History of Camiguin

      In a place wherein the water sparks like a diamond; wherein when you turn your head at the mountain side, you will see the forest full of green trees and blooming flowers; wherein you will hear the joys of the chirps of the bird; wherein you will feel the soft touch of the cool wind; and you will see the beauty of nature. Surely, you will find it hard to believe that your eyes are not dreaming that what you see is not just an imagination but in front of you is the Island Of Your Imagination, Camiguin.

            The name Camiguin is derived from the native word “Kamagong”, a tree of the Ebony family that thrives near Lake Mainit in the Province of Surigao del Norte. The original inhabitants of Camiguin were “Manobos” who migrated from Surigao. The old native language in Camiguin is called “Kinamiguin”, which is similar to the dialect spoken in Surigao.

            Old Spanish documents indicate that the renowned explorers, Ferdinand Magellan and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi landed in Camiguin in 1521 and 1565, respectively. The first Spanish settlement in what was later to be known as Guinsiliban was established in 1598. Guinsiliban comes from the old Kinamiguin word “Guinsiliban” which means “to look out for pirated from a watchtower”. An old Spanish watchtower where the Camiguingnons kept watch for Moro pirates still stands in Guinsiliban.

            The first major Spanish settlement established in 1679 was called Katagman or Katadman (now known as Catarman). The settlement grew and prospered to wat is now Barangay Bonbon. On May 1, 1871, Mt. Vulcan Daan erupted and destroyed the town. A portion of the town sank beneath the sea. After the eruption, the settlement moved to where the Catarman town center is presently located. Today, all the remains of old Catarman are the ruins of the ancient Spanish church, a convent and a bell tower.

            Sagay, located south of Catarman, was formally established as a town in 1848. The word Sagay is derived from the name of poisonous fruit tree that grow in the area. Mambajao became a town in 1855. The name was coined from the Visayan term “mamahaw”, meaning to usher breakfast, and “bajao”, which is leftover boiled rice. In the early 1900s, Mambajao prospered to become the busiest port in Northern Mindanao.

            Mahinog was established as a municipality in 1860. The name Mahinog comes from a Visayan word meaning “to ripen” or “to become ripe”. Although Guinsiliban was the oldest settlement in the island, it was only in 1950 when it became a municipality. Both Mahinog and Guinsiliban were formally governed from Sagay.

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Favorite Links:

Web page of Camiguin

http://www.camiguin.gov.ph/

Web page of CamiguinNHS

http://smart.com.ph/smartschools/camiguinnhs/

Web page of Smartschools

http://smart.com.ph/SmartSchools/

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