Origin of the Name Tuguegarao
There are several versions of the
origin of the name, Tuguegarao. One is the abundance of "tarrao" trees
in
the area. Another is "garrao" meaning swift current, possibly of the
Pinacanauan River. Another is from the word "tuggui" meaning fire. Another
recorded version is, the town was formerly called Twerao by the people of
the northern towns. Still another is that the
name Tuguegarao comes from two Ibanag words "tuggui" (fire) and "aggao" (day), possibly referring to
a daytime fire that happened in the town.
However, the version most accepted is that the
name Tuguegarao comes from the sentence
"Tuggui gari yaw", meaning "This was cleared by
fire" possibly referring to the kaingin areas
pointed by the natives to
the Spaniards. This means therefore that the town, Tuguegarao,
was carved out of the wilderness by fire.
Founding of the Town
It was a small
settlement, in terms of population but was big in territory until 1850s.
It was governed as a barangay until the Spaniards gave it the status of
"mission-pueblo" on May 9, 1604, making it one of the political units of
the province of Cagayan, which then included all the territory which
later became the province of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
Actually, it was in the year 1600 when the Spaniards first
visited Tuguegarao. The natives fled to the outlying wilderness, because
they felt
that unlike the Chinese, Japanese and Indians who
came only to trade, it was clear that the newcomers were here to settle and govern them. The
Dominican friars coaxed the natives through evangelization, education and
the improvement of livelihood methods. Reforms for social and
material upliftment were worked out. Chapels and barrios were built, with each
barrio having its own patron saint. Elaborate fiestas were held in honor
of the patron saint. Slowly, the natives returned to their homes in the
lowland.
As a mission-pueblo and with assigned encomenderos to Tuguegarao, the
inhabitants were made to pay taxes in the form of poultry products and
other foodstuffs. Resentment flared. The people of Tuguegarao revolved in
1605, killing the encomendero. Again, the people of Tuguegarao revolted in
1718 and then 1761 with a leader named Rivera.
Tuguegarao in the 1980s and 1990s
The year 1983 marked
the quadricentennial celebration of the
establishment of the Civil Government
of the Province of Cagayan. In the week long celebration held in Tuguegarao, several Ministers visited the town and province.
New
barangays had been formed, so that
by 1981, Tuguegarao had 49 barangays, 12 of which were urban. The
late 1980s saw the gradual
expansion of the urban core of Tuguegarao to
the outlying barangays of
Ugac, Caritan and Atulayan. With the fast rising prices of
real estate in
the Poblacion. Residents found it very profitable to sell their
houses and
lots in the Poblacion and to buy lots in the barangay surrounding
the
Poblacion, so that they would still be near the market, the
schools, their
offices and business, the church,
the stores and recreation spots.
By 1980, Tuguegarao had a population of 73,507. The increase in
population could be attributed to various factors. One is the increasing
peace and order problems in the other towns in the region,
driving the people to Tuguegarao, which
relatively is free of the insurgency problem
with the visible presence of the military and due to the town's geographic
location. Another factor is the presence of the
schools, whose quality of
education is highly comparable to that of Metropolitan
Manila. Others come because of trade
and industry. Another reason is the completion
of the Maharlika Highway, which made Region 02 more accessible.
Of very great
consideration is the town's tremendous
improvement in social services and infrastructure facilities
since 1975. The immigrants, seeing that the
people of Tuguegarao are generally peaceful and gentle and that the town
could sufficiently sustain a comfortable life, decide to stay for good.
And then, of course, the children and grandchildren of Tuguegarao, after
their sojourn in the cities for education, first jobs and professional
trainings, come back to Tuguegarao to build their homes and careers.
Tuguegarao's sky line has greatly changed over the
years. In the 1980s
and 1990s, there are multi-storey buildings in the Poblacion,
land- scaped schools and homes, cable television, air-conditioned buses, jet flights,
telegraph and telex services, door-to-door delivery services, domestic
and overseas long-distance calls, luxurious social amenities and
other
trappings of a highly urbanized
town. It has been observed that Tuguegarao's Calle Commercio, now called
Bonifacio Street improved drama- tically after
every fire, which happens perio- dically in this town
which was carved out of the wilderness by fire.
Tuguegarao, the capital of the Province of Cagayan and the center of
Region 02, has undergone a lot of changes and will continue to change
to
better serve its purpose. Though not verbalized, the
town is dear to its people. No matter
in what shape or state the town is, its people continue
to make it function. Tuguegarao is a hometown its inhabitants will always
return to.
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