Barangay Profile

            Brgy. Bonbonon is located at the north bound of Iligan City and is about 8.80 kilometers away from the city’s central business district and from Iligan City Hall. Travel time to and from these major points to the barangay is about 30 minutes by jeepney and 25 minutes for motorcycle called “habal-habal”.

The place has its lush forest and is abundant with mineral sources such limestone. In terms of vital institutions, it has only one elementary school, the Venancio Siarza Memorial School. There are seven chapels including one mosque. The barangay is divided into 11 puroks and is presently headed by Brgy. Captain Gongob. Sitio Dodiongan, a part of it, belongs to this barangay where Dodiongan Falls is located. This sitio has only 200 voters and has only few families in which most of them belong to the “Dionson Family”, who were said be one of the early settlers along with the natives (Higaonons).

Brief History

Barangay Bonbonon has a plain and narrow strip of land near Mandulog River. It is an old Muslim settlement existing before the coming of the Spaniards. The last sultan was named Sultan Pangonota. It became a Sitio of Mandulog District of once Lanao province during the American occupation. A Muslim settler named Mamarinta Panandigan even became a mayor in the said district. At the outbreak of war against the Japanese, five Christian families moved in and lived peacefully with the Muslims. From then on, more Christians came and outnumbered the later.

            Fifteen years after Iligan City was chartered, Bonbonon was proclaimed a barrio of Iligan by virtue of R.A. 4314 on June 19, 1965. A year later, the city council promulgated an ordinance fixing the boundaries of its territory.

Origin

           The place is believed to have been derived from “Banban”, a bird specie which resembled that of a duck in size. This bird was believed to have laid eggs in the sand (bonbon) along the banks of the river. Thus the name Bonbonon (affixation of –an to denote place).

People

It has an estimated population of 4, 278 people as expected in 2008 census. This comprises 80% Christian settlers and 20% Muslims. Their main source of living is farming where corn, coconuts and bananas are the common products of the place. Some also dwell on raising animals such as hogs, chicken, cattle, and carabao.

Language

Cebuano is the commonly used language in Brgy. Bonbonon. This language is used to be called Sugbuanon or Bisaya (denoting place where most of them come from). Maranao also is spoken because of the presence of some Maranao settlers. Any trace of Higaonon language is not anymore evident.