Iligan City: Tradition and Culture

Iligan City
TRADITION AND
CULTURE
(Jeselle B. Bagsican)
Iligan is a city in the northeastern coast of
Mindanao, surrounded by the towns of Baloi
and Linamon of Lanao del Norte on the south,
the town of Lugait of Misamis Oriental on the
north, and the land of Lanao del Sur and
Bukidnon on the east and Iligan Bay on the
west.
ORIGIN
► The name Iligan is from the Higaunon (Lumad/Native of Iligan) word "Ilig" which means "to go
downstream".
► It was taken and inspired by the Higaunon term "iligan" or "ilijan," which means "fortress of defense,"
an appropriate term due to the frequent attacks incurred by pirates as well as other Mindanaon
tribes.
► Iligan has a total land area of 813.37 square kilometres (314.04 sq mi), making it one of the 10
largest cities in the Philippines in terms of land area.
► It has an estimated population of 363 629 inhabitants as of 2020.
SPORTS
► Mindanao State University- Iligan Institute of Technology of Iligan City is part of

list of indoor arenas in the Philippines.
Sports Facilities
► Students, faculty members and staff of the Institute are free to avail of the sports facilities provided
that a request is made prior to its use. For non-MSU-IIT users, a written request for at least one week
before its use is required including payment of fees.
Facilities
1.Multi-Purpose Gymnasium
2.Twin Basketball Court
3.Twin Volleyball Court
4.Twin Lawn Tennis Clay Court
5.Fitness Room for aerobics, karate,
weight training, ballroom dancing
6.Dance Studio
7.Sepak Takraw
8.Table Tennis
9.Open Space for Miscellaneous Activity
BASKETBALL
► The Iligan Crusaders were a professional basketball team based in Iligan City, Philippines. They
play in the Southern Conference of the National Basketball Conference (NBC).
Cyrus Marata Baguio (born August 19, 1980- Iligan,
Lanao Del Norte Philippines) is a Filipino professional
basketball player for the NLEX Road Warriors of
the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is
known for his dunks and acrobatic moves, thus his
moniker "Skyrus.
Riego Meinardo Villa Gamalinda (born May 25, 1986

in Iligan City) is a Filipino professional basketball player for
the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball
Association (PBA). He was drafted 11th overall in 2010 by the
Bolts. He was one of the key players of the San Beda Red
Lions during its three peat run from 2006 to 2008.
ETHNICITIES
► Iligan people called themselves Iliganon

► The intermarriages of Maranao and Higaonon resulted to the formation of Kolibugan
tribe.
► Half (53.11 percent) -Bisaya/Binisaya.
► 32.01 percent considered themselves as Cebuano,
► 6.60 percent Maranao.
► Other ethnic groups included Hiligaynon/Ilonggo (1.79 percent), and Higaonon (1.47
percent).
LANGUAGE
► Cebuano is the most spoken language in the city,

with 92.27% reporting it as their first language.
► Minor languages include Maranao, Hiligaynon,
Ilocano, Chavacano, and Waray.
► The majority of the population can speak and
understand Tagalog (Filipino) and English,
CUISINE
 Iligan’s Lechon
 Sunburst Chicken, the Fried Chicken of Mindanao

LITERATURE AND ARTS
 Iligan is home to nationally acclaimed cultural groups - the Integrated Performing Arts Guild (Ipag), the
Kalimulan and the Kariala Gong Ensemble.
 The Institute(MSU-IIT) boasts of resident arts, performing, and literary groups that have achieved both
national and international acclaim. It is the base of one of the most dynamic groups of artists in the
region and a leading center for Literature and Creative Writing, one of the three major creative writing
centers in the country. Its artists have won major national awards and their works performed and
exhibited in venues here and abroad.
 Iligan's artists and other cultural workers have organized and hope to institutionalize the Iligan arts
festival of poetry, drama, performances, photo and art exhibits, art and film workshops during the
annual fiesta celebration every September 29.
Julie Lluch
► Born on March 5, 1946 in Iligan
City, Philippines, Julie Lluch
completed a degree in Philosophy
at the University of Sto. Tomas in
1967. She held her first one-
woman show at Sining Kamalig in
1977.
► In 1997 Lluch won the Araw ng
Maynila award for Sculpture. She
has also won awards for her work
as a set designer and as an
experimental filmmaker.
► Julie Lluch is one of the foremost
exponents of terracotta in the
Philippines today. Her
ideologically informed works of
sculptured women performing
various domestic chores, mostly
auto-biographical in origin, are
sharp feminist commentary on the
circumstances of women’s lives
HERITAGE
► ILIGAN CITY HALL - situated on top of Buhanginan Hill, 130 feet above sea level, is the seat of
Government of Iligan, built way back 1956. It is also a favorite promontory of Iliganons for viewing the
sunset or the skyline of the city by night.
MARIA CRISTINA FALLS
► MARIA CRISTINA
FALLS - Iligan’s
greatest heritage and
the landmark of Iligan
City is the most
resplendent among the
20 waterfalls. Also
known as the ‘Mother of
Industry’ and
‘Fountainhead of
Progress’.
TARTANILLAS (CALESA)
A tartanilya or kalesa is a
horse drawn carriage which
was introduced by the
Spaniards to the Philippines in
the 18th Century. Iligan City is
just one of the few cities in
the Philippines and the only
place in Mindanao where one
can find a tartanilya or kalesa
plying on its streets. It’s also
fast becoming a tourist
attraction and an iconic
symbol of the city.
Macaraeg-Macapagal house
 The most prominent of Iligan’s homes is the

postwar Macaraeg-Macapagal House in
Barangay Buru-un.
 It is a typical middle-class 1950s house a
postwar Mindanao version of Bauhaus and
modernist architecture using milled wood,
hollow blocks and wrought iron. It has a carport,
simulated flower boxes, glass blocks on the
stairwell and a slanted trellis.
 The structure, declared a Heritage House by the
National Historical Institute in 2002.
MUSIC AND DANCE
The Integrated Performing Arts Guild or IPAG
 IPAG is the resident theater company of the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology in Iligan City.
Founded in 1978 by Dr. Steven Patrick Fernandez & Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa.
►performed in over 100 cities worldwide & leads the country as the most-performed & most-traveled
group.With its signature dance idiom, pangalay, inspired from the dances of Sulu archipelago, IPAG
creates productions that integrate dance, music, visual & literary arts. It is multi-awarded & continues to
bring Filipino art traditions to the most coveted stages across the globe.
OCTAVA
►The Octava Choral Society is a group who could sing folk, Filipino ballads, classical, ethnic, as well as,
contemporary music. Not only that, they could also act, dance, and move but still maintain a good singing
quality. They are the most versatile choral group in Southern Philippines.
KALIMULAN
► This word is taken from Kalilang and Kaamulan. Kalilang is a social gathering of the
Mindanao Muslim and Kaamulan is a Bukidnon term for social gatherings among the
Lumads of the Non-Muslim community groups in Mindanao, thus Kalimulan word was
coined from these two famous social gatherings of Mindanao community groups. This is
also the main reason why the troupe concentrates on promoting Mindanao Ethnic
dances.
Sheila Surban
► (born Sheila Jane Y. Surban, December 9,
1985, in Iligan City, Philippines) is a singer
and songwriter from the Philippines.
► Sheila Surban joined a new group called
"INTERCONTINENTAL TRIO", a band that
is consist of musicians from three
different continents, Asia, Europe and
Africa, the music of which predominantly
represents the genre of world music.
Sakari Kukko and Ismaila Sane are two of
the members of the band.
Buotan Nga Iliganon
(Iliganon anthem)
RELIGION
 Majority of Iligan citizens are Christians (mainly

Roman Catholics).
 The city is also the center of the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Iligan which has 25 parishes in Iligan
City and twelve municipalities of Lanao del Norte.
65.5% of the population are Roman Catholics.
• Muslims are largest minority which comprises
11.48% of the population and mainly Sunnites.
FESTIVALS
► The Iligan Diyandi Festival is the official

title of the Iligan City’s month long
celebration. It is to promote the cultural
identity and in honor of city’s patron
saint, St. Michael The Archangel. Diyandi
Festival shows how the tri-people
Christians, Higaonon, and Muslims
harmoniously live together.
► Three existing tribes, show their cultures,
gathered together into one festive space,
rejoicing diversity bound by one
thanksgiving for the patron St. Michael de
Archangel through dancing.
OTHER INFORMATION
► Iligan is also the Industrial Center of the South. It produces hydroelectric power in the Mindanao region
through the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), the site of the Mindanao Regional Center (MRC)
housing Agus IV, VI and VII hydroelectric plants. It also houses industries like steel, tinplate, cement
and flour mills. The National Steel Corporation, one of the largest steel manufacturers in the Southeast
Asian region, now Global Steelworks International Incorporated, was re-opened in 2003 after heavy
setbacks resulting to its closure in 1999. Iligan, along with its neighboring city, Cagayan de Oro City, are
the two major components for the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor, the fastest developing area in
Northern Mindanao.
References:

https://www.vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/Iligan-City-The-City-of-Majestic-Waterfalls
-and-Industrial-Center-of-the-South
https://iliganparadise.weebly.com/people--culture.html
https://psa.gov.ph/content/iligan-city-population-growth-rate-declined-093-percent-res
ults-2000-census-population-and#:~:text=Half%20(53.11%20percent)%20of%20the,a
nd%20Higaonon%20(1.47%20percent)
.
http://www.traveltrilogy.com/2014/01/rediscovering-the-bowls-and-bites-of-iligan-city.h
tml

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Iligan City

► Mindanao State University- Iligan Institute of Technology of Iligan City is part of

Riego Meinardo Villa Gamalinda (born May 25, 1986

► Iligan people called themselves Iliganon

► Cebuano is the most spoken language in the city,

 Sunburst Chicken, the Fried Chicken of Mindanao

 The most prominent of Iligan’s homes is the

 Majority of Iligan citizens are Christians (mainly

► The Iligan Diyandi Festival is the official

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