Dapitan, is a city in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines on the island of Mindanao. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 77,441 inhabitants.
It is historically significant as the place where José Rizal was exiled by the Spaniards for his revolutionary activities. He is considered a national hero, and this is known as the "Shrine City in the Philippines." The city is also home to Fantasyland, the first amusement park in the Visayas-Mindanao region.
Early cartographers of the Philippines showed Dapitan’s location in their maps of Mindanao in varying names in which they had known it such as: “Dapito” in Kaerius’ map of 1598, “Dapite” in Dudley’s map of 1646, “Dapyto” in Sanson’s map of 1652, and “Dapitan” in Moll’s map of East Indies 1729 and in Murillo Velarde’s map of 1734.
There are two versions of how Dapitan got its name. One is from Fr. Urdaneta, who called the place “Daquepitan” which was later changed to “Dacpitan” and still later to “Dapitan” because of the difficulty in pronouncing the former. The second version is derived from the word “Dapit” which means “to invite” in the local Cebuano dialect. This refers to the original group of Boholanos from Panglao, Bohol who were invited by Datu Pagbuaya, the acknowleged founder of the city, to go with him to the “Dakung Yuta”, that is Mindanao, and the settlement they established was called Dapitan. This is the traditional version of how Dapitan got its name.
In various historical reports, there are authentic accounts of trading voyages in the early periods and it is hinted that commercial relations may have been established with Dapitan, already a thriving settlement. It is probable that interaction occurred with the traders and there may have been a mingling of culture.
In addition, the divergent cultures brought by the European invaders, the Americans, the Japanese and the different Visayan groups of settlers in Dapitan which caused the emergence of a distinct culture the present crop of Dapitanons have.
Dapitan was already a thriving settlement when Miguel Lopez de Legaspi arrived in 1595. It is believed that with Legaspi in the expedition were some Agustinian friars who converted the natives to Christianity. Foremost of the converts were Pedro Manooc, son of Pagbuaya, and Manooc’s daughter, Maria Uray.
Even long before the Jesuits were expelled from the Philippines in 1768, they had already established mission stations in Zamboanga, Dapitan, Iligan and Butuan. Outside of these strategic beachheads, however, the whole Mindanao hinterlands remained untouched by the Cross. The permanent Dapitan mission was founded in 1629 headed by a Jesuit missionary, Father Pedro Gutierrez.
It was only after the establishment of the Jesuit mission that a strong and stable form of government was finally erected. The Spanish authorities adopted the local form of government that was already existing but placed the officials under the absolute control of the Spanish government. The settlement came to be known as the “pueblo”, and its head variously called either “Datu”, “Capitan” or “Cabeza de Barangay”.
The politico-military commandancia of Dapitan until the end of the Spanish domination in 1898 was still dependent on Misamis. It was only during the revolutionary period that Dapitan became an integral part of the Filipino forces in Zamboanga.
During the American occupation, Dapitan continued to be a part of Zamboanga, one of the two districts comprising the Provincia Mora. Dapitan remained a part of Zamboanga province until 1952 when it was divided into two provinces, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur.
The first election for the Provincial Governor of Zamboanga took place in 1922. Atty. Florentino Saguin, a Dapitanon, won over two opponents who were leading citizens and political veterans of Zamboanga City. In the second regular election in 1925, another Dapitanon, Don Jose Aseniero, was elected governor of the province.
From a small town replete with history, Dapitan took a giant step forward and became a chartered city by virtue of Republic Act No. 3811 which was signed by then President Diosdado Macapagal on 22 June 1963, thus becoming the first city in the Province of Zamboanga del Norte. It is officially known as the “Shrine City of the Philippines”. It is one of the four cities of Region IX (Map 1) these are Zamboanga City, Pagadian City, and Dipolog City. Today, it is at the threshold of finding its rightful place in the global village.
While the Rizal Shrine is continuously attracting both domestic and foreign tourist, the City is an attraction by itself. Concrete and well paved roads, stretching to the coastal barangays in the north and towards the interior barangays have turned it into a showcase of beauty and cleanliness. The Dapitan Bay with its expanse of clean beaches is also a constant attraction to tourists.
Here lies the greatest potential of the City with respect to the Region and the regional economy. Its value in the tourism industry cannot be overstated and with proper support from the national leadership, this potential can still prove to be the triggering device towards development.
This history article is from the Dapitan City Government.
The site where Rizal disembarked from the steamer "Cebu" in 1565 with the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. A 20-foot cross was erected to symbolize the propagation of Christianity in the locality of Dapitan.
This is a major historical landmark of Dapitan City. In August 1892, Dr. Jose P. Rizal together with Gov. Carnicero and a Spaniard living in Dipolog, luckily won a lotto bet which financially enabled Dr. Rizal to buy a 10 hectares piece of land from Lucia Pagbangon. In March 1893, Rizal then transferred to this place in barangay Talisay. Later on, his mother Doña Teodora Alonso, his sisters, and some relatives from Calamba, Laguna came and lived with him in Talisay until 1896. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines affected Republic Act No. 4363 which was approved on June 19, 1965. The Rizal Shrine was then declared as one of the National Shrines through Presidential Decree No. 105 issued by the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos on January 24, 1973.
Casa Real
The Kinabayo Festival kicks off July 16 and culminates on July 31 with various events taking place within the Shrine City of the Philippines.
It is historically significant as the place where José Rizal was exiled by the Spaniards for his revolutionary activities. He is considered a national hero, and this is known as the "Shrine City in the Philippines." The city is also home to Fantasyland, the first amusement park in the Visayas-Mindanao region.
History
Dapitan traces its beginnings long before the Spanish conquistadores set foot on the island of Mindanao. Its earliest settlers were the Subanens, a nomadic tribe of Indonesian stock known to have settled and lived along the banks of the river or “suba” out of which their present day tribal identify originated. Fear of pirates taking shelter during foul weather in the natural harbors of Dapitan’s irregular coastlines forced the timid Subanens to move further into the hinterlands.Early cartographers of the Philippines showed Dapitan’s location in their maps of Mindanao in varying names in which they had known it such as: “Dapito” in Kaerius’ map of 1598, “Dapite” in Dudley’s map of 1646, “Dapyto” in Sanson’s map of 1652, and “Dapitan” in Moll’s map of East Indies 1729 and in Murillo Velarde’s map of 1734.
There are two versions of how Dapitan got its name. One is from Fr. Urdaneta, who called the place “Daquepitan” which was later changed to “Dacpitan” and still later to “Dapitan” because of the difficulty in pronouncing the former. The second version is derived from the word “Dapit” which means “to invite” in the local Cebuano dialect. This refers to the original group of Boholanos from Panglao, Bohol who were invited by Datu Pagbuaya, the acknowleged founder of the city, to go with him to the “Dakung Yuta”, that is Mindanao, and the settlement they established was called Dapitan. This is the traditional version of how Dapitan got its name.
In various historical reports, there are authentic accounts of trading voyages in the early periods and it is hinted that commercial relations may have been established with Dapitan, already a thriving settlement. It is probable that interaction occurred with the traders and there may have been a mingling of culture.
In addition, the divergent cultures brought by the European invaders, the Americans, the Japanese and the different Visayan groups of settlers in Dapitan which caused the emergence of a distinct culture the present crop of Dapitanons have.
Dapitan was already a thriving settlement when Miguel Lopez de Legaspi arrived in 1595. It is believed that with Legaspi in the expedition were some Agustinian friars who converted the natives to Christianity. Foremost of the converts were Pedro Manooc, son of Pagbuaya, and Manooc’s daughter, Maria Uray.
Even long before the Jesuits were expelled from the Philippines in 1768, they had already established mission stations in Zamboanga, Dapitan, Iligan and Butuan. Outside of these strategic beachheads, however, the whole Mindanao hinterlands remained untouched by the Cross. The permanent Dapitan mission was founded in 1629 headed by a Jesuit missionary, Father Pedro Gutierrez.
It was only after the establishment of the Jesuit mission that a strong and stable form of government was finally erected. The Spanish authorities adopted the local form of government that was already existing but placed the officials under the absolute control of the Spanish government. The settlement came to be known as the “pueblo”, and its head variously called either “Datu”, “Capitan” or “Cabeza de Barangay”.
The politico-military commandancia of Dapitan until the end of the Spanish domination in 1898 was still dependent on Misamis. It was only during the revolutionary period that Dapitan became an integral part of the Filipino forces in Zamboanga.
During the American occupation, Dapitan continued to be a part of Zamboanga, one of the two districts comprising the Provincia Mora. Dapitan remained a part of Zamboanga province until 1952 when it was divided into two provinces, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur.
The first election for the Provincial Governor of Zamboanga took place in 1922. Atty. Florentino Saguin, a Dapitanon, won over two opponents who were leading citizens and political veterans of Zamboanga City. In the second regular election in 1925, another Dapitanon, Don Jose Aseniero, was elected governor of the province.
From a small town replete with history, Dapitan took a giant step forward and became a chartered city by virtue of Republic Act No. 3811 which was signed by then President Diosdado Macapagal on 22 June 1963, thus becoming the first city in the Province of Zamboanga del Norte. It is officially known as the “Shrine City of the Philippines”. It is one of the four cities of Region IX (Map 1) these are Zamboanga City, Pagadian City, and Dipolog City. Today, it is at the threshold of finding its rightful place in the global village.
While the Rizal Shrine is continuously attracting both domestic and foreign tourist, the City is an attraction by itself. Concrete and well paved roads, stretching to the coastal barangays in the north and towards the interior barangays have turned it into a showcase of beauty and cleanliness. The Dapitan Bay with its expanse of clean beaches is also a constant attraction to tourists.
Here lies the greatest potential of the City with respect to the Region and the regional economy. Its value in the tourism industry cannot be overstated and with proper support from the national leadership, this potential can still prove to be the triggering device towards development.
This history article is from the Dapitan City Government.
Places of Interest
Dapitan City Plaza (“Liwasan ng Dapitan”) also known as the City Square is the plaza which Dr. Jose P. Rizal beautified and developed during his exile. With the assistance of Spanish Politico-Military Governor of Dapitan, Gov. Ricardo Carnicero, Rizal made the Dapitan City Plaza comparable to the ones he saw in Europe. It has an area of one (1) hectare more or less. This was developed by Dr. Jose P. Rizal with the help of Gov. Ricardo Carnicero, a politico military of Dapitan City.The site where Rizal disembarked from the steamer "Cebu" in 1565 with the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. A 20-foot cross was erected to symbolize the propagation of Christianity in the locality of Dapitan.
This is a major historical landmark of Dapitan City. In August 1892, Dr. Jose P. Rizal together with Gov. Carnicero and a Spaniard living in Dipolog, luckily won a lotto bet which financially enabled Dr. Rizal to buy a 10 hectares piece of land from Lucia Pagbangon. In March 1893, Rizal then transferred to this place in barangay Talisay. Later on, his mother Doña Teodora Alonso, his sisters, and some relatives from Calamba, Laguna came and lived with him in Talisay until 1896. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines affected Republic Act No. 4363 which was approved on June 19, 1965. The Rizal Shrine was then declared as one of the National Shrines through Presidential Decree No. 105 issued by the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos on January 24, 1973.
Casa Real
Casa Real
Dr. Jose P. Rizal stayed here in Casa Real with Governor Ricardo Carnicero from his arrival until he moved to Rizal Shrine at barangay Talisay in March 1893. The looks of Casa Real is the same as the old City Hall with bamboo on each side, the upper portion is made up of woods. A replica of Case Real will soon rise near its marker.Church
This church was built in 1871 in honor of St. James the Greater, Dapita's patron saint. The design of the interior walls is more or less 1 meter thick and still original except for the furnishing. The altar and the interior hane undergone several renovations. Inside is a historical spot where Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Philippines' National Hero, stood while hearing mass every Sunday. At the mezzanine is the priceless heritage organ that bears a year in the making - year 1827 at the choir loft. It was brought to Dapitan by the Agustinian Recollect fathers. A German made with European pipes. It is a manual pipe organ.Commerce and Industry
Dapitan City is predominantly agricultural and majority of the populace depend on the land and water resources. Due to its terrain, which are more hilly and mountainous than plain areas, coconut is the main crop utilizing approximately 84 percent of the total land area. Fishing is the second occupation of the people, with more than 26 percent of the City's barangay along coastlines. An agricultural community that lacks of large manufacturing concerns characterizes the economy of Dapitan City. Except for a few small-scale manufacturing venture/industries, sari-sari stores predominate the commerce and industry of the City.Festivals
Dapitan City has launched a diversified fiesta celebration of its Patron St. James or Señor Santiago for the locals through a three-in-one affair, combining religious, cultural and sports events in its Kinabayo Festival 2009.The Kinabayo Festival kicks off July 16 and culminates on July 31 with various events taking place within the Shrine City of the Philippines.
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