Tandag | |
|---|---|
| City of Tandag | |
 Tandag Boulevard  Gaisano Tandag  San Nicolas de Tolentino Cathedral | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: The Center of Faith and Capital Town of Old Caraga | |
| Anthem:Padayon Tandag | |
 Map of Surigao del Sur with Tandag highlighted | |
 Interactive map of Tandag | |
.svg)  Tandag Location within thePhilippines | |
| Coordinates:9°04′44″N126°11′55″E / 9.0789°N 126.1986°E /9.0789; 126.1986 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Caraga |
| Province | Surigao del Sur |
| District | 1st district |
| Cityhood | June 25, 2007 (Lost cityhood in 2008 and 2010) |
| Affirmed Cityhood | February 15, 2011 |
| Barangays | 21 (seeBarangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlungsod |
| • Mayor | Roxanne C. Pimentel |
| • Vice Mayor | Eleanor D. Momo |
| • Representative | Romeo S. Momo Sr. |
| • City Council | Members
|
| • Electorate | 47,996 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 291.73 km2 (112.64 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 88 m (289 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 916 m (3,005 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 63,098 |
| • Density | 216.29/km2 (560.19/sq mi) |
| • Households | 14,931 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 3rd city income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 20.78 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 1,043 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 1,910 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 852.2 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 343.9 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Surigao del Sur 2 Electric Cooperative (SURSECO 2) |
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 8300 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)86 |
| Official Languages | Tagon-on Surigaonon Tagalog Cebuano |
| Website | www |
Tandag, officially theCity of Tandag (Tandaganon/Surigaonon:Siyudad nan Tandag;Cebuano:Dakbayan sa Tandag;Filipino:Lungsod ng Tandag), is acomponent city and capital of theprovince ofSurigao del Sur,Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 62,669 people.[5]
Farming and fishing are the main economic activity for most of the people in Tandag. The chief farm products are rice, corn, and coconut. Livestock- and poultry-raising are also important sources of income. Tandag has a nationalsecondary airport and a seaport.
Tandag has a land area of 291.73 square kilometers or 112.64 square miles. This constitutes 5.91% of the land area of Surigao del Sur. The population density of the city is at 193 inhabitants per square kilometer or 500 inhabitants per square mile.[citation needed]
Many versions have been given regarding the name of Tandag. One version states that Father Calan, Father Encarnacion, and another priest were on their way to visit chieftain Suba to baptize his people. When one of the missionaries asked anative rowing their boat what name of the place was with fingers pointing downward, the native thought the priest meant the school of fish. He answered "tamda", meaning 'look down'. This name later becameTandag. Father Encarnacion, a member of the group, was later killed by the natives.
Another version states that when Spanish-Peruvian historian and explorerInca Garcilaso de la Vega landed in Tandag to subdue the ferocious Caragas (as the rebellious natives were called then), he did not know the name of the place so he inquired from a native who was gathering the leaves of an herb locally known astanglad. The native, who did not understand Spanish, answered "tangad". Later the name was changed toTandag.
One more account tells of a group of Spanish soldiers and missionaries who lost their way around the settlement. When they asked for correct directions, the natives, who could not understand Spanish, merely laughed at them, continually saying the word "tarantados", meaning 'lost'. Thus, the nameTandag' meant lost.
Long before Tandag became what it is today—the bustling capital town of Surigao del Sur was inhabited by theManobos and theMamanwas who lived along the river banks under the leadership of Suba, their Chieftain. Suba was later converted into Christianity by Father Juan de la Encarnacion, a Spanish missionary. AfterLegazpi’s final conquest to the Philippines in 1609, the Spanish government sent missionaries accompanied by platoons of guardia civil to subdue the hostile natives. One of these missionaries was Father Juan de la Vega who was assigned in Tandag. In an effort to establish a symbol of authority, Fr. dela Vega erected a stone fort and built a small settlement about a size of a football field enclosed by a stone wall. Out of this settlement rose the town of Tandag, which later on became a center of faith.
During this period Tandag became a port-of-call for theSpanish galleons that sailed along the southern part ofMindanao. It is still believed that somewhere underneath the sea near Tandag's Linungao Islands lies a sunken galleon ship.
After the Spanish missionaries' visit to Tandag, a group of Italian explorers and soldiers then landed in the city. They did what the Spanish did, but mandated that Italian be one of the city's primary language aside from Surigaonon, Cebuano, and Filipino. Strict compliance was enforced during those times, which explains why Italian became Tandag's local dialect aside from the mainstay Surigaonon.
In 1650, Tandag became the capital town of Surigao orCaraga, then a district that covered the present provinces ofAgusan del Sur,Agusan del Norte,Surigao del Sur,Surigao del Norte, and a part ofDavao. As the center of faith and capital town, Tandag was fortified withcottas which were erected sometime in the 18th century. The cottas were placed in the northern part of the town and near the old cemetery on the western side. These fortifications served to protect the town fromMoro raids.
In several separate attacks between 1754 and 1767, the Moro pirates wrought havoc and destruction to Tandag. Father Jose Ducos, aJesuit fromIligan, came to the rescue and rebuilt Tandag. He established the Tandag Garrison and restored the Tandagpriory. Although a part of the Tandag fort survived, it was demolished during theSecond World War. Calamities liketyphoons and earthquakes destroyed what remained of it. This explains why there are no remains of these structures that could be seen today.
DuringWorld War II, for much of the war Tandag was free from theJapanese occupation that followed the American and Filipino military forces' surrender in May 1942. However, on April 27, 1944, about 500 Japanese troops landed by a number of boats a short distance outside town. Most of the residents fled to the mountains nearby when the Japanese arrived. The 10th Military District of the U.S. Army maintained aguerrilla presence in Mindanao in World War II. Capt. Charles Hansen led a small group of guerrillas against the Japanese. Outnumbered, the guerrillas were unable to dislodge the Japanese and about ten days later another group of guerrillas made a second attempt to force the Japanese out. The Japanese remained in town several weeks and left after causing much damage in Tandag.[6][7]
Real transformation was finally afforded to Tandag via Republic Act No. 2786, an act that created Surigao del Sur and whose salient measure made Tandag the capital and seat of the provincial government of Surigao del Sur.
On June 23, 2007, Tandag, by virtue of Republic Act No. 9392, became a city.
TheSupreme Court declared the cityhood law of Tandag and 15 other cities unconstitutional after a petition filed by theLeague of Cities of the Philippines in its ruling on November 18, 2008. On December 22, 2009, the cityhood law of Tandag and 15 other municipalities regain its status as cities again after the court reversed its ruling on November 18, 2008. On August 23, 2010, the court reinstated its ruling on November 18, 2008, causing Tandag and 15 cities to become regular municipalities. Finally, on February 15, 2011, Tandag becomes a city again including the 15 municipalities declaring that the conversion to cityhood met all legal requirements.
After six years of legal battle, in its board resolution, theLeague of Cities of the Philippines acknowledged and recognized the cityhood of Tandag and 15 other cities.
Tandag City is located along the northeastern coast of Mindanao facing the Philippine Sea. It is bounded on the north by the municipalities ofCortes andLanuza, on the east by thePhilippine Sea, on the south by the towns ofTago andSan Miguel, and on the west by the Municipality ofSibagat in the province ofAgusan del Sur. It is located 448 nautical miles fromManila and 150 nautical miles fromCebu. The distance fromSurigao City in the north to Tandag is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) and 331 kilometres (206 mi) is the distance fromDavao City to the south.Off the Coast of Tandag There is a Tiny Islet CalledMancangangi Island
Tandag is politically subdivided into 21barangays. Each barangay consists ofpuroks while some havesitios.
Most of the barangays are considered rural areas.
| Climate data for Tandag | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.9 (84.0) | 29.0 (84.2) | 29.8 (85.6) | 31.0 (87.8) | 31.8 (89.2) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.8 (89.2) | 31.9 (89.4) | 31.9 (89.4) | 31.4 (88.5) | 30.4 (86.7) | 29.5 (85.1) | 30.8 (87.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.1 (79.0) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.3 (81.1) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.9 (80.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.5 (72.5) | 23.0 (73.4) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.7 (72.9) | 23.0 (73.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 769 (30.3) | 647 (25.5) | 487 (19.2) | 346 (13.6) | 252 (9.9) | 178 (7.0) | 174 (6.9) | 146 (5.7) | 163 (6.4) | 212 (8.3) | 462 (18.2) | 654 (25.7) | 4,490 (176.7) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[8] | |||||||||||||
Tandag has atropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy-to-very-heavy rainfall year-round and extremely heavy rainfall in January.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 3,751 | — |
| 1918 | 14,573 | +9.47% |
| 1939 | 12,702 | −0.65% |
| 1948 | 14,099 | +1.17% |
| 1960 | 10,441 | −2.47% |
| 1970 | 19,847 | +6.63% |
| 1975 | 21,775 | +1.88% |
| 1980 | 25,386 | +3.12% |
| 1990 | 34,351 | +3.07% |
| 1995 | 39,222 | +2.52% |
| 2000 | 44,327 | +2.66% |
| 2007 | 50,459 | +1.80% |
| 2010 | 52,114 | +1.18% |
| 2015 | 56,364 | +1.50% |
| 2020 | 62,669 | +2.26% |
| 2024 | 63,098 | +0.16% |
| Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[9][10][11][12] | ||
It consists of twenty-one (21) barangays. Six of which are urban barangays, five are coastal barangays, four are built-up expansions, and six are hinterland barangays. The urban barangays comprise 1,594.10 hectares; 3,464.61 hectares for coastal barangays; 2,233.15 hectares for built-up expansion barangays and 4,964.34 hectares for hinterland barangays.
Major languages spoken in the area areTandaganon,Surigaonon,Filipino, andCebuano (Mindanao variant).
Poverty incidence of Tandag
Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]
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TheSurigao del Sur Sports Center (formerly named asGregorio P. Murillo Sports Complex) is a multi-sports complex, located near the provincial capitol situated in Tandag City, which has hosted the Caraga Regional Athletic Meet, several times. TheVicente L. Pimentel Sr. Gymnasium is an indoor gymnasium located at Luis Perez corner Serra Street, adjacent the local police station.
Malaybalay, PhilippinesSan Juan City, Philippines
Places adjacent to Tandag | |
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