ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE
Historical Statements of Tagoloan.
Section 1. Pre-Spanish Era
TAGOLOAN has a very interesting pre-Spanish historical background. Although the source of this information is not so accurate but it has an element of factual truth in it. The history of the town dates back from before the 14th century. Collections of information revealed that the first people of Tagoloan were Indonesians and of Bukidnon origin. They were not Muslims, they were pagans. Tagoloan was at that time a hamlet or a mere wilderness of thick forest. One informant revealed that the original name was Mana-ol, a name of a bird that howls in the wilderness.
About the 14th century, three Arab Missionaries came to Mindanao Archipelago, They were: Sarip Macdum, Sarip Cabunsuan and Sarip Alawi. (SARIP means religious leader). Sarip Macdum anchored at Sulu, settled and established his sultanate in Sulu. Sarip Cabunsuan anchored, settled and established his sultanate in Cotabato, While Sarip Alawi anchored in Barangay Sugbongcogon of Tagoloan or Tagoloan River and established his sultanate in Tagoloan comprising the province of Surigao, Agusan, Davao provinces and Misamis Oriental including Misamis Occidental. Tagoloan sultanate was the biggest of the three muslin sultanate.
Although there is no written document to support this historical fact as all historical records were burned upon the advent of the Spanish regime yet this historical fact is still evidenced and reminisced in the muslin ballad.
The presence of the panoramic and flowing river of Tagoloan and her proximity to the seashore was the primary factors for the Arab missionary to anchor and establish his sultanate. The muslin people did not flourish long in the town. At the advent of the Spaniards, for economic and security reason, they receded to Lanao provinces. Again the presence of the big Lanao Lake was the primary factor that invited the muslin tribe to settle in that beautiful promising land.
Section 2. Spanish Regime
By the 16th Century, Spanish Missionaries came to the Philippines. In 1622 the first missionary priest arrived in Cagayan de Oro which was formerly called “Kagay-haan” but the Americans in their difficulty of pronouncing the name they shortened it to Cagayan.
At the advent of the Spanish missionaries, the muslin then for security reasons because of their weak fortification in the place, they slowly and gradually disappeared, receded and settled to Lanao provinces. The presence of the Lanao Lake was primary factor that invited the muslin people to migrate into the said place.
One of the Spanish authorities that was assigned in Tagoloan was then DON EMETERIO PEREZ who was married to a mestiza Filipina from Luzon in the name of PILAR who was abducted from the hands of her husband by his former sweetheart in Luzon, Capitan Micheo.
Also another very interesting historical event is about the clandestine visit of DR. JOSE P. RIZAL when he was exiled in Dapitan. The national hero had a Spanish classmate in Ateneo de manila whose name was DON URBANO. He slept a night in Tagoloan.
During the Spanish regime, there was a time that the set of local government in Tagoloan was transferred to Sta. Ana, for security reason because barrio Sta. Ana was a little farther from the seashore and topographically elevated place.
Thus it was safer against enemy attack or invasion. But then the transfer did not last longer because some of the natives of the place turned hostile to the Spanish authorities and the friars. Some of the mischievous residents burned the Spanish convent. So the local government was then transferred back to the Poblacion.
Section 3. American Regime
On the Eve of the Filipino – American war in December 1899 to January 1901, the official appointed alcaldes were Capitan Leonardo Emata for Sta. Ana, Capitan Vicente Roa for Agusan, and Capitan Raymundo Sabio of Tagoloan. Cagayan was occupied by the American Forces on Palm Sunday, April 7, 1900. On the fateful day of May 14, 1900, Capitan Vicente Roa of Agusan gathered his followers in the house of Juan Bautista, a merchant in the barrio of Agusan to make the heroic decision of fighting the American Forces in Cagayan.
Capt. Vicente Roa sent his challenge to the American Forces by informing them that he and his men were in Agusan and waiting to meet the American Forces in an open battle anytime of the day. The Americans accepted the challenge and made their attack to the town. This fateful day marked the “BRAVE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM” of the Filipino people in Agusan as well as that of Tagoloan.
Capitan Vicente Roa and his followers met their fatal defeat. Fortunato Yacapin, a native of Agusan then 16 years old was at that time a messenger of Capitan Vicente Roa, claimed that on that fateful day of struggle only one of the men of Capitan Vicente Roa survived, identified as Apolinar Talatala, his bugler. Capitan Vicente Roa was then beheaded. Twelve of his followers were from Tagoloan or Tagoloanon. They were Clemente Achas, Felomino Achas, Gemino Achas, Pablo Achas, Dorotheo Abejo, Fructuso Emano, Lucas Emano, Luceban, Leon and Soilon, Castor. All died in the battlefield of Agusan. They were the dead heroes of Tagoloan.
Capitan Raymundo Sabio of Tagoloan had surrendered in Jasaan together with his several evacuees from Tagoloan. Capitan Sabio continued as Alcalde from 1900 –1902.
He was succeeded by Vicente Factura who was appointed by the American military authorities as Presidente of the Municipality of Tagoloan of which Agusan, Sta.Ana and Villanueva were merged into Tagoloan. In 1904 Vicente Factura subsequently resigned for appointment as Juez de Pax (Justice of Peace).
Other distinguished persons appointed as Municipal President during American Regime were: Ramon Andres Y Velez who also served as Postmaster, Municipal Treasurer and Justice of the Peace in the Municipality, (One after another) Ramon Abrogueña who served from 1905-1909. Anastacio Abejo was the first elected President of the Municipality under the American Regime. He served office as President of the town from 1912-1916, thereafter he was appointed as Juez de Pax or Justice of Peace. Abejo was succeeded by Gaudioso Valdehuesa who served in office as President of the town from 1916-1917. He was not able to finish his term of office. He was being replaced by Mr. Antonio T. Cosin. In 1919, Cosin run for election against Vivencio Valdehuesa. Cosin won the election and served office from 1922 to 1928 having been re-elected in the next succeeding election against Gregorio Villa. In the 1928 election Antonio T. Cosin pursued his political career by running again. This time Vivencio Valdehuesa did not run. The political protagonist of Antonio T. Cosin then was Apolinar Valdehuesa. Antonio T. Cosin won in that political battle and in a subsequent election thus he was able to maintain his political power in the town for three terms. Vivencio Valdhuesa in the other hand awaited for another chance to come back to his political career. In 1937 election, he run again. This time Antonio T. Cosin wanted to have a little rest in politics, he did not run. Jose Sabio of San Martin, now the City Judge of Cagayan de Oro made his try in the political arena against Vevincio Valdehuesa but unfortunately he missed the hit. (He was at that time not yet a lawyer.) Vivencio Valdehuesa served only until 1940. He was succeeded by Mrs. Tecla Roa Cosin, the wife of veteran Mayor Antonio T. Cosin. Mrs. Tecla Roa Cosin only served for barely one year because then the World War II broke out.