Embedded Files
Week 4 Articles – 22-31 August 2025 – Daily Story Marathon
Week 4 Articles – 22-31 August 2025 – Daily Story Marathon
Web Story Series: Ashes and Awakening: Surigao’s Struggle Toward Modernity
As we close out History Month (Buwan ng Kasaysayan), the final week of our 31-day storytelling journey explores the birth of modern Surigao through revolution, resistance, disaster, and reconstruction.
From hidden exiles to misunderstood uprisings, from gold booms to guerilla valor, and finally to the struggles of a people finding light after liberation—this week’s features bring us face to face with Surigao’s unyielding spirit in the 20th century.
Each day uncovers a critical moment that shaped the modern identity of the province and invites us to reflect on how the past continues to echo in the present.
August 22: The River Remembers – Waterways as Witness to Surigao's History
Theme Focus: Explore the rivers of Surigao not just as natural features, but as historical corridors—routes for trade, migration, warfare, and resistance. Highlight rivers like the Surigao River, Agusan tributaries, and the Jabonga waterways that connected interior tribes, lowland settlers, and colonial authorities. Discuss how rivers served as lifelines, boundaries, and battlegrounds.
Hook: Long before roads, rivers connected Surigao’s people. They carried salt and stories, priests and rebels, memories and mourning.
August 23: From Bamboo to Bandila – The Evolution of Surigao’s Local Symbols
Theme Focus: Examine the symbols and insignias used across different eras in Surigao—from tribal markers and ancient tattoo motifs, to Spanish-era flags, municipal seals, school emblems, and even modern political iconography. Analyze how visual identity evolved to reflect power, pride, and place.
Hook: What does a tattooed chest, a colonial banner, and a municipal logo have in common? All tell the story of Surigao through symbols carved, sewn, or stamped into time.
August 24: Whispers from the Hills – The Hidden Role of Women in Surigao’s Past
Theme Focus: Unearth the underrepresented stories of Surigaonon women—from precolonial healers and midwives, to resistance informants, cultural custodians, and educators. While male figures dominate written history, oral memory reveals women's roles as the backbone of community life, spirituality, and survival.
Hook: They didn’t march into battles or sit in council halls—but they carried the wounded, guarded the old stories, and raised the next rebels. This is history through the eyes of Surigao’s silent strength—its women.
August 25: The Forgotten Fortress – The Comandancia of Surigao
Once a symbol of colonial military power and local governance, the Comandancia stood as Surigao’s most prominent structure during the Spanish era. It housed governors, held prisoners, and bore witness to changing regimes—from Spanish to American to postwar Philippine administration. But in 1964, Typhoon Louis brought the fortress down. Today, little remains of this historic bastion, yet its story endures as a reminder of how power is built, repurposed, and eventually reclaimed by time.
Based on: Chapter 10 – Huracan: Wind of Terror
August 26: Filibusteros of Gigaquit – The Gonzalez Brothers
Discover the untold story of the Gonzalez brothers of Gigaquit—early patriots exiled for their revolutionary beliefs. Though Surigao saw no major battles during the revolution, this feature reveals a silent but significant resistance often left out of the national narrative.
Based on: Chapter 12 – Presion: Tale of Two Brothers
August 27: Colorumism and the Fire on Bucas Grande
1924. Bucas Island. A forgotten uprising. Labeled as fanatics, the Colorums of Pamosaingan were brutally suppressed after a confrontation with Constabulary forces. This article reexamines the Colorum Uprising with nuance and historical depth.
Based on: Chapter 15 – “Colorumism”: No Uprising Ever Fails
August 28: Gold, Greed, and Glory – Surigao’s Mining Boom
Revisit the dazzling 1930s, when gold turned Surigao into a mining powerhouse. From Chinese pioneers to American mining firms, this was a time of sudden wealth and societal shifts, leaving both glitter and scars on the land.
Based on: Chapter 16 – Gold Rush: Boom Before the Storm
August 29: WWII in Surigao – They Fought Alone
Siargao, 1941. Japanese planes crash-land. Locals offer mercy, then endure suspicion. This wartime account weaves heroism, mistaken allegiances, and haunting memories that still linger in post-war Surigao.
Based on: Chapter 17 – Wartime: They Fought Alone
August 30: A Nation Reborn – Surigao After Liberation
The war is over. But peace brings no quick comfort. With no electricity, ruined towns, and no functioning government, the people of Surigao must rebuild from ashes. This article traces the hardship and hope in the aftermath of WWII.
Based on: Chapter 18 – Epilogue: A New Day Too Far
August 31: A Salute – The Nation’s History, Each One’s Story
As History Month closes, we reflect on the entire journey—prehistoric echoes, colonial encounters, resistance and renewal. This final feature is a tribute to the resilience of Surigaonons, the stewards of a heritage that continues to live and inspire.
Based on: All chapters of Surigao Across the Years
Week 3 Articles – 15-21 August 2025 – Daily Story Marathon
Week 3 Articles – 15-21 August 2025 – Daily Story Marathon
Web Story Series: Cross, Crown, and Catastrophe: Surigao in the Age of Empire
As History Month (Buwan ng Kasaysayan) continues, the third week of our 31-day story marathon (August 15–21, 2025) delves deeper into Surigao’s encounters with Europe’s empires, its lost islands, holy wars, typhoons, and the resilience of its people under colonial rule.
If the first half of August traced Surigao’s fiery geological birth, prehistoric artifacts, and ancient trade, this week captures the turning point, when Surigao entered the global stage as a royal outpost, endured missionary zeal and military conquest, and faced nature’s wrath.
Each day’s feature uncovers a pivotal episode from Dr. Fernando A. Almeda Jr.’s Surigao Across the Years, bringing to life the survival, faith, and struggles of Surigaonons in the age of empires.
Based on: Chapter 5 – Surigao: Royal Outpost in the Pacific
Focus: The first European arrivals—Francisco Serrano’s earlier landing in 1512 and Magellan’s fateful 1521 passage through Surigao Strait. The clash of Portuguese and Spanish claims under papal decrees.
Hook: Before Magellan’s cross, Serrano’s wreck already marked Surigao’s place in Europe’s age of conquest.
Based on: Chapter 6 – Caraga: River of Blood
Focus: The Recollect missionaries, their first convents, and the intertwining of spiritual mission with Spanish military garrisons. The encomiendas and the natives’ burden of tribute.
Hook: To plant the cross, they first built forts. Faith and empire converged on Caraga’s rivers.
August 17: Carved in Stone – The Lost Burial Art of Surigao
Based on: Chapter 4 – Burial Practices and Artifacts (not yet featured independently)
Focus: Reconstruct ancient Surigaonon beliefs through burial jars, stone tools, and grave goods found in Placer and Jabonga. This story brings together archaeology, spirituality, and social class, revealing how the dead were honored with beads, blades, and ritual care.
Hook: In clay jars and cave tombs, they buried more than the dead. They buried belief, identity, and a civilization’s soul.
August 18: Salt and Sovereignty – Surigao’s Hidden Wealth
Based on: Chapter 13 – Salt Making in Surigao
Focus: Delve into the centuries-old craft of salt-making in Surigao, tracing its precolonial economic role, its ties to maritime trade, and its symbolism of local industry and resistance to imported goods. Discuss how this humble commodity was a vital pillar of Surigaonon life—from barter systems to rituals.
Hook: Before gold and galleons, there was salt. The story of Surigao’s white gold—carried on waves and backs alike.
Based on: Chapter 9 – Evangelization: Triumph of the Cross
Focus: The 300-year struggle of missionaries against Moro resistance, culminating in widespread Christianization by the late 19th century.
Hook: Through blood and prayer, the friars endured. Long after Spain fell, the cross remained rooted in Surigao.
August 20: Winds of Terror – Surigao’s Huracans
August 20: Winds of Terror – Surigao’s Huracans
Based on: Chapter 10 – Huracan: Wind of Terror
Focus: Jesuit letters documenting typhoons and epidemics—like the devastating 1883 Huracan that uprooted trees and flattened churches.
Hook: Nature struck harder than armies. Storms and plagues shaped the destiny of Surigao’s people.
Based on: Chapter 11 – Cartilla: Blessed Are the Ignorant
Focus: Education and forced labor under Spanish rule; tribute, epidemics, and the politico-military government that kept Surigao in hardship until 1898.
Hook: They were taught little but made to give much—how Surigao endured centuries under the burden of the Crown.
Week 2 Articles – 8-14 August 2025 – Daily Story Marathon
Week 2 Articles – 8-14 August 2025 – Daily Story Marathon
Web Story Series: Origins and Encounters: Surigao Before the Empire
Web Story Series: Origins and Encounters: Surigao Before the Empire
In celebration of History Month (Buwan ng Kasaysayan) this August in the Philippines, we are launching a 31-day web story marathon to honor and rediscover the rich heritage of Surigao del Norte.
For the second week (August 8–14, 2025), we highlight formative chapters from Surigao Across the Years by Dr. Fernando A. Almeda Jr.—tracing the province’s geological birth, prehistoric roots, ancient trade, indigenous peoples, missionary encounters, and early colonial entanglements.
Each daily feature revives a unique facet of Surigao’s layered history—its legends, people, landscapes, and forgotten stories—placing them in fresh dialogue with the present.
Based on: Chapter 2 – Bayagnan: Ashes from a Fiery Past
Focus: A vivid retelling of the geological upheavals that formed the Philippine Trench and the Surigao mountain range. Includes Fr. Sanchez's early scientific expedition to Bayagnan and rare fauna accounts.
Hook: A volcano-born province—how Surigao’s foundation tells a story 50 million years in the making.
Based on: Chapter 2
Focus: The arrival of Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez and his 1887 scientific and zoological survey of Surigao, touching on his ties to Jose Rizal.
Hook: What did a Jesuit and former teacher of Rizal find so fascinating about Surigao that he sailed from Manila to study it?
Based on: Chapter 3
Focus: The discovery of volcanic tektites in Placer and Bagasinan, theorized to be used by prehistoric humans. Connects early scientific finds to deeper questions of human origin in Surigao.
Hook: Were these glassy black stones once prehistoric charms? What Surigao’s ancient minerals tell us about early inhabitants.
Based on: Chapter 3a
Focus: The unique genetic study by Japanese anthropologists that questioned the traditional Negrito classification of the Mamanwa. Includes cultural persistence amid marginalization.
Hook: They may be older than the Aetas, how Surigao’s “Kongkings” may redefine Filipino ancestry.
Based on: Chapter 4
Focus: Surigao’s links to Mecca, Egypt, and Rome through trade; Balanghai-era maritime culture; porcelain and earthenware as trade evidence.
Hook: Long before Spain, Surigao’s gold sailed across Asia—how a forgotten province traded with the world.
Based on: Chapter 6
Focus: The arrival of the Recollect missionaries and establishment of mission stations from Tandag to Siargao, alongside early military control.
Hook: Missionaries came with holy books—and muskets. How faith and force carved the first Christian path into Surigao.
Based on: Chapter 6
Focus: The encomienda system in Caraga, the socio-political structure under Spanish rule, and the resistance it provoked.
Hook: Before the revolution, came taxation and control—how tribute collection shaped life (and death) in early Surigao.
Week 1 Articles - 1-7 August 2025 - Daily Story Marathon
Week 1 Articles - 1-7 August 2025 - Daily Story Marathon
Web Story Series: Deep Roots and Distant Shores: Surigao’s Earliest Foundations
In celebration of History Month (Buwan ng Kasaysayan) this August in the Philippines, we are launching a 31-day web story marathon to honor and rediscover the rich heritage of Surigao del Norte.
For the first 7 days (August 1–7, 2025), we spotlight key themes from earlier chapters of the book Surigao Across the Years—tracing the geological origins, ancient civilizations, early trade routes, and cultural foundations that shaped the province.
Each daily feature will bring to life a unique facet of Surigao’s past, from legends and landscapes to early global linkages.
August 1: The Galatea Deep - Gateway to the Abyss Unveil the mystery beneath the Philippine Trench as we introduce the Galatea Deep—one of Earth's greatest oceanic depths located just off Siargao. Learn why geologists consider Surigao part of the most geologically unstable zones in the world, and how this has shaped its past and future.
August 2: The Escalon Man - Glimpse of a Prehistoric Past Uncover one of the most significant anthropological clues in Surigao's early history: the discovery of the so-called "Escalon Man." Though details remain sparse, this find—cited in local historical accounts—suggests early human habitation in the region. Named after the site where skeletal remains were reportedly unearthed, the Escalon Man offers a rare look at the possible prehistoric roots of the Surigaonon people. While not officially dated or widely studied, it has fueled interest in deeper archaeological exploration.
August 3: Echoes of the Ancients - Tools, Pots, and the Mamanwa Travel back thousands of years through artifacts such as burial jars, polished stone tools, and shell ornaments. Explore the enduring culture of the Mamanwa, Surigao's first people, who still live in remote forested areas preserving ancestral practices.
August 4: Trade Winds and Foreign Shores Did you know that Surigao was part of ancient maritime trade networks? Discover how early Surigaonons exchanged gold and other goods with Chinese, Arab, and even Indian traders, long before Spanish colonization.
August 5: The Name "Surigao" - A Word with Currents Decode the origins of "Surigao" through linguistic analysis. Was it derived from "surogan" or "surgir"? Learn how the swift rivers and sea currents may have inspired the name of the province.
August 6: Myths of Gold and Mystery Legends abound in Surigao, from tales of an enchanted golden boat to spirits guarding hidden treasure. These stories, passed down orally, offer a glimpse into the Surigaonon psyche and spiritual geography.
August 7: Mountains, Rivers, and Quakes - The Surigao Landscape Explore Surigao’s dramatic physical features, from its volcanic origins to the restless faults beneath its soil. Understand how geography has not only defined its beauty but also its vulnerability to natural disasters.
Stay tuned each day from August 1 to 7, 2025 as we dive into Surigao's deep past and timeless spirit. #GalateaDeepSeries #SurigaoAcrossTheYears
Interact with the book through Artificial Intelligence (AI): Visit the customized GPT by Open AI HERE and the Book Section of the Surigao Historical Society HERE
Read more about the Editorial Team, Copyright and Authorized Digital Use Statement
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse