2025 October Articles

Articles - October 2025 - Weekly Features

2025 October 29 - Treaty with Linampas; the "Adelantado" prevails
The establishment of Spanish control in northern Mindanao commenced in 1565 when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the Adelantado, dispatched a scouting party to Butuan, having been informed that Surigao and Butuan were the two flourishing settlements in the region. This party, which included Fr. Martin de Rada and Rodrigo de las Islas, successfully concluded a peace treaty with Linampas (also known as Lumampaon), the chieftain recognized as the local "Rey". This treaty avoided immediate conflict and secured a diplomatic foothold, intended to pave the way for the eventual beachhead of Christianity in the province. However, this diplomatic victory swiftly reduced the indigenous Rajahship to a state of vassalage, if not captivity, effectively dismantling its authority, and led to the formal imposition of Spanish rule by 1571, when the Crown appointed Pedro Navarro and Garcia Sierras Chacon as the first governors of Surigao, designating the district as an encomienda (tribute-collection grant).

2025 October 22 - Conversion of Datu Silongan
A pivotal moment in the history of Caraga—the conversion of Datu Silongan near the turn of the 17th century—remains a potent symbol of indigenous transformation amidst the tide of European colonization. This event, heralded by Spanish missionaries as a spiritual triumph, was a complex political and personal decision that fundamentally shaped Spain's initial, tenuous claim to the eastern coast of Mindanao.

2025 October 15 – Fort of Tandag and the other royal outposts
The Fort of Tandag (also known as Fort San Jose) was a pivotal Spanish colonial outpost and capital of Caraga, built using native forced labor into a triangular structure to defend against Moro raiders and subjugate the local Visayas population. The fort was highly contested: it was wiped out by Caragans in 1631 and fell again in 1754 after a devastating siege by Caragan, Maguindanawan, and Iranun allies. Tandag served as the center of an encomienda and hosted the first Recollect convent in the province. This fort, along with inland garrisons like Linao (built to contain "infidels" and harass Moros) and mission centers like Butuan and Surigao, formed a network of reducciones. However, indigenous groups often violently resisted the forced relocation policies of the reducciones because they strongly valued their proprietary rights over their ancestral lands. Tandag's importance ultimately declined, and the fort was abandoned by 1898.

2025 October 8 – Mazaua: Masao or Limawasa or elsewhere?
Was the first Catholic mass in the Philippines really held on Limasawa Island—or have we been looking in the wrong place all along? Mazaua: Masao or Limasawa or Elsewhere? dives deep into the centuries-old mystery surrounding Magellan’s historic landfall in 1521. Drawing from Surigao Across the Years, this feature reopens the case for Butuan’s Masao as the true site of Mazaua, challenging long-held national narratives and shedding new light on Surigao’s overlooked role in Philippine history. 

2025 October 1 – The Fearsome Caragans: Cannibalism and Conflict in Early Surigao
The Caragans were characterized by Spanish chroniclers, such as Fr. Francisco Colin, as fierce and warlike people, reputed to practice cannibalism, specifically consuming the raw liver of enemies to gain power or longevity. These belligerent natives, found in the region of Caraga (which included Surigao), possessed golden crowns and used formidable weapons like poisoned blowguns. However, the blood-curdling image of the Caragans conflicts with later missionary accounts which found the natives to be shy, and none of the priests who ventured inland were devoured by the supposed cannibals. Despite their frightening reputation—which may have been a psychological tactic against enemies—missionaries successfully converted prominent chiefs, indicating a complex reality beneath the violent descriptions.

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

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