Surigao del Sur is a
province of the
Philippines
located in the Caraga
region in Mindanao
.
Its
capital is Tandag and
borders Surigao del
Norte
to the north, Agusan del Norte
and Agusan del Sur
to the west, and Davao Oriental
to the south. Surigao del Sur is
located at the eastern coast of Mindanao and faces the Philippine Sea
.
People and culture
Surigao is home to the
Mamanwa and
Manobo tribe.
Their dances are showcased in a local
festival called "Sirong Festival",
held especially during the town fiesta of Cantilan
. The
Sirong Festival depicts the early
Christianization of the early Cantilangnons (the Mamanwas and
Manobos) wherein the natives tried to defend their land against
Muslim envaders.
The Mamanwas and Manubo, the ethnic tribe of Surigao, have been
converted to Christianism long ago, during the early times of the
Spanish conquerors.
Economy
Surigao del sur is one of the supplier of agricultural items like,
rice,
banana and some tropical fruits.
Copper,
chromite and silver are also found here.
Language
Surigaonon is spoken in most part of Surigao del
Sur except in the City of Bislig
,
Municipalities of Barobo
, Hinatuan
, Lingig
and Tagbina
which mostly
speaks Cebuano. The Indigenous people
(
Manobo) speaks
Manobo languages
Geography
The 56th Philippine province and is one of the sub-regions of
Caraga.
It is located on the Northeastern Coast of Mindanao facing the
Pacific Ocean.
It is bounded on the Northwest by the Province of Surigao del
Norte, on the Southeast by Davao Oriental, on its Eastern side by
the Pacific Ocean, and on the West and Southwest by the Provinces
of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur.
Surigao del Sur has one city and 18 municipalities most of which
are located in the coastal areas, with
Tandag
as its capital. These municipalities are subdivided into 309
barangays and has two congressional districts.
Political
Surigao del Sur is subdivided into 18
municipalities and one
city.
Cities
Municipalities
Physical
History
Before the Spaniards came, the aborigines of the province were the
Mamanua and Manobo. Later, our
Austronesian brothers from the Visayas
came to settle with the natives. It was with the arrival of the
immigrants that the province acquired its name from one of the
natives, Saliagao, who lived near the mouth of the river.The name
Saliagao was later pronounced Surigao by the inhabitants.
It is also said that long time ago, some Visayan fishermen forced
by the strong current of the Surigao Strait, sought refuge in one
of the huts somewhere in the province. The Mamanua who thought that
these fishermen wanted to occupy the hut by force said “Agaw”, the
term which was later given a prefix “Suri” by an immigrant.
Surigao formerly, was extended from what is known as Agusan,
including the islands east of it and the northern regions of Davao
and the capital of the province that time was Caraga and so the
Spaniards called the people Caragas.
The
aborigine of Surigao del
Sur were a conglomeration and mixture of different racial types,
namely: Mandaya, Mamanua, Mansaka and Manobo.
These racial groups
were of Malayan-Indonesian
ancestry which took place thousand years
ago. In the course of their migration, these primitive
nomads were believed to have separated their ways in some portions
of the archipelago in a spirit of adventure and search for food
(i.e., during the pleisto scene of the glacial ages). It was
believed further that they first settled in the northernisland of
the country who later took their bancas and reach the shores
ofMindanao particularly in the Provinces of Surigao and Davao. They
scatteredamong themselves in spots either in pairs or by family
clans, retaining theirown customs, dialects and ways of life.
There was no trace of exact dates and places of arrival. But it was
known that this group of people were very nomadic and were the
remnants of the present Mamanua and Manobo found in the wilderness
of the northern part of Davao bordering the Province of Surigao.
Their migratory movement was said to have come from the hinterlands
of Agusan and along the foothills of western and southern part of
Surigao del Sur. It was pointed out that the cause of migration was
due to famine and occurrence of death from diseases believed caused
by evil spirits.
The
Province of Surigao del Sur was created as the 56th Philippine
province on June 19, 1960 by virtue of RA 2786 and was formally
organized or separated from its mother province, Surigao del
Norte, on September 18, 1960.
At the time of its inception, it was classified as 4th Class
province with an annual income of over P300,000.00. Seven years
later, because of rapid increase of revenue collection particularly
from the logging ventures, it has been reclassified as Ist Class B
and in 1980 as Ist Class A with an estimated annual income of
around P13,000,000.00. Presently, it is reclassified as 2nd Class
with a revenueadding up to P315,888,300.63.
Honorable Recaredo B. Castillo was the appointed Governor and
subsequently elected Governor and Honorable Vicente L. Pimentel as
the first elected Congressman. Hon. Vicente T. Pimentel, Jr. is the
eighth and incumbent Provincial Executive.
Originally the province had 13 municipalities. In subsequent years,
six more were added raising the number to 19 with Tandag as its
capital town. Now, one of its municipalities has been elevated to a
city category and this is Bislig City.
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