June 30, 2014 -- It's just another manic Monday! Ironically speaking though. The weather is cloudy today due to the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) that's affecting Visayas and Mindanao. Good heavens, there is only light rain here in Gingoog City and no flooding occurred.
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| front cover of the city's brochure |
On a mission to promote this silent city of Northern Mindanao, I went off to our local tourism office to collate facts and information. Tada! I have a handy brochure for us to explore the city. A few other attractions are still not on the paper, but you and I will surely visit and experience those places here on The Day About.
Let's get to know you Gingoog City~a 2nd class component city! Gingoog (originally Hingoog) is a "Manobo" word of good luck. Hence, the city's title back then was the 'City of Good Luck.' The natives of this place is of the family names of Gingco and Gingoyon. To date, there still is the existence of the Manobo tribe in the mountain barangays.
Gingoog (pronounced as Hee/ngu/og) was founded by Spanish Missionaries in 1750. It was deemed to be the oldest city in the Misamis Oriental province, even older than that of the province's capital and economic hub--the gateway to Northern Mindanao and the city of golden friendship, Cagayan de Oro City, which was founded on 1871. The dialect spoken here is more on Cebuano.
It became a Spanish Pueblo in 1868 under the undivided Mizamis de Mizamis and in 1903, during the American Regime, she became a municipality. Then on June 18, 1960, through R.A. 2668 authored by Congressman Fausto Dugenio and signed by the late President Carlos P. Garcia (1957-61), Gingoog became a chartered city of Misamis Oriental.
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| map of Gingoog City (courtesy of Google) |
Gingoog is on the northern coast of the province, 122 kilometers east of Cagayan de Oro City and 74 kilometers west of Butuan City; to the north is the Gingoog Bay and south is the province of Bukidnon; whilst the municipalities of Claveria and Medina is in its vicinity to the west and the municipality of Magsaysay to the east.
It has 79 barangays, 29 of which are urban and the rest are rural; 11 of the rural barangays are along the national highway. It has a total land area of 76, 988 hectares (769, 880 sq. kms.) with 58.37% forest cover. Climate ranges from 27-32 degrees Celsius with evenly distributed rainfall.
Blessed with green and forested mountains, the city has about thirty three (33) waterfalls. Thus, it was also known as the 'City of Waterfalls.' Yet only a few are accessible and all else can only be visited with tour guides because of difficult trails. The main and popular destination is the Tiklas Falls in barangay Lawit, approximately 13 kilometers from the city proper (poblacion).
Flourishing and nourishing its tourists' attractions as the years went by, Gingoog City was nicknamed the 'Vacation City' because of its tranquil and serene ambiance; definitely away from the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan life. Here, you have both the sea and mountains to soothe your soul and de-stress your body.
As of to-date with the vast progress on tourism, Gingoog City is now the 'Eco-Adventure Haven of Northern Mindanao' offering you ample of activities during your stay.
Experience Gingoog City!
Pure Nature, Pure Adventure
Banat Gingoog, Ato Ni!
(more posts about Gingoog City soon, so keep on visiting our site for updates)
References:
>Gingoog City Local Tourism Office Brochure
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingoog
>http://philippinescities.com/gingoog-city-misamis-oriental/
>http://www.gingoog.gov.ph
>http://vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/Gingoog-City-City-of-Waterfalls
