Bukidnon, the dominantly Christian settlers and migrants. It is proud of the peaceful co-existence of the varied cultural mix on its general community. Evidence of this peaceful co-existence is manifested during the annual celebration of the city fiesta honoring its miraculous patron saint, Saint Michael the Archangel.

The Diyandi (ritual dance) is performed only during the feast of Iligan Patron Saint, Senior San Miguel (Feast Day: September 29). Other curious dance-forms, also performed during the San Miguel Fiesta, include the Eskrima (a dance simulating a fight between San Miguel and his enemies, and the Yawa-yawa, literally, devil-devil), a dance from depicting the celestial battle between the forces of good and evil as impersonated by St. Michael, the Archangel and Lucifer.

Sometime in 1986, it was somehow felt by the local fiesta committee that there was a need to further popularize the folk-dance forms of the Iliganon. Thus was an idea born: the concept of a street dancing festival that will not only preserve certain traditional art forms but promote them as well. In an age when culture and tradition are battered by the incursions of modernity, the significance of such undertaking as a completion of traditional art forms cannot be belittled.

Now called the KASADYA (street dancing and merrymaking), which showcases these rich and varied cultural traditions. Highlighted by the traditional Diyandi, Eskrima and the street drama. KASADYA that was started, as a local form of entertainment has become a major tourist attraction of Iligan drawing crowds to about 50,000 people both local and tourist alike. It is considered as a non-income generating project having the most number of spectators both in the streets and in the showdown venue proper as compared to other tourism related activities.

It is to be noted that the San Miguel Fiesta focused on KASADYA was acclaimed by the BBC Holidays (a monthly consumer magazine published in the United Kingdom and the only publication officially endorsed by the prestigious British Broadcasting Corporation) as a tourist destination. It cited the tribal pageantry mixed with Christian piety famous with brightly costumed participants miming a fight with unseen adversaries to cries of "Viva Senior San Miguel". Other participants, dressed as warrior angels, march solemnly. It added that it is very unique because of the miracle play called the Yawa-yawa, performed in vernacular dialogue and depicting Lucifer's unsuccessful revolt against God and the good angels. Other national and local publications also cited KASADYA as a tourist attraction in Iligan.