Misamis Oriental Province, Philippines

By James Barcelona

Tourist Attractions

Sagpulon Falls

Sagpulon Falls

Sagpulon Falls. Located in Barangay San Isidro, Jasaan. Although the business interest that once operated here has left and the gazebos and pools are in desrepair, the falls itself is very majestic and worth the motorcycle ride and short hike. 

Divine Mercy Shrine

Divine Mercy Shrine is a Catholic monument in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. It features a 15.24 metre statue of Jesus as the Divine Mercy as the focal point of the Divine Mercy Hills, a tract of land overlooking Macajalar Bay on the large southern island of Mindanao.

The nine-hectare land for the Shrine was purchased for a nominal amount and the complex was paid for by donations. The shrine was completed in 2008 and serves as a pilgrimage site for Divine Mercy devotees

Divine Mercy Shrine

Migtugsok Falls

Migtugsok Falls is located at barangay Cugman and it is composed of five beautiful cascading waters, where the beauty of nature could be experienced, unexploited by the carelessness of human search for progress and development.

Abaga Falls

Abaga Falls is one of the waterfalls located in Barangay San Francisco de Asis.

Misamis Occidental is a province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Shaped like a collapsible fan, it is bounded on the northeast by the Mindanao Sea, on the east by the Iligan Bay, on the southeast by the Panguil Bay, and on the west by the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur. The province consists 14 municipalities and 3 component cities with Oroquieta City as the provincial capital.

The province of Misamis was originally inhabited by Subanons who were an easy target by the sea pirates from Lanao. The name “Misamis” is believed to have been derived from the Subano word “Kuyamis” which is a variety of sweet coconut – the staple food of the early settlers of the place. Upon the arrival of the Spanish settlers, the word “Kuyamis” easily gave way to the more conviently pronounced but corrupted word “Misamis”.

The dense population along the coast of the province consists mainly of migrants from Cebu and Bohol, thus the major dialects are Cebuano and Boholano. Subanon, pronounced “Subanen”, is the dialect used mostly by the members of the Subanon Tribe. Most residents can also speak Tagalog and English.

The fact that three of Misamis Occidental’s boundaries are bodies of water makes fishing as one of its main industries. It has 169 kilometers of coastline fronting the rich fishing grounds of Panguil and Iligan Bays. The province also has the biggest area of brackish-water fishponds in the region. Tangub City is a fishing port in Panguil Bay famous for seafoods. Misamis Occidental’s chief crops are coconut and rice. Coconuts are processed into oil, desiccated coconut and coir, most of which are shipped to Cebu.

The most visible tourist spot in Misamis Occidental is without doubt the Dolphin Island or the Misamis Occidental Aquamarine Park (MOAP). Dolphin Island is an offshore man-made island inhabited by dolphins of various species. Visitors don’t just enjoy feeding the dolphins but are also allowed to swim with the dolphins.

Of course, there’s more to Misamis Occidental than Dolphin Island. Tangub City is home to the best Christmas lights decoration every yuletide season earning the title as the “Christmas Capital of Mindanao.” Cultural attractions in the province include the Pipe Organ from Germany, housed at Immaculate Conception Cathedral, which is the biggest of its kind in Mindanao and the second biggest in the Philippines.