Oroquieta City
| Oroquieta City | |||
| Location of Oroquieta City in the Misamis Occidental Province | |||
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| Basic data | |||
| Region : | Northern Mindanao | ||
| Province : | Misamis Occidental | ||
| Barangays : | 47 | ||
| District: | 1. District of Misamis Occidental | ||
| PSGC : | 104209000 | ||
| Income class : | 3rd income bracket | ||
| Households : | 12,417 May 1, 2000 census
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| Population : | 70,757 August 1, 2015 census
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| Population density : | 268.1 inhabitants per km² | ||
| Area : | 263.93 km² | ||
| Coordinates : | 8 ° 29 ′ N , 123 ° 48 ′ E | ||
| Postal code : | 7207 | ||
| Area code : | +63 88 | ||
| Mayor : | Jorge Taghap Amonte | ||
| Website: | www.oroquietacity.gov.ph | ||
| Geographical location in the Philippines | |||
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Oroquieta City is a city in the Misamis Occidental province of the Philippines on Mindanao Island . It is also the capital of this province and is located on its northeast coast on the Bay of Iligan .
Origin of name
There are two versions of the origin of the name:
According to the first, advocated by many historians, the name Oroquieta is composed of the Spanish words "Oro" (gold) and "Quieta" or "Kita" (found). The early residents found gold along the river that flows through what is now the urban area, which is reflected in the name.
The second comes from a history book from 1880, the time when the place got its current name. Thereafter, the first Catholic priest, Father Tomas Casado from Spain, is said to have renamed his parish from "Layawan" to "Oroquieta" in honor of the town of Oroquieta, a barrio in the Spanish city of Pamplona, which was the birthplace of the priest.
geography
Oroquieta City is located in the north of the Misamis Occidental province directly on the coast on the Bay of Iligan , part of the Mindanao Sea .
The city is bordered by five different regions. In the north lies the municipality of Lopez Jaena, in the east the Bay of Iligan opens up , in the south there is the sister town Aloran, in the southeast the municipality Conception and in the northwest lies Sapang Dalaga.
The flat areas along the coast on the east side of the urban area are replaced in their western regions by the up to 2,402 meter high mountain range of Mount Malindang .
language
The predominant language is Cebuano , which is spoken by 97% of the city's residents.
Barangays
Oroquieta City is politically divided into 47 barangays .
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history
During the years 1861 and 1879 the place was still called Layawan and was a barrio of the then province of Misamis. The name Layawan was derived from the Visayan word "layaw". This term, which means something like "place of the stray animals", was used by the Christian settlers for this place, as there were many wild animals around the river of the settlement. Around 1880 the place was renamed by Layawan in Oroquieta.
According to historians, the first Christian settlers came from the nearby islands of Bohol and Cebu . Upon their arrival, they noticed that the area was inhabited by local people, the Subanon. The name is derived from the word "Suba" (river), as the indigenous people lived along the rivers. When the first strangers arrived, they were warmly received by the locals and allowed to settle in Layawan. They also gave them land and encouraged them to grow rice.
As more and more immigrants came to the area, the native Subanon began to retreat to the wooded, higher-lying hinterland, as they wanted to distance themselves from the uncultivated lifestyle that the Christian settlers had over time. Gradually the place grew and became a village and eventually an administrative community.
When the former province of Misamis was divided into two provinces, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental , on November 2, 1929 , Oroquieto was named the capital of Misamis Occidental on January 1, 1930.
In 1942, during the Second World War , the place was briefly the capital of the Philippines , although it was not yet classified as a city at that time. The future President Manuel Quezon arrived in Oroquieta on his way from the United States to Australia and for the time of his stay put a war government of the free Philippines in place until a USAFFE submarine evacuated him to Australia.
After the withdrawal of the Japanese armed forces and the formation of a regular Philippine government, the status of Oroquieta changed from an administrative municipality to a city, in recognition of the position it held during the war.
On June 25, 1969, Oroquieta was chartered as a city with the signing of Republic Act No. 5518 by then President Ferdinand Marcos . The inauguration took place on January 1, 1970.
climate
The city's climate is moderate but tropical, with occasional but heavy rains. The dry season is between January and April, the rainy season is from July to September. The months October to January are again characterized by more frequent storms and somewhat cooler, albeit pleasant temperatures.
Attractions
- Mount Malindang National Park
- The hot springs of Sebucal, 30 km from the city.
- The City Museum