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Misamis Occidental | |
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  .jpg)    (from top: left to right)Baliangao seascape, Lake Duminagat, DowntownOzamiz,Jimenez Church,Panguil Bay Bridge, andMount Malindang. | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Mis Occ | |
 Location in the Philippines | |
| Coordinates:8°20′N123°42′E / 8.33°N 123.7°E /8.33; 123.7 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Northern Mindanao |
| Founded | November 2, 1929[1] |
| Capital | Oroquieta |
| Largest city | Ozamiz |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan |
| • Governor | Atty.Henry S. Oaminal Sr. (NP) |
| • Vice Governor | Rowena L. Gutierrez (Asenso Pinoy Party) |
| • Legislature | Misamis Occidental Provincial Board |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,006.63 km2 (774.76 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 60th out of 81 |
| Highest elevation | 2,404 m (7,887 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 621,993 |
| • Rank | 50th out of 81 |
| • Density | 309.969/km2 (802.816/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 26th out of 81 |
| Demonym | West Misamisnon |
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 490 |
| • Districts | Legislative districts of Misamis Occidental |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)88 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-MSC |
| Spoken languages | |
| Income classification | 1st class |
| Website | misocc |
Misamis Occidental (Cebuano:Kasadpang Misamis;Subanen:Sindepan Mis'samis;Maranao:Sedepan Misamis;Filipino:Kanlurang Misamis), officially theProvince of Misamis Occidental, is aprovince located in theregion ofNorthern Mindanao in thePhilippines. Its capital is the city ofOroquieta whileOzamiz is the most-populous city. The province bordersZamboanga del Norte andZamboanga del Sur to the west and is separated fromLanao del Norte byPanguil Bay to the south andIligan Bay to the east.
The province is named after theearly settlement of the Spaniards at the entrance to thePanguil Bay. The nameMisamis is believed to have been derived from theSubanen wordkuyamis which is a variety of thecoconut, the staple food of the early settlers. During the years the name persisted as an inference of the geographical location, and upon the advent of the Spanish settlers, the wordkuyamis easily gave way to the more convenient pronounceable but corrupted wordMisamis.[4]
The area of now Misamis Occidental was first occupied by theSubanen people, who were followed by theMaranao, and later theVisayans, who settled in the coastal areas. During the 1750s, coastal villages in southernLuzon,Visayas, andMindanao suffered attacks from bands of Muslim pirates, who burned houses and crops, and captured people to be sold as slaves inMaguindanao,Sulu,Borneo, or the islands now known asIndonesia. In response, the colonial government in Manila created aflotilla and appointed a SpanishJesuit missionary, José Ducos, as its commander.
After several successful battles against the pirates and when some peace had been restored, it was decided to build a stone fort at the mouth of Panguil Bay, at a place calledMisamis, and Ducos was put in charge of the construction. The construction began in 1756. It was officially called “Fuerte de la Concepción y del Triunfo”.[5]
In 1818, Mindanao was organized into five politico-military districts, one of which was theSegundo Distrito de Misamis, the largest district in Mindanao. This area was composed of today's Misamis Occidental,Misamis Oriental,Camiguin,Bukidnon,Lanao del Norte,Lanao del Sur,Zamboanga del Norte, and the northern parts ofZamboanga del Sur andCotabato.
In 1850, the town of Misamis became the capital of the district of Misamis until February 27, 1872, when the SpanishGovernor GeneralCarlos María de la Torre y Navacerrada issued adecree declaringCagayan the permanent capital of Segundo Distrito de Misamis. During this era, the name of the town wasCagayan de Misamis.[6]
On November 2, 1929,Legislative Act No. 3537 passed, dividing the old province ofMisamis into Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental, which took effect on January 1, 1930. Misamis Occidental comprised the original nine towns ofBaliangao,Lopez Jaena,Tudela,Clarin,Plaridel,Oroquieta,Aloran,Jimenez, and Misamis. DonJosé Ozámiz y Fortich became the first governor.[7]
On January 6, 1930, the provincial council of Misamis Occidental selected Oroquieta to become the capital town (cabecera) of the province.[8]
In 1935, the Provincial Capitol Building, commonly called as theCapitolio, begun construction and became the seat of executive and legislative power of the province in the town of Oroquieta.
On May 6, 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces landed in Misamis Occidental, beginning their brief occupation of the province duringWorld War II. In 1945, combined American andPhilippine Commonwealth forces liberated the province, and with the help of the recognized guerilla units, defeated the Japanese forces.[further explanation needed] During World War II, Oroquieta became the capital of theFree Philippines with the Capitolio serving as the seat of government of the Free Philippines. The United States Forces in the Philippines under ColonelWendell Fertig. which was based in Misamis Occidental, was the rallying point for the guerrillas in Mindanao. This was historically significant because it is the only time in Philippine history when its capital was in Mindanao, in the region then known as Misamis. The Free Philippine Government was then issuing Misamis Occidental emergency notes. LatePresidentManuel L. Quezon, upon knowing that Oroquieta was made a capital of the Free Philippines and that the town was issuing emergency notes, authorized the printing of the Mindanao emergency note.
On July 16, 1948 — the town of Misamis became a chartered city by virtue ofRepublic Act 321,[9] making it the 4th city in Mindanao afterZamboanga,Davao, andMarawi. It was also renamed toOzamiz afterJosé Ozámiz y Fortich who was Misamis Occidental's first governor and also a congressional representative of the Lone District of Misamis Occidental, senator of the Philippines, and a delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention that resulted in the creation of the1935 Constitution for the Philippine Commonwealth Government.
The late 1960s in Mindanao saw a rise in land dispute conflicts arising from the influx of settlers from Luzon and Visayas,[10][11] and from theMarcos administration’s encouragement of militia groups.[12][13] News of the 1968Jabidah massacre ignited a furor in the Moro community, and ethnic tensions encouraged with the formation of secessionist movements,[14] starting from the largely politicalMuslim Independence Movement andBangsamoro Liberation Organization, and eventually theMoro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and theMoro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).[13] Additionally, an economic crisis in late 1969, violent crackdowns on student protests in 1970, and 1971, and eventually the declaration of Martial Law all led to the radicalization of many students.[15] Many of them left schools in Manila and joinedNew People's Army units in their home provinces, bringing theNew People's Army rebellion to Mindanao for the first time.[16]
The September 1972 declaration of Martial Law began a 14-year period historically remembered forits human rights abuses,[17][18] often involving the warrantless detention, murder, and physical, sexual, or mental torture of political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.[19] These were often attributed tomilitary-endorsed Militias - including a number of armed cult groups - which were used to enhance the military's numbers as it fought various resistance movements.[20][21]
On August 24, 1981 marked a particularly bloody incident in Misamis Occidental history, when members of a fanatical pseudo-religious paramilitary sect called the "Rock Christ" strafed the house of the Gumapons, aSubanon family, in Barrio Lampasan, Tudela, Misamis Occidental. Ten of the twelve persons in the house, including an infant, were killed.[22][23]
In May 2010, the people of Misamis Occidental elected their first female governor, Herminia M. Ramiro.
In September 2024, thePanguil Bay Bridge was opened, connecting the province toLanao del Norte, allowing easier and faster access to the other provinces ofNorthern Mindanao.
Misamis Occidental is located near the narrow strip of land linking NorthwesternMindanao, to the North-central part of the island. Covering a total area of 2,055.22 square kilometres (793.52 sq mi)[24], the province is bounded on the northeast by theBohol Sea, east byIligan Bay, southeast by thePanguil Bay, and the west by the Zamboanga del Norte and Sur provinces. Except along the coastal area, hilly and rolling land characterized the provincial terrain. Towards the western border, the terrain is particularly rugged.
Misamis Occidental comprises 14municipalities and 3 componentcities, which are organized intotwo legislative districts and further subdivided into 490barangays.
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| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[26][27][27] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The population of Misamis Occidental in the 2024 census was 621,993 people,[28] with a density of 300 inhabitants per square kilometre or 780 inhabitants per square mile.
The dense population along the coast consists mainly of ethnicCebuanos. Thus,Cebuano is the lingua franca of the province. Most of the nativeSubanens live in the interior uplands. Other inhabitants not native to the province includeMaranaos,Maguindanaons,Tausugs,Ilocanos,Kapampangans,Bicolanos,Tagalogs,Pangasinans,Hiligaynons, andWarays. They are minority residents of the province who speak their respective native languages to varying degrees in addition to Cebuano.
As of 2013,Roman Catholicism remains the predominant faith of the people of Misamis Occidental having 70 percent affiliation while the second most members are with the Iglesia Filipina Independiente orAglipayan Church with 20%.
SeveralProtestant Churches as well asIslam are the minorities present in the province.[citation needed]
The province economy depends firstly on fishing, secondly on coconuts, and thirdly on rice. The province has 169 kilometres (105 mi) of coastline fronting the rich fishing grounds ofPanguil andIligan bays. It also has the biggest area ofbrackish water fishponds in the region.Tangub City is a fishing port in Panguil Bay famous for seafood. Coconut is the chief crop. This is processed into oil, desiccated coconut, andcoir, most of which are shipped toCebu. Coconut processing is the main industry inOroquieta City. Other crops grown in the province are rice, corn,abaca, coffee, cacao, and rubber.
Wood is the major forest product. Predominant species are the lauan group, apitong, tanguige yakal, andPhilippine mahogany. There is also an abundant supply of bamboo, rattan and various vines. Forest land in the province has an area of 66,002.46 hectares; 53,262 hectares of which are considered a national park (which has legal implications).[citation needed]
The province has a considerable deposit of clay especially in the municipalities ofLopez Jaena andConcepcion.Plaridel is the largest in rice production, and the longest coastal town in the province.
There are also abundant sources of sand and gravel.
The province is traditionally a net exporter of various commodities. Historical data from the Ozamiz Port District of theBureau of Customs show that outgoing commodities, which is mainly of coconut products, far outweigh incoming cargoes.
Being a coco-based province, major manufacturing firms in Misamis Occidental are engaged in the production of crude coconut oil, cooking oil, lard, margarine, laundry soap, and desiccated coconut. Other products are furniture, ceramic gifts toys and housewares, processed food like banana chips, and marine products.
Locally fabricated agri-industrial machines and equipment are also available in the province.
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