Super Banat

28/04/2026

𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗚. 𝗦𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗼 ( 1869 – 1937)

Francisco Guzman Soriano was a Filipino lawyer and public servant whose career reflects the steady rise of Filipino leadership during the early years of the American civil government in the Philippines.

Born on October 4, 1869, in Molo, Iloilo, he would go on to play a significant role in both provincial and national governance.

FISCAL

He began his public service in 1901 as Fiscal of Surigao, serving under Prudencio Garcia. In this role, he helped establish legal order and strengthen the foundations of provincial governance at a formative time.

ASSEMBLYMAN

His competence and dedication led to his election as a Member of the 1st Philippine Assembly (1907–1909), where he represented Surigao in the country’s first experiment in representative legislative governance.

GOVERNOR OF SURIGAO

Soriano later assumed executive leadership as Governor of Surigao (1913–1916). His administration focused on improving local governance and promoting agricultural development, as reflected in contemporary government publications.

SENATOR

He advanced to the national stage when he was elected Senator of the Philippines (1919–1925), representing the 11th Senatorial District. In the Senate, he contributed to policymaking during a critical period in the country’s political development.

Francisco G. Soriano passed away on October 2, 1937. He was married to Rosario Jalandoni, with whom he had several children, including Jesus Soriano, Sol Jalandoni Soriano, and Amparo Soriano-Rodriguez.

His life’s work—from fiscal to national legislator—reflects a legacy of dedication, integrity, and leadership in public service. His contributions remain part of the early institutional and political development of Surigao and the Philippines.

📚 Sources

Civil Service of the Philippine Islands (Elihu Root Collection) — confirms Fiscal of Surigao (1901) and service under Prudencio Garcia

Philippine Assembly Records (1907–1909) — confirms membership in the 1st Philippine Assembly

Executive Orders / Official Lists of Provincial Governors — confirms Governor of Surigao (1913–1916)

Philippine Agricultural Review — references Governor Soriano’s agricultural initiatives

Senate of the Philippines — confirms senatorial term (1919–1925)

Wikipedia (Francisco Soriano) — used for birth (1869) and death (1937) (noted as needing further citation)

Geni genealogical records — used for family details (supporting secondary source)

20/11/2025

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗦𝗦 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀

In 1901, the great transport ship USS Thomas left San Francisco carrying more than five hundred American teachers bound for the Philippines. They would later be called the Thomasites—named after the ship that carried them across the Pacific—pioneers of the new American public school system.

Among them was Mary Helen Fee, a quiet woman with a sharp gaze and a small wooden box of chalk tucked among her belongings. As the coastline disappeared behind the ship, she held her chalk gently, sensing that her life was about to change.

When the USS Thomas reached Manila, teachers were assigned quickly. Many were sent to Luzon, others to the Visayas. Mary’s name was called last:

“Eastern Mindanao District.”
A vast frontier covering Surigao, Butuan, and the Agusan Valley.

Remote. Challenging. Unfamiliar.
Yet Mary felt a stirring of purpose.

Her journey south involved inter-island steamers and smaller coastal boats that slipped across the Surigao Strait. She saw the shimmering waters of Surigao, the wide river plains of Butuan, and the winding waterways of Agusan—a region still untouched by roads and connected mostly by rivers and sea paths.

In these towns, schools were simple wooden structures with open windows and bamboo benches. Children entered shyly, barefoot, holding slate boards tied with string. Mary opened her box and held out the chalk she had carried across an ocean.

“This is a book,” she wrote on the blackboard.

The children of Surigao repeated the words gently.

The children of Butuan repeated them bravely.

The children of Agusan repeated them with quiet pride.

Mary traveled between these communities, teaching, training local maestros, and helping shape the earliest classrooms in Eastern Mindanao. In Surigao, mothers thanked her with rice cakes wrapped in leaves. In Butuan, fishermen repaired benches and carried school supplies by banca. In Agusan, families guided her through river paths so she could reach distant pupils.

Challenges were constant—storms, illness, and long travel by water—but Mary stayed. Each town embraced her, each lesson strengthened the children’s confidence, and each stroke of chalk wrote a new chapter in the region’s educational story.

By the time she prepared to move on, the people of Surigao, Butuan, and Agusan gathered in their own quiet ways to bid her farewell. Children sang the English songs she had taught them. Parents bowed in gratitude. Local teachers promised to continue the work she helped begin.

As Mary stepped onto another boat and watched the shoreline fade, she whispered:

“Thank you, Mindanao.”

The chalk she carried aboard the USS Thomas remained in the hands of the students whose first English words echoed in those early frontier classrooms—marking the beginning of public education across Surigao, Butuan, and the Agusan Valley.

And so, Mary Helen Fee became part of the earliest educational history of Eastern Mindanao—her chalk small and fragile, yet powerful enough to leave an imprint that time could not erase.

Sources:

Mary Helen Fee’s memoir (1910)

USS Thomas Passenger List (1901)

Bureau of Education Reports (early 1900s)

Philippine Commission Reports (1901–1903)

Thomasite Centennial History (2001)

17/11/2025

13/11/2025

Dirty Donald 💩

Jeffrey Epstein in 2018: "i know how dirty donald is."

10/11/2025

🌳𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐓 𝟐𝟓𝟐: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐧

Cradled in the hills of Agusan del Norte covering the span of CADT 252 in the municipalities of Las Nieves, Buenavista, Nasipit, and Carmen, the stories of Higaonon communities of Bungkatol, Pinaglao, and Giling intertwine. The people are rooted in land and bounded by heritage.

They tend to crops such as coffee, corn, cassava, and upland rice to sustain their days. Planting upland rice, for instance, is a tradition they’ve long been practicing. When the fields rest, their hands craft — shaping, weaving, and keeping stories alive. Here, work is more than survival; it’s heritage in motion.

The tribe lives side by side with the forest’s many voices such as the alimukon, tugtugala, kulihaw, and the ever-watchful hornbill, their songs woven into Higaonon belief.

With Project Caraga, the communities’ traditions are honored while strengthening their practices toward empowerment — through better planning, stronger governance, and work that uplifts their own people.

Empowering Futures, Transforming Lives

Know more about us:
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09/11/2025

08/11/2025

08/11/2025

𝗞𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗮𝗴 -𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗰𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲

in 1983, the action film “Surigao Tragedy” captured this very spot — the Kaskag–Navalca Wooden Bridge — as actor Rey Malonzo crossed it in one of the movie’s most memorable scenes.

Back then, the bridge was built from rough timber, surrounded by nipa houses and wooden posts, reflecting the humble and authentic charm of coastal Surigao life. The scene became an iconic image of the city’s past — simple, real, and full of character.

Fast forward to 2025, the wooden bridge has been replaced by concrete, yet the same riverside homes, the same mountain view, and the same enduring spirit of the place remain.

From wood to concrete, from film frame to living memory — the Kaskag–Navalca Bridge stands as a silent witness to time, carrying with it a story forever etched in Philippine cinema.

Source: Surigao Tragedy Movie 1983, Rey Malonzo