Oroquieta City Charter Day commemorates the time the municipality of Oroquieta became a city of Misamis Occidental, Philippines. It is held every January 6, which may be declared a special non-working holiday such as Proclamation No. 1272 issued in 2022. In addition, the city also celebrates the Grand Concept Parade in time for the patronal feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary every October.
History of Oroquieta City
In the past, the city was called Lauawan or Layawan. It later acquired its current name from the Spanish hometown of the first parish priest Fr. Tomas Casado and war hero General Domingo Mariones y Murillo.
When Spanish missionaries founded its mission in Oroquieta, it was as a visita of Jimenez. From a poor settlement, it eventually grew into a full-fledged town in 1880 and its church was declared an independent parish in 1886.
Fr. Casado would be known for his missionary zeal for he built a temporary church, school, public market, and other edifices, and he took care of the administration of the nearby town of Plaridel. He would be the last parish priest during the Spanish conquest because he was called to leave the town when the Philippine Revolution began in 1898.
The next few decades saw a series of reorganizations in the island of Mindanao. On November 2, 1929, the historical province of Misamis was divided into Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental by virtue of Act No. 3357. The law took effect on the New Year’s Day of the succeeding year. On January 6, 1930, Oroquieta was chosen as the capital town by the provincial council. This is the date and the history that the Charter Day remembers every year.
The city became the capital of the Free Philippines when then President Manuel L. Quezon together with Vice President Sergio Osmeña escaped from Luzon upon the arrival of Japanese forces and arrived in its shores in 1942.
Then on June 21, 1969, Republic Act No. 5518 was passed that transformed Oroquieta from a town to a component city of Misamis Occidental. The inauguration of its cityhood took place on January 1, 1970.
How to reach Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental
Book a flight to Ozamiz airport and take a one-hour land trip to Oroquieta City, which is about fifty kilometers away.
References
- Oroquieta. Britannica. Retrieved January 30, 2023
- History of Oroquieta. City Government of Oroquieta. Retrieved January 30, 2023
- Republic Act No. 5518, June 21, 1969. Supreme Court of the Philippines E-Library. Retrieved January 30, 2023
- Shaine Mae Nagtalon. Oroquieta celebrates fiesta with 11th Grand Concept Parade. Philippine Information Agency. October 24, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2023
- Mozart Pastrano. Commercialization threatens historic Mindanao church plaza. Philippine Daily Inquirer. June 3, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2023
- The Augustinian Recollects in Mindanao 1622-1919. Agustinos Recoletos. Rerieved January 30, 2023
- Act No. 3537, November 02, 1929. Supreme Court of the Philippines E-Library. Retrieved January 30, 2023
Oroquieta City Charter Day Summary
Name Oroquieta City Charter Day Celebration Charter Day Contact (088) 564 0764 Country Philippines Date January 6 Duration 1 day Email infooroquieta@gmail.com Established 1930 Facebook www.facebook.com Historical event The election of Oroquieta as the capital of Misamis Occidental Location Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental Organizer City Government of Oroquieta Website oroquietacity.gov.ph
| Name | Oroquieta City Charter Day |
|---|---|
| Celebration | Charter Day |
| Contact | (088) 564 0764 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Date | January 6 |
| Duration | 1 day |
| infooroquieta@gmail.com | |
| Established | 1930 |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Historical event | The election of Oroquieta as the capital of Misamis Occidental |
| Location | Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental |
| Organizer | City Government of Oroquieta |
| Website | oroquietacity.gov.ph |