10/01/2025
๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฎ
October is about our beloved Baganga. This brief essay attempts to present a concise history of Baganga, Davao Oriental.
It was believed that Baganga derived its name from Baganga, a tree bearing tiny, smooth-skinned, juicy fruits with poisonous thorns that often cause gangrene. Its root word is โBanga,โ the name given to a very toxic palm tree. However, some old folks say that the place got its name from โBagangan,โ a type of fish once abundant in the river during specific months of the year. Its root word is โbagang,โ a process by which salted tiny fish or hipon are preserved and flavored to give it a delicious taste.
Whether the name came from a thorny tree or a kind of fish, the old residents still believed that the latter was more acceptable because, even today, they called the river in the town โBagangan.โ By oral tradition, they also said that when the Spaniards first landed in the place, they came upon some Indigenous peoples using fellies made from banganga trees.
When this group of Spaniards inquired about the place, without understanding or knowing the query, the Indigenous peoples blurted out โBanganga.โ Upon hearing the response, the Spaniards immediately took note of the word and wrote it in their journal. This word was later mispronounced and coined into the word Baganga, which then became the official name of the town later on.
Baganga, the pearl of the coast with its panoramic view, is one of the municipalities of Davao Oriental. It is located on the eastern seacoast of Mindanao, on the bay of the Pacific Ocean. It is bounded by the municipality and parish of Cateel on the north, by the municipality and parish of Caraga on the south, by the municipality of Compostela on the west, and by a large body of water, the Pacific Ocean, on the east.
The coastline is irregular. The town is located approximately 375 kilometers northeast of Davao City and about 128 kilometers from the town of Mati. Its area is about 129,778 hectares, and its population consists of various linguistic groups, including Dabawenyo, Bisaya, Bicolano, Ilocano, and Tagalog speakers.
A vast majority of the people of Baganga embraced the Catholic faith since the early Spanish era. This could be attributed to the fact that a good number of residents of this municipality are of Spanish lineage. Another factor perhaps is the steady religious missions done by various missionaries in the place throughout the years.
The whole area is rich in culture, especially in the remote mountainous parts where the Mandaya people can be found. They occupy the entire east coast of Mindanao, from Surigao to Davao to Agusan, and it is believed that they were the major tribe who first inhabited the Pacific coasts.
๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ต:
This was a parochial school. The catechetical school started by the R.V. M. Sisters in Baganga was named Escuela del Sagrado Corazon. The parish priest provided for the Sistersโ material support. There were a few boarders who paid ten pesos monthly, and this meager income helped toward the maintenance of the Sisters.
Through catechetical work and the ABC instruction called Cartilla, the Sisters were a great help in the conversion of the Indigenous peoples. In 1931 grades 1 through 4 were offered. The name of the school was changed to Our Lady's Academy after its incorporation.
Authorโs note: Provenance and source of the photo to be identified. Text of the post in constant revision for accuracy. โ ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐ญ ๐๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด
