Tandag, officially the City of Tandag ( Tandaganon/ Surigaonon: ''Siyudad nan Tandag''; Cebuano: ''Dakbayan sa Tandag''; fil, Lungsod ng Tandag), is a 5th class component city and capital of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

of Surigao del Sur,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 62,669 people. Farming and fishing are the main economic activity for most of the people in Tandag. Chief farm products are rice, corn, and coconut. Livestock and poultry raising are also important sources of income. Tandag has a national secondary 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.

Etymology

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 a

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

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 became Tandag. Father Encarnacion, a member of the group, was later killed by the natives. Another version states that when Spanish-Peruvian historian and explorer

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (12 April 1539 – 23 April 1616), born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa and known as El Inca, was a chronicler and writer born in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Sailing to Spain at 21, he was educated informally there, where he ...

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 as tanglad. The native, who did not understand Spanish, answered "tangad". Later, the name was changed to Tandag. Moreover, 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, only laughed at them all the while saying the word "tarantados", meaning lost. Thus, the name Tandag meant lost.

History

Long before Tandag became what it is today—the bustling capital town of Surigao del Sur was inhabited by the

Manobo The Lumad are a group of Austronesian indigenous people in the southern Philippines. It is a Cebuano term meaning "native" or "indigenous". The term is short for Katawhang Lumad (Literally: "indigenous people"), the autonym officially adopt ...

s and the

Mamanwa The Lumad are a group of Austronesian indigenous people in the southern Philippines. It is a Cebuano term meaning "native" or "indigenous". The term is short for Katawhang Lumad (Literally: "indigenous people"), the autonym officially adopt ...

s 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. After Legazpi’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 to the Spanish Galleon that sailed along the southern part of

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

. Until today, it is believed that somewhere underneath the sea near Tandag's Linongao 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 or

Caraga Caraga, officially the Caraga Administrative Region (or simply known as Caraga Region) and designated as Region XIII, is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines occupying the northeastern section of Mindanao. Th ...

, then a district that covered the present provinces of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur,

Surigao del Norte Surigao del Norte ( Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Norte''; ceb, Amihanang Surigao; Tagalog: ''Hilagang Surigao''), officially the Province of Surigao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region of Mindanao. ...

, and a part of Davao. As the center of faith and capital town, Tandag was fortified with cottas 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 from Moro raids. In several separate attacks between 1754 and 1767, the Moro pirates wrought havoc and destruction to Tandag. Father Jose Ducos, a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

from Iligan, came to the rescue and rebuilt Tandag. He established the Tandag Garrison and restored the Tandag

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

. Although a part of the Tandag fort survived, it was demolished during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Calamities like

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

s and earthquakes destroyed what remained of it. This explains why there are no remains of these structures that could be seen today. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

for much of the war, Tandag was free from Japanese occupation when the American and Filipino military forces surrendered 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 a guerrilla 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. 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.

Cityhood

On June 23, 2007, Tandag, by virtue of Republic Act No. 9392, became a city. The

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

declared the cityhood law of Tandag and 15 other cities unconstitutional after a petition filed by the League 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, the League of Cities of the Philippines acknowledged and recognized the cityhood of Tandag and 15 other cities.

Geography

Tandag City is located along the northeastern coast of Mindanao facing the Philippine Sea. It is bounded on the north by the municipalities of

Cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...

and Lanuza, on the east by the

Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago (hence the name), the largest in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of . The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. I ...

, on the south by the towns of Tago and San Miguel, and on the west by the Municipality of

Sibagat Sibagat, officially the Municipality of Sibagat ( ceb, Lungsod sa Sibagat; tgl, Bayan ng Sibagat), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,957 people. L ...

in the province of Agusan del Sur. It is located 448 nautical miles from

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

and 150 nautical miles from

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...

. The distance from Surigao City in the north to Tandag is about and is the distance from

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land ...

to the south.

Barangays

Tandag is politically subdivided into 21

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...

s. Majority of the barangays are considered rural areas.

Climate

Tandag has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southe ...

(Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round and extremely heavy rainfall in January.

Demographics

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.

Languages

Major languages spoken in the area are Tandaganon, Surigaonon, Filipino, and Cebuano (Mindanao variant).

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

is widely used in schools, businesses, and government offices.

Economy

Commercial retail

Gaisano Capital Gaisano Capital is a chain of malls and supermarkets owned by Edmund S. Gaisano Sr., the second son of Henry S. Gaisano Sr. In the 1970s, he had his own construction business independent of his relatives. One of his projects was to construct a bu ...

Tandag is located along Cabrera and Navales Street. Gaisano Capital Group is a shopping mall chain in the Philippines, owned by Cebu-based

Gaisano family The Gaisano family () is a Chinese Filipino family prominent in the Philippine retail industry particularly in Visayas and Mindanao. History The family's retail business began during the 1970s, when a shop-restaurant was established by Doña ...

. *TT & Company *Prince Town Tandag *Ultrastar Supermart

Delivery services

* LBC Tandag *J&T Express *JRS Tandag *Entrego

Culture

* Tandag annually celebrates the

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context do ...

of San Nicolas de Tolentino, Tandag's

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

, every September 10. A

novena A novena (from Latin: ''novem'', "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pe ...

in honor of San Nicholas is held for nine consecutive days starting September 1 in the San Nicholas de Tolentino Cathedral. It is the highlight of the city's Fiesta. In connection to this, a week-long celebration is organized by the

Local Government Unit Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

of Tandag. Parades, concerts, and bazaars are just some of the activities lined up for the said celebration. * Diwatahan Festival is held every January in honor of the Santo Niño. Tandag City also organizes a one-day cultural dance competition for interested dance groups held at the Tandag City Plaza. Diwatahan Festival is the counterpart of Cebu City's

Sinulog festival The Sinulog-Santo Niño Festival is an annual cultural and religious festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City and is the centre of the Santo Niño Catholic celebrations in the Philippines. The festival is considered to be the fi ...

. * Since Tandag is the capital of the province of Surigao del Sur, it hosts the annual Araw ng Surigao del Sur Celebration. A trade fair showcasing products from the different municipalities of Surigao del Sur is one of the events in the celebration. Another event is a local pageant, Mutya ng Surigao del Sur, held at the Tandag City Gymnasium in Bongtud. Diwatahan Festival

* Charter Day is held every 23rd day of June to celebrate the cityhood of Tandag. Different events are held during the day. Laguboh! is a drums and lyre corps competition among elementary and secondary schools in the city. * Summer Kite Festival – an annual event initiated by the City Government of Tandag enhancing the artistic talent and creativity among the teenagers through the making of fantastic designs of kite enjoying the sun, sand and sea during summer time. * Eco Sports Festival – Tandag City is a coastal city, with 10 of its 21 barangays facing the Pacific Ocean. Thus, the City Government of Tandag initiates a three-day event consisting of activities that promote the good care for the ocean. The events are participated by the youth sector, enhancing their skills in different activities like skim boarding,

Frisbee A frisbee (pronounced ), also called a flying disc or simply a disc, is a gliding toy or sporting item that is generally made of injection molded, injection-molded plastic and roughly in diameter with a pronounced lip. It is used recreational ...

beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of th ...

, urban adventure race, and sand castle sculpture making. For the culmination of the Ocean Month Celebration, there are live performances of bands from all over the country. * TAMDA Festival – a Tandaganon variation of the word "Tan-awa" which means to "see beneath" or "to take care of". This showcases the correct and historically accurate cultural festival and explains the Tandaganons' art – dances, rituals, music, life ways, and creative expressions. It is an annual event of Tandag City in celebration of the Charter Day held every June 23.

Tourism

* Tago �
Green Falls
*San Isidro – Busay Falls * Bioto – Cold Spring * Pangi – Bugsukan Falls & Tagbak stream * Salvacion – Abaca

Plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Th ...

* Quezon – Cave, Falls, & Wild Life * Maticdum – Falls, Water Spring, Cave, Forest, & Wild Life Conservation * San Agustin – Norte Beach Resort &

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

s * Mabuhay – Panugmakan Creek (Potable Water Source) Mt. Resort & Cave * Dagocdoc – Board Walk (Dike) & Floating Restaurant * Awasian – Ihawan Mt. Spring Resort/Hitaub IP Gawad Kalinga Project * Pandanon – Cold Spring * Rosario – Andap Falls & Spring * Bag-ong Lungsod – Tandag City Boulevard * Bongtud – Twin Linungao Island, Mancagangi Island & MPA (Fish Sanctuary) * Buenavista – MPA (Fish Sanctuary) * Mabua Beach Resort (MPA) – Fish Sanctuary

Transportation

City proper

Tricycle A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle. Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes ...

(roams around the vicinity of the city) * Pedicab * Jeepney

Accessibility

By air

*via Tandag Airport: From

, you can take direct flight to Tandag through Cebgo, which flies this route every M-W-F (destination terminated as of 2019). *via Francisco Bangoy (Davao) International Airport: From

as transit point,

Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange, PSEPAL (Philippine Air Lines until 1970), is the flag carrier airline of the Philippines. Headquartered at the Philippine National Bank, PNB Financial Cen ...

Cebu Pacific Cebu Air, Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific (), is a low-cost airline of the Philippines. Founded in 1988, it is Asia's oldest low-cost airline. It offers scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations. The airline operates fl ...

and Cebgo fly the

- Davao (and vice versa) route (approx. 1- hours travel time) and the

- Davao (and vice versa) route (approx. 45 minutes travel time) several trips daily. *via

Surigao Airport Surigao Airport, ceb, Tugpahanan sa Surigao, fil, Paliparan ng Surigao is an airport serving the general area of Surigao City, located in the province of Surigao del Norte in the Philippines. The airport is classified as a Class 2 principal ( ...

: From

to Surigao City as transit point, Cebgo flies these routes (approx. 1- hours travel time) daily. *via Bancasi (Butuan) Airport: From

Butuan City Butuan (pronounced ), officially the City of Butuan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Butuan; Butuanon: ''Dakbayan hong Butuan''; fil, Lungsod ng Butuan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Caraga, Philippines. It is the ''de facto'' c ...

as transit point, PAL Express, Cebu Pacific, and Cebgo fly these routes (approx. 1- hours travel time) three times a week.

By land

Bachelor Tours 402 Davao - Tandag MG 8953

* Multicabs, vans and jeepneys around northern and southern Surigao del Sur routes include Butuan City, (fastest are the white vans plying the Butuan-Tandag route; their terminal is at the Bancase Airport), Surigao City,

San Francisco, Agusan del Sur San Francisco, officially the Municipality of San Francisco ( ceb, Lungsod sa San Francisco; tgl, Bayan ng San Francisco), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populati ...

and Bislig City. *

Buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for char ...

– direct travel with bus companies like Bachelor Express are serving routes from

, Surigao City, and Mangagoy/Bislig City. Philtranco and PP Bus Line serving

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people. Due to its location jus ...

Cubao Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

via

Cantilan Cantilan, officially the Municipality of Cantilan ( Surigaonon: ''Lungsod nan Cantilan''; tl, Bayan ng Cantilan), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Surigao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34 ...

are also available. * Buses, vans and jeepneys can be located at Tandag City Overland Transport (TCOTT) (Balilahan Bus Terminal). * Some jeepneys and tricycles bound for Surigao City,

, Tago, San Miguel, and nearby municipalities and barangays can be found at Moonglow Public Market.

By sea

*Inter-island vessel Cokaliong Shipping Lines ply the

- Surigao City routes on regular schedules with Surigao City Port as transit point. Multi-cabs and tricycles are available at the wharf going to Surigao City Integrated Terminal for the regular bus trips to Tandag.

Healthcare

* Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center – On February 15, 1993, the Surigao del Sur Provincial Hospital was renamed Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center by Virtue of RA No. 7433 authored by then Congressman Mario Serra Ty. *Pama Polyclinic *

Philippine Red Cross The Philippine Red Cross (PRC; fil, Krus na Pula ng Pilipinas) is a non-profit humanitarian organization and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The PRC was established in 1947, with roots in the Philippine Re ...

Tandag

Education

Basic education

* Tandag Pilot Elementary School * Tandag Central Elementary School * Telaje Elementary School * Quintos Elementary School * Saint Theresa College of Tandag * Jacinto P. Elpa National High School * Tandag National Science High School * Vicente L. Pimentel Sr. National High School * Buenavista Nursery School * Buenavista Elementary School * Buenavista National High School * Tandag Christian School, Inc. * Tandag City SpEd Center * Tandag Science Elementary School * Engr. Nestor Ty Memorial Elementary School * Bongtud Elementary School * Meliton M. Ajos Memorial Elementary School * San Jose Elementary School * Mahanon Elementary School * Mabuhay Elementary School * Pandanon Elementary School * Carmen Integrated School * San Antonio Elementary School

Higher education

* Saint Theresa College of Tandag – College Dept. * North Eastern Mindanao State University – Main Campus

Media

Sports and recreation

The Surigao del Sur Sports Center (formerly named as Gregorio 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. The Tandag City Gymnasium is an indoor gymnasium located at Luis Perez corner Serra Street, adjacent the local police station.

Sister cities

* Malaybalay, Philippines

References

External links

Tandag Profile at the DTI Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index
*

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

{{Authority control Cities in Surigao del Sur Provincial capitals of the Philippines Populated places established in 1650 1650 establishments in the Philippines States and territories established in 2009 Component cities in the Philippines