11/09/2025
Surigao del Sur: Same Same But Different
The two Surigao provinces, Norte and Sur, share common language, culture and ancestry. Some notable differences — from accents and dialects to social norms.
Surigao del Sur, for one, has many dialects. The farther north you are (CCMCL areas), the more likelihood you speak the predominant Surigaonun language commonly spoken by people in Surigao del Norte. And when you travel south, you would start noticing the differences.
Cortes, for one, speaks Bol-Anon. A language commonly spoken in Bohol, an island situated in the Visayas. In Tandag and nearby areas, they speak Tandaganon. The accent and dialect nuances are more pronounced. I myself have a hard time understanding nor mimicking them. Surigaonun is a fast-spoken language but Tandaganon is faster. Like how Dominicans speak compared to the rest of the latin-speaking countries — always in a rap battle.
Now when you travel far south, starting from Marihatag going down to Bislig, the language is closely related to Cebuano Bisaya with some borrowed native lexicons of Caraga Region. They call it Kamayo. But to me, it's just a regular Bisaya. I had an opportunity to visit the town of Lianga, the last municipality of the 1st district of Surigao del Sur. I spoke in Surigaonun, though, I attracted the attention of many, they barely understood me. Clearly I am a stranger to them.
I wonder how our leaders then, decide to divide the province. Was it by land proximity for administrative convenience? Or just by pure political catering? Certainly not by the differences I mentioned above. Though we have integrated ourselves to this land sharing common aspirations, we have yet to fully understand each other.
