Iligan | |
|---|---|
| City of Iligan | |
.jpg) Skyline of Iligan from Mount Lelong, pictured in 2023 .jpg) Andres Bonifacio Avenue .jpg) Saint Michael's Cathedral .jpg) Iligan City Hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
Nicknames:
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| Anthem:Martsa Iliganon (English: Iligan March) | |
 Map of Northern Mindanao with Iligan highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
.svg)  Iligan Location within thePhilippines | |
| Coordinates:8°14′N124°15′E / 8.23°N 124.25°E /8.23; 124.25 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Northern Mindanao |
| Province | Lanao del Norte(geographically only) |
| District | Lone district |
| Founded | 1609 |
| Chartered | 1914 |
| Cityhood | June 16, 1950 |
| Highly urbanized city | November 22, 1983 |
| Barangays | 44 (seeBarangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlungsod |
| • Mayor | Frederick Wee Siao |
| • Vice Mayor | Ernest Oliver “Wekwek” C. Uy (PMP) |
| • Representative | Ret. Police Col. Celso G. Regencia (Lakas) |
| • City Council | Members
|
| • Electorate | 189,050 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 813.37 km2 (314.04 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 262 m (860 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 1,195 m (3,921 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 368,132 |
| • Density | 452.60/km2 (1,172.2/sq mi) |
| • Households | 87,239 |
| Demonym | Iliganon |
| Economy | |
| • Gross domestic product | ₱77.015 billion (2022)[4] $1.36 billion (2022)[5] |
| • Income class | 1st city income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 11.8 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 3,156 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 13,109 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 2,545 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Iligan Light and Power Incorporated (ILPI) |
| • Water | Iligan City Waterworks System |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 9200 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)63 |
| Major religions | Roman Catholicism, |
| Website | www |
Iligan, officially theCity of Iligan (Cebuano:Dakbayan sa Iligan;Bukid:Ciudad ta Iligan;Maranao:Bandar a Iligan;Filipino:Lungsod ng Iligan), is ahighly urbanized city in theregion ofNorthern Mindanao, Philippines.
It is the largest city in the province ofLanao del Norte both in population and land area wherein it is geographically situated and grouped under the province by thePhilippine Statistics Authority, but administered independently from the province. It was once part ofCentral Mindanao (Region 12) until the province was moved under Northern Mindanao (Region 10) in 2001.[7] Iligan is approximately 90 kilometers away from the capital of the province,Tubod, and approximately 800 kilometers from the capital of thePhilippines,
Iligan has a total land area of 813.37 square kilometres (314.04 sq mi), making it one of the 10 largest cities in the Philippines in terms of land area. Among the 33highly urbanized cities of the Philippines, Iligan is the third-least dense, with a population density of 421 inhabitants per square kilometer, just behindLucena andPuerto Princesa.[8]
The name Iligan is from the Higaunon (Lumad/Native of Iligan) word "Ilig" which means "to go downstream".[9] However, some also claim that the name of Iligan was taken and inspired by the Higaunon term "iligan" or "ilijan", which means "fortress of defense", an appropriate term due to frequent attacks incurred by pirates as well as other Mindanao tribes.[10]
Iligan was first settled by Higaonon Manobos on Bayug island, now in Barangay Hinaplanon, four kilometres north of the present city centre. It was a settlement of sea dwellers.
In Dapitan,Datu Pagbuaya ofPanglao received the SpaniardMiguel Lopez de Legazpi's agents in 1565. Later, Pagbuaya's son Manooc was baptized asDon Pedro Manuel Manooc. Sometime afterward by the end of the 16th century, Manooc subdued the Higaonon Manobo settlement of Bayug and turned it into one of the earliest Christian settlements in the Philippines.[11]
Although Bayug survived other raids from other enemies, especially Muslims from Lanao, the early settlers and Christian converts moved their settlement from Bayug to Iligan, which the AugustinianRecollects founded in 1609.[12] During Christianization, the Spaniards in Iligan received a hundred Spanish soldiers as colonists and protection forces.[13]
The Jesuits replaced the Recollects in 1639. Iligan was the Spaniards' base of operations in attempting to conquer and Christianize theLake Lanao area throughout its history. A stone fort called Fort St. Francis Xavier was built in 1642 where Iliganons sought refuge during raids by bandits. But the fort sank due to floods. Another fort was built and this was named Fort Victoria or Cota de Iligan.[citation needed]
In 1850, because of floods, Don Remigio Cabili, then Iligan's gobernadorcillo, built another fort and moved thepoblacion of the old Iligan located at the mouth of Tubod River west of the old market to its present site.[citation needed]
Being the oldest town in Northern Mindanao, Iligan was already a part of the once undividedMisamis Province by the year 1832. However, it did not have an independent religious administration because its diocese by then was based atMisamis, the provincial capital. It was one of the biggest municipalities of Misamis Province.[citation needed]
The Spaniards abandoned Iligan in 1899, paving the way for the landing of the American forces in 1900.[citation needed]
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 the seat of the government where the American officials lived and held office. Later in 1907, the capital of the Lanao District has transferred to Dansalan.[14]
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.[citation needed]
The liberation of 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.[15]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: a discussion of the impact of the steel industry on the local industry of Iligan. You can help byadding to it.(December 2023) |
The Iligan Steel Mill was established in 1952 as a government-initiated project of the National Shipyards and Steel Corporation (NASSCO).[16] After NASSCO applied for a $62.3 million loan from the United States–basedEximbank to fund projects, the latter suggested a transfer of the facilities' management to the private entity. The company was sold in 1963 to Iligan Integrated Steel Mills, Inc. of the Jacinto family.[16]
Using the same territorial definition as a municipality, Iligan became a chartered city of Lanao del Norte on June 16, 1950 by virtue of Republic Act No. 525.[17] The bill was authored by then congressman of Lanao Mohammad Ali Dimaporo, who was protege to the late Senator Tomas Ll. Cabili.[18]
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 election ofFerdinand Marcos asPresident of the Philippines saw a large influx of Christian groups settling in Mindanao, displacing many locals and resulting in numerous land ownership conflicts.[19][20] The Marcos administration encouraged these new settlers to form militias, which were eventually nicknamed theIlaga. The Ilaga were often associated with committed human rights abuses targeted at theMoro andLumad people. This resulted in a lingering animosity and a cycle of violence between Moro and Christian communities which still persists today.[21][22] Despite this local violence, prominent Moro thought leaders were mostly not politically active until the news of the 1968Jabidah massacre ignited the Moro insurgency. Reports of Moro men being recruited into the Philippine Army and then being massacred when they had a dispute with their commanding officers led to the conviction that Moros were being treated as second class citizens. Ethnic tensions arising from this led to the formation of secessionist political movements,[23] such asCotabato Governor Datu Udtog Matalam'sMuslim Independence Movement andLanao del Sur congressmanHaroun al-Rashid Lucman'sBangsamoro Liberation Organization.[22]Additionally, the1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis led to social unrest throughout the country, and violent crackdowns on protests led to the radicalization of many students,[24] with some joining theNew People's Army, bringing theNew People's Army rebellion to Mindanao for the first time.[25]
Towards the end of the last term allowed to him by the Philippine Constitution, Marcos placed the Philippines under Martial Law in 1972, which had the effect of further increasing tensions in Mindanao.[22] It marked the beginning of a 14-year period of one-man rule, historically remembered forits human rights abuses[26][27][28] In Iligan, one incident documented by a 1975 fact finding mission of Amnesty International documented the killing of twelve detainees, which was staged the incident to make it look like a prison break.[29]: "31" The witness was himself detained without a warrant at the time, and was regularly being subjected to torture and forced labor.[29]
The proclamation of Martial law also helped escalate the moro secessionist situation by banning political parties and organizations.[22] The formal establishment of theMoro National Liberation Front (MNLF) one month after Marcos' proclamation of Martial Law thus marked a shift to a more military phase of the Moro conflict, taking in the members of the former BMLO, and attracting members who had become dissatisfied with the MIM.[22] Lanao del Sur and Iligan itself were deeply affected by the conflict, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines' conflicts with MNLF and its later splinter group theMoro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) affecting combatants and civilians alike.[22]
Aside from political groups, Marcos' proclamation of Martial law also shuttered press outlets - television stations, national newspapers, weekly magazines, community newspapers, and radio stations - throughout the country, including in Iligan and Lanao del Sur.[30] The 14 years of the Marcos dictatorship saw the killings of many Mindanao journalists,[31] with prominent examples beingBulletin Today Lanao provincial correspondentDemosthenes Dingcong,[32][33] Philippine Post Iligan correspondent and radio commentator Geoffrey Siao,[34][35] and DXWG Iligan commentator Charlie Aberilla.[34][36]
Numerous activists arose from Iligan during the 1970s, despite significant personal risks. These included Iligan natives such as prominent Nurse empowerment advocateMinda Luz Quesada (who would later be invited to the Philippines' 1987 Constitutional Convention);[37] Electrical workers' union leader David S. Borja;[38] religious youth organizer Edwin Laguerder;[39] activist professor and writer Ester Kintanar of theMSU Iligan Institute of Technology;[40] and even activist politicians such as Masiding Alonto Sr. who was a prominent supporter of opposition leader Ninoy Aquino.[41] Some of these activists were eventually killed in the pursuit of their beliefs, including farm workers organizers James Orbe[42] and Herbert Cayunda.[43]
Dingcong, Quezada, Borja, Kintanar, Laguerder, Alonto Sr., Orbe, and Cayunda were all later recognized by having their names inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance of the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors those who fought for the restoration of democracy and against the authoritarian regime of the time.[44]
| This sectionneeds expansion with: further details of the economic recovery after the reopening of the National Steel Corporation. You can help byadding to it.(December 2023) |
During the1997 Asian financial crisis Iligan City experienced a severe economic slowdown. A number of industrial plants were closed, most notably the National Steel Corporation.[45]
The city began to see some economic recovery with the reopening of the National Steel Corporation, which was renamed Global Steelworks Infrastructures, Inc. (GSII) in 2004.[46] This reopening marked a critical turning point for Iligan, as it restored a significant number of jobs and revitalized the local economy. The re-establishment of steel production brought renewed hope and stability to the community, encouraging further investments and business activities in the region.
In October 2005, GSII officially took a new corporate name: Global Steel Philippines (SPV-AMC), Inc.[47] This rebranding was part of a broader strategy to rejuvenate the company’s operations and re-establish its presence in the steel industry both locally and internationally. The transition signified not only a change in name but also a commitment to modernizing the plant's facilities and improving production processes to compete effectively in the global market.
Republic Act No. 9724, an Act separating the City of Iligan from theFirst Legislative District of the Province of Lanao del Nortewas approved, byPresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyo on October 20, 2009. This legislative change elevated Iligan to the status of a lone congressional district, providing it with greater political autonomy and representation. The creation of a separate legislative district allowed Iligan to have its own representative in the Philippine Congress, ensuring that the city's specific needs and interests were more effectively addressed at the national level.
This move was seen as a step towards fostering greater local governance and development. It enabled the city to receive more focused attention and resources from the national government, which in turn could help drive further economic recovery and growth. By having its own legislative district, Iligan could better advocate for policies and programs tailored to its unique economic and social landscape, promoting sustainable development and improved quality of life for its residents.
Iligan is bounded on the north by three municipalities ofMisamis Oriental (namelyLugait,Manticao andOpol), to the south by three municipalities of Lanao del Norte (Balo-i,Linamon andTagoloan) and two municipalities ofLanao del Sur (Kapai andTagoloan II), to the north-east by the city ofCagayan de Oro, to the east by the municipality ofTalakag,Bukidnon; and to the west byIligan Bay.
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.
| Climate data for Iligan, Philippines | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.9 (87.6) | 31.8 (89.2) | 32.8 (91.0) | 32.7 (90.9) | 32.2 (90.0) | 31.9 (89.4) | 32.1 (89.8) | 31.9 (89.4) | 31.9 (89.4) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.1 (88.0) | 32.8 (91.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.5 (79.7) | 27.1 (80.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 21.7 (71.1) | 21.8 (71.2) | 22.0 (71.6) | 22.6 (72.7) | 23.1 (73.6) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.0 (71.6) | 21.7 (71.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 106.1 (4.18) | 90.5 (3.56) | 88.2 (3.47) | 80.2 (3.16) | 145.1 (5.71) | 217.7 (8.57) | 247.9 (9.76) | 342.0 (13.46) | 578.1 (22.76) | 780.0 (30.71) | 299.3 (11.78) | 208.1 (8.19) | 3,183.2 (125.32) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 23.2 | 19.5 | 22.0 | 22.8 | 29.6 | 28.9 | 29.0 | 29.8 | 28.1 | 28.8 | 26.1 | 24.1 | 311.9 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 390.6 | 370.1 | 545.6 | 573.0 | 378.2 | 225.0 | 229.4 | 254.2 | 246.0 | 294.5 | 360.0 | 421.6 | 4,288.2 |
| Source 1: Average Climate of Iligan City[48] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Climate of Iligan City[49] | |||||||||||||
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.
Iligan is politically subdivided into 44barangays. [50] Depending on the barangay, it is subdivided topuroks or zones.
Population census of Iligan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[53][54][55][56][57] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Higaonons of neighboringBukidnon andMisamis Oriental, and many settlers and migrants from other parts of the country. It is known for its diverse culture.
Hiligaynon,Ilocano,Chavacano, andWaray are the most commonly used languages. Apart from that, there are alsoCebuano users.Muslims generally come from nativeMoro peoples, such asMaranao andIranun, they speakMaranao andIranun languages respectively, but also more often use other languages, such as Hiligaynon and Cebuano. othersHiligaynon,Ilocano,
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The majority of Iligan citizens are Christians (mainly Roman Catholics). The city is also the center of theDiocese of Iligan which has 25 parishes in Iligan City and twelve municipalities of Lanao del Norte (Linamon, Kauswagan, Bacolod, Maigo, Kolambugan, Tubod, Baroy, Lala, Kapatagan, Sapad, Salvador, and Magsaysay). It covers an area of 3,092 square kilometers with a population of 1,551,000, which 65.5% of the population are Roman Catholics, which includes charismatics.[58]
There is also a strong presence of other Christian denominations in Iligan, includingIglesia ni Cristo,Members Church of God International,Baptist Church,United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Evangelical churches,Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons),Seventh-day Adventist Church and others, altogether practiced by about 24% of the residents.
Poverty incidence of Iligan
Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[59][60][61][62][63][64][65]
Iligan is known as the Industrial Center of the South as its economy is largely based on heavy industries. It produces hydroelectric power for the Mindanao region through the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), the site of the Mindanao Regional Center (MRC) housing Agus V, VI, and VII hydroelectric plants. Moreover,Holcim Philippines' largest Mindanao cement plant is located in the city. It also houses industries like steel, tinplate, cement, and flour mills.[citation needed]
After the construction of Maria Cristina (Agus VI) Hydroelectric Plant byNational 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 in 1962.[66]
During the1997 Asian financial crisis, the city experienced a severe economic slowdown. A number of industrial plants were closed, notably the National Steel Corporation.[67]
The city saw its economic revival with the reopening of the National Steel Corporation, renamed Global Steelworks Infrastructures, Inc. (GSII) in 2004.[46] In October 2005, GSII officially took a new corporate name: Global Steel Philippines (SPV-AMC), Inc.[47]
Aside from heavy industries, Iligan is also a major exporter and producer of various plants and crops.[citation needed]
Crops:
As of the fiscal year 2018, Iligan has a current operating income of ₱2,052.89 million. The income grew by 8% compared to the fiscal year of 2017 in which Iligan's operating income was ₱1,900 million. According to the 2017 Financial Report by theCommission on Audit, Iligan's total assets amounted to ₱10.27 billion.[citation needed]
Iligan is commonly known as the "City of Majestic Waterfalls" because of the numerous waterfalls located within its area. The many waterfalls in the area attract tourists from all over the world with their beauty and power. There are about 24 waterfalls in the city. The most well-known is theMaria Cristina Falls. It is also the primary source of electric power of the city, harnessed by the Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant.
Other waterfalls in the city areTinago Falls, accessible through a 300-step staircase in Barangay Ditucalan. Mimbalut Falls in Barangay Buru-un,Abaga Falls in Barangay Suarez, andDodiongan Falls in Barangay Bonbonon.[citation needed]
Limunsudan Falls in Barangay Rogongon about 50 kilometers from the city proper of Iligan. These are the highest waterfalls in the Philippines, at 265 m (870 feet).[citation needed]
Iligan is home to the famous San Miguel of Iligan. It is an image ofSaint Michael the archangel that dons aNative American Headdress especially when he goes to battle against Satan.[68] The animistLumad, the MuslimMoro and the ChristianVisayans,Chavacanos, and Latinos who live together peacefully in Iligan all celebrate this festival dedicated to San Miguel and they have Eskrima dances dedicated to him.[69] The Eskrima martial art calledSan Miguel Eskrima is related to this Saint.
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Iligan is a highly urbanized city and is politically independent of 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 of its charter as a city in the 1950s.[citation needed]
Iligan's seat of government, the city hall, is located at Buhanginan Hills in Barangay Pala-o. The local government structure is composed 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.[citation needed]
The Port of Iligan is located along the northern central coastal area of Mindanao facing Iligan Bay with geographical coordinates of approximately8°13′56″N124°13′54″E / 8.23222°N 124.23167°E /8.23222; 124.23167.[71]
It serves the port users and passengers coming from the hinterlands of the provinces ofLanao del Norte,Lanao del Sur, parts ofMisamis Oriental, and the Cities of Iligan andMarawi.[71]
Passenger and cargo shipping lines operating in the Port of Iligan serve the cities ofCebu, andOzamiz.
There are around seven private seaports in Iligan operated by their respective heavy industry companies. These private seaports can be found in Barangays Maria Cristina, Suarez, Tomas L. Cabili, Santa Filomena, and Kiwalan.
The main airport isLaguindingan Airport, located in the municipality ofLaguindingan, Misamis Oriental, which opened on June 15, 2013.[72] The airport replacedLumbia Airport as the main airport of Misamis Oriental and Northern Mindanao.[73] It has daily commercial flights to and from Cebu, Davao, viaPhilippine Airlines andCebu Pacific.
Maria Cristina Airport is located inBalo-i and was the main airport of Iligan in the late 1980s.Aerolift Philippines, a now-defunct regional airline, ceased its services when its passenger plane crashed into some structures at the end of the runway of the Manila Domestic Airport in 1990 which resulted to its bankruptcy.[74][75] Thus, it ended its service to Iligan's airport at Balo-i which also resulted in the closure of the airport.Philippine Airlines served the city for many years before ending flights in 1998 due to theAsian financial crisis.
There are two main bus terminals in Iligan.
with daily trips from and to Iligan. Passenger vans and jeeps also service various municipalities in Lanao del Sur,
The public modes of transportation within the city are pedicabs.Tartanillas service main roads in Barangay Pala-o and Barangay Tambacan.
The City of Iligan has one state university and seven private colleges specializing in Engineering and Information Technology, Health Services, Maritime Science, Business and Administration, Primary and Secondary Education, and Arts and Social Sciences.
With a total of 181 schools (106 public; 75 private; 17madaris) including vocational and technical schools, Iligan has an average literacy rate of 94.71, one of the highest in the whole Philippines.
TheMindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) is one of the few autonomous external campuses of theMindanao State University (MSU) and "the light-bearer of the several campuses of the MSU System."[76] It is considered one of the best universities in the Philippines with excellence in Science and Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Information Technology, and Natural Sciences.[77] The institution has also produced many topnotchers and rankers in multiple board exams.
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Lucena, QuezonTacurong, Sultan KudaratBuluan, Maguindanao del SurMatanog, Maguindanao del NorteCarmen, CotabatoM'lang, CotabatoLambayong, Sultan KudaratEsperanza, Sultan KudaratBuldon, Maguindanao del NorteBarira, Maguindanao del NorteParang, Maguindanao del NorteCagayan de Oro, Misamis OrientalGeneral Santos, South CotabatoMakati, Metro Manila[83]Dipolog, Zamboanga del NorteOzamiz, Misamis OccidentalButuan, Agusan del NorteTagbilaran, Bohol[84]
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