History

Spanish missionaries established missions in the vicinity of Iligan towards the end of the 16^th century. The Spaniards fortified Iligan in 1640 following their retreat from the area of Lake Lanao. Although the constant threat of Maranao raids reduced the population of Iligan, it remained an important outpost along the northern Mindanao coast, becoming the administrative center of the Misamis district. Iligan was an important staging ground of Spanish expeditions sent to conquer Maranao territories in 1895. A year later, part of the Batalion Disciplinarios rebelled in sympathy with the Philippine Revolution, the first revolutionary outbreak in Mindanao.

The area was administered as part of the province of Cebu until the province of Misamis was organized in the late 18^th century. In 1914, the province of Lanao was created and the coastal region including Iligan, was annexed to the province. Beginning in the early 20^th century, Visayan migrants settled in the coastal regions. The pace of resettlement increased in the 1950s when government resettlement farms for Luzon peasants were opened in the interior. In May 1959, Lanao del Norte was created from out of the old Lanao province by virtue of Republic Act No. 2228, to cover the Christianized areas of Lanao.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the rapid industrial growth of Iligan and the Lanao del Norte coast, populated mainly by Visayan settlers and the underdeveloped agricultural hinterlands populated by the Maranaos heightened ethnic rivalries. In the 1970s tensions between the Christian settlers and the indigenous Muslim Maranaos erupted into open ethnic violence. Armed bands from the rival cultural groups sowed terror in Lanao del Norte, driving many settlers to the lowlands, and Maranaos to Lanao del Sur. The Moro National Liberation Front, a Bangsa Moro secessionist group, operated in the area of Lanao del Norte in the 1970s and the 1980s. Lanao del Norte was part of an Autonomous Region for Central Mindanao following the Tripoli Agreement of 1976. In 1989, however, the majority of Lanao del Norte residents voted against inclusion in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

People, Culture and the Arts

Lanao del Norte is the other part of Lanao whose people are predominantly Christians despite its nearness to the Muslim communities of Lanao del Sur. The proximity of the north coast of the province to central Visayas Island has also made the area an ideal migration destination for Cebuano-speaking population. Thus the principal dialect is Cebuano. There are also a few Maranaos communities in the area, however, they mostly dwell in the interior and concentrate along the boundary with Lanao Sur. Iligan, the only city of this province, is called the ‘industrial center of the south’. Steel, tinplate, pulp and paper, and flourmills are just some of its industries, with cement and plastic factories on the outskirts.

It is also known for its numerous waterfalls, the most popular of which is Maria Cristina Falls. It is the main source of power for the surrounding districts and provinces of Mindanao. It is 320 feet high and plunges into the Agus River. Another interesting sight to see is the Tinago or Hidden Falls in Buru-an. It is among the most beautiful waterfalls in Mindanao with exactly 379 steps down to reach the falls hidden deep within the lush forests.

Among Iligan’s popular cuisine are the binaki, which is grated young corn mixed with milk, then wrapped with fresh corn cob and steamed. For the adventurous, one can also try various Muslim-influenced dishes like utak-utak and lolot.

Every last week of September, Iligan celebrates the Viva Sr. San Miguel, in honor of Saint Michael the Archangel. The dancing is similar with the Sinulog celebrations of other provinces. The celebration culminates with the Pana-ad and Yawa-yawa. Pana-ad refers to a promise of the devotees to San Miguel for favors that were granted. The Yawa-yawa is a miracle play performed in the native dialect, song, and dance. It depicts the story of Lucifer’s revolt against God and how the rebellious angels were defeated by the good angels led by Saint Michael.

Trade and Investments

New pioneers are needed to rediscover Lanao del Norte, and harness nature’s bounty to allow the province to emerge from its traditional agricultural economy and lead in agro-industrial development. Lanao del Norte has a land area of 409,200 hectares of mostly very fertile volcanic soil. The province has 153,578 hectares of developed agricultural land, a coastline rich in marine resources and inland fishing grounds totaling to 7100 hectares. The province has a mixed population of Maranaos and settlers from the Visayas and Luzon.

Lanao del Norte has a 1,568 kilometers road network that includes a fully-asphalted and cemented national highway that also traverses the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Sur. The province also has a seaport and an airport located in Iligan City that can accommodate aircrafts of general aviation. Power in the province comes from the hydro-electric plants of the NAPOCOR along Agus river and redistributed by a local electric cooperative. The province has long distance telephone services and a banking sector composed of commercial and rural banks.

With the opening of the Cagayan-Iligan Industrial Corridor, five municipalities of Lanao del Norte have become potential sites for downstream and support industries to major industrial plants in the corridor. On the other hand, Lanao del Norte’s investment opportunities tap into the province's agribusiness potentials. Commercial crops and livestock production integrated with processing are ideal given the fertile land, typhoon free climate and easy access to markets in growth centers of Mindanao. The three known fishing grounds surrounding Lanao del Norte and the extensive areas for inland fishponds make aquaculture ventures very promising. With the current push to attain global competitiveness for agro-industries in the province, value adding and processing ventures definitely will receive support from the local government.

Partnership Initiatives

The threat of losing a vital natural resource looms heavily over the province of Lanao del Norte. Panguil Bay has been overfished for decades and the continued use of destructive fishing methods threatened to reduce fish catch even further. Compounding the problem are other ecologically harmful activities like inappropriate solid waste disposal, and siltation from the denuded mountains of the area. Panguil Bay is shared by Lanao de Norte with the provinces of Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga de Sur and provides livelihood to an estimated 8,100 fisherfolk living in these provinces.

Acting on the situation, Lanao del Norte joined the Panguil Bay Development Council together with the two other provinces. The partnership between the three provinces was sealed through a memorandum of agreement among the stakeholders. After a year, the council adopted the Panguil Bay Integrated Area Development program but due to time and financial constraints, this program merely provided a list of possible projects. Nonetheless, the council provided the venue for the LGUs to initiate and anchor their development activities and a means through which support and assistance could later be accessed from donor agencies. New support and funding have recently enabled the implementation of projects.

Development Initiative Highlights: