Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur
Encyclopedia
TukuranTukuran (Cebuano
: Lungsod Sa Tukuran; ; Iranun: Tukudan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines
.
After the construction of Maharlika Highway or the Tukuran-Dabliston Road, a national highway, Tukuran became the passageway of two regions – that are Region 9 and Region 10.The City of Pagadian can be reached within 20 minutes via private vehicle while 45–50 minutes via public utility vehicle or PUJ.
Historically, Tukuran was a passing point of many merchants because of its location on the trade route. Merchants of different tribes regularly passed by the area, carrying with them their wares. These merchants usually came from the nearby provinces, most specifically, Zamboanga City and Southern Mindanao, as well as the places of Lanao and the Misamis region (Misamis Occidental
and Misamis Oriental
). When the Spaniards came, they tried to control the trade route, building the famous Fort Militar that overlooks Tukuran and the northern part of Illana Bay
, as well as the so-called Spanish Trocha which then connected Tukuran directly to the regions of Lanao and Misamis. It came to be known as the Trocha de Tukuran.
Close to the end of the century, the Muslim
s, under the leadership of Sultan Amay Untad Panduma, founded a settlement in Tukuran. They claimed to have come from the Iranon tribe. Since their number was large, they decided to divide themselves and settle in the neighboring sitios. Sultan Paduma’s descendants succeeded him in ruling the group.
The first wave of Christian
settlers followed a few years later, led by Felix Ocampo. They hailed from far up north, in Manila. They chose to settle in the shores of Tukuran. They were later followed by the settlers from Pangasinan
together with their families and farming equipments.
Before Tukuran became a municipality, it was a part of the municipality of Labangan, until November 29, 1958, when President Carlos P. Garcia, under the recommendation of the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Board headed by Governor Bienvenido Ebarle, signed Executive Order No. 323 making Tukuran a municipality. The first municipal mayor appointed to head the municipality was Mayor Filomeno C. Villamero (who was then elected vice-mayor of Labangan), with Sultan Mamadra Panduma as the vice mayor.
and King Philip IV
of Spain signed on June 24, 1645 proves that the place used to be vassalage of the Sultan of Maguindanao. Islam was the dominant religion of the land. There was no king to rule, nor there existed a single law signifying the rights and duties of the subjects. Each datu considered himself as the most outstanding and powerful chieftain of the place and yet he had no more loyal subjects than his relatives and slaves. According to Thomas Forrest
in 1780 Tukuran is a place where Iranuns lived in, built and repaired prahus. There were several services conducted by Spaniards in the isthmus of Tukuran because of it being the strategic place for a Spanish stronghold and to shorten communication in the north of Pangil Bay to south of Illana Bay, as well. On March 12, 1890 a fortified station named after the member of the royal family fort Alfonso XII locally known as fort Militar was built to stop the Moro from their slave-raiding activities against the Subanu people to Christians, and to facilitate their pacification on Mindanao campaign of colonization in general. Governor General Valeriano Weyler proposed the construction of a canal across the isthmus. the plan, however, did not realize.
were forced to abandon the place on October 15, 1900 and the place was occupied by American soldiers. In 1912, Tukuran was established as a military district and then became a municipal district in 1918 with a population of 3,921. Due to the ongoing piratical raids, the people transferred the seat of the government to Labangan in 1921; settlers began to arrive. As a result of the heavy influx of the settlers from Luzon and Visayas there was fragile co-existence among the indigenous Moro, Lumads and Christian populations. In Luy-a and Camanga, Subanens retreated to the hinterlands and the Iranun Muslims gradually transferred to Labangan. Moros from Kalibaw, Karumatan (municipality of Karomatan) continued to raid the town. With this marauding activity, the American soldiers' attention was divided. The beach (front and shell depot) played an important role as a landing site of series of landing of ammunitions from Australia to supply the Guerilla Movement in Mindanao.
During the early days of resettlement, English was the lingua franca. The town fiesta was first celebrated in 1938 with San Isidro (Saint Isidore) as the patron.
The first contact with the Americans since World War II began was on March 5, 1943, when the US submarine Tambor passed by in Tukuran and distributed supplies. On board the submarine were Charles M. Smith and Commodore Charles Parson. These American officers informed Australia about the location of Tukuran as a good docking site. In the morning of January 25, 1945 at about 11:00 a US sea plane "Sta. Catalina" landed on the beach to unload supplies. During liberation period, American planes in V-formation fly in the sky. Displaced Tukuranons returned home and started to fix their abandoned homes. Schools were reopened and life returned to normal.
on November 29, 1958. Tukuran became a municipality. During early 1960s many Tukuranons had experienced the abundance of the sea. Some of the family especially the taga-baybay , coastline dwellers found fortune in the fishing industry. Curvada was the trading center of Tukuran during this time. Lab-asiros (fish traders) have usually experienced difficulty in transporting the tuna to Curvada due to the sticky mud in going to Tukuran proper. This decade was considered by Tukuranons as the dawn of the fishing industry of the town.
The center of the trading is in Curvada (the present PNP visibility post). Cans from the shore to Curvada were manually handled and which contained fresh fish. The trading activity was very progressive. There were Chinese -Filipinos who once lived there but vanished later due to their superstitious beliefs that the town was not favorable for business. Lab-aseros(fish traders), had usually experienced a difficulty in transporting the tuna to Curvada due to its sticky muddy road going to the trading center. Lupoy, an ordinary fish during this time was even visible at Canawa creek during high tide, and even crabs and other marine creatures were of abundance. Trucks from Aurora stayed only at Curvada because of the poor road condition and only waited for the lab-aseros to come and sell.
Great Fire in Poblacion
On January 21, 1971 at about one o’clock after the stall keepers had taken their lunch a day on the festivity of Sr. Sto. Niño of Pagadian, a great fire brought disaster on the first year of this decade. About a hundred houses and commercial establishments were burned down but luckily, no one was hurt. This caused an economic breakdown of the municipality as it was estimated to cost 2 million of the properties lost. Aid from the government through DSWD and some NGOs helped the townsfolk stand again from the ashes.
The Barracuda – Ilaga Conflict
Commander Toothpick, a Tiruray tribal warrior was known to fight against alleged Muslim terrorism and exploitation. It was this time that the term Ilaga was introduced into the vocabulary.“Ilaga” means “rat“ but Muslims of North Cotabato called it “Ilonggo Land Grabbing Association”.The Ilaga
was a Paramilitary Organization known for its anti-Muslim sentiments. It was composed initially, as reported in media, of some Ilonggo natives of Panay.
The physical pattern of events showed the spread of conflicts, from North Cotabato to Lanao del Sur, from Cotabato to Lanao del Norte, and from Cotabato to Zamboanga del Sur.It should be noted that Tukuran is the first coastal municipality from Lanao Sur in Illana Bay. The murder of Al Mirasan Tampogao, vice-mayor of Carumatan, in Tukuran at Sto. Niño, Tukuran is said to be one of catalyst of the Barracuda attacks in the area. The alleged assassin was a member of Ilaga, a group known for its anti-Muslim sentiments. After that incident, there had been fears of a Moro attack on the town to avenge the Vice-mayor's death. In May, the rebels in front of the burned Municipal hall of Labangan kidnapped Father O’Halpin, the parish priest of Tukuran, on his way back to the town, but he was released later. This related incident added to the suspicions that a conflict will soon come. At this time Labangan was in the hands of the Barracudas (black shirts). A suspected Barracuda attack on the town mayor's residence on the third week of April 1972 added to the tension between the two groups, although it was also suspected the attack was politically motivated. Consequently, the 29th IB, PA was able to intercept a message revealing that on July 27, 1973, there will be an attack on the town; the attack took place at early morning on the day before the set date, on the 26th.
Even though the 29th IB, Philippine Army had intercepted the rebels at Lambayong now Baranggay Panduma Sr. which is seventy five meters from the shore, the Barracudas were able to take hostage a pumpboat operator along the way and were successful in taking over the Shell Depot which is located just a few meters from the shore. The depot manager was killed. However, their alleged plan to destroy the depot was stopped because of the Army's intervention by then. The group split in two: one group retreated to Luy-a where they beheaded two civilians and slaughtered one carabao for consumption and fed on uncooked mais. It took them a week to retreat since there were blockades by the 29th Infantry Brigade in their way. Eventually, the rebels were able to escape going to Lanao del Norte. The other group attacked Militar and neighboring coastal barangays. Blockades by the 29th IB, PA at Tukuran River prevented them to penetrate the town center; they were forced to retreat to the hinterlands of Libertad. Some casualties were not being reported due to the tension being experienced by the people. As they retreated, passing Brgy. Baclay, they ambushed the Parish Priest of Aurora, Father Paulo Kill and luckily, he survived. In the aftermath, the rebels left 46 civilians, 11 rebels and IPAs dead.
The Barracuda-Ilaga Conflict had greatly depopulated the municipality as majority of the people relocated to other towns. Atty. Francisco D. Boter, the municipal registrar, in his article in Pagadian Times reported:
"Like a volcano that had erupted, Tukuran became a ghost town with only a handful of people roaming the streets with the mournful howling of scraggy dogs now and then disturbing the cemetery-like silence and solitude that pervaded the ones buzzing and taming residents.
Will the ones happy and prosperous people of Tukuran resume once more their active and enterprising way of life?"
. It was caused by a 6.7 magnitude undersea earthquake. People that night living in the coast heard the roaring sound of the sea, ran to save their lives going to Curvada at about 9:30 in the evening. In Bayao, houses were washed out into the mangroves and into the Bayao River delta. This time the residents were given assistance by the joint group of social action center (SAC), Kapapagaria Foundation Inc. (KFI) in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Despite the devastation, only one casualty was reported.
The decade of 70s left three marks: first, as the years of ashes that brought destruction to Poblacion that caused severe economic breakdown of the municipality. Second, the tidal wave on Illana Bay that destroyed properties. Third, was the Ilaga-Barracuda conflict in Tukuran that brought famine and hunger to the people and the very reason of the depopulation of the municipality. The general masses, both Christians and Muslims were caught in the middle of crossfire. Many of them transferred to neighboring towns of Aurora, Molave, Bonifacio, Pagadian, and even going back to Visayan islands, their homeland, if only to secure their life. Most of the Visayan people in the Poblacion took refuge in Dumaguete.
In 1978, right in his office, Mayor Antonio Jimenez, O.D. was arrested. An ASO or arrest and seizure order was issued against him from the national government. The remaining populace were baffled on the fate of the honorable mayor.
A series of related incidents on PA and CPP-NPA struggles in Tukuran during 1980’s. This was because of the Marcos dictatorship, communist movement had spread in the whole archipelago in an aim to change the routine style of the government. In this decade most of the barangay people fled or were forced and obliged to seek refuge in concentration camps and schools to protect them from the crossfire of two raging forces.
In 1988, the new government of Corazon Aquino ordered the conduct of a local elections in the Philippines. Bonifacio Vega was elected town mayor. His first term was characterized as the height of CPP-NPA and PA struggle. In Tagulo incident, there were seven killed in the side of the government. PA strongly believes that it was done by the CPP-NPA. Because of the struggle of two raging forces, his administration adopted, through the advice of the military, the policy of hamleting. As a result, the farmers in the far-flung barangays suffered. The military had estimated 80% of the business sectors were influenced by the rebels. Some of the suspected members of the CPP-NPA were arrested. The mayor had a hard time solving the main problem of his municipality.
Vega won for the second time in the 1992 National Elections. The issue on the CPP-NPA struggle was eventually resolved due to the implementation of various projects which focused on both socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects. In the 1995 National Elections, Vega was set to run but then decided not to, due to health reasons. Instead, he endorsed Isaias Barrido under the banner of Lakas-NUCD. Isaias Barrido won the election. By the advent of IRA the barangays comprising the municipality were provided with increased shares of the financial resources of the government with the aim of enhancing the delivery of basic services to the people for the second time he was elected. Municipal road concreting was one of his main programs, livelihood programs were his
main focus. Because of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the National Government, many projects were completed during his administration. He continued the construction of municipal streets, hanging bridge, solar driers, water reservoir, basketball courts, and farm to market roads to fasten the development of rural barangays. The municipal streets and other newly constructed infrastructures under the Barrido administration had changed greatly the profile of the municipality.
One of the most important industries is fishery. Tukuran and Pagadian City and many of the western towns have rich fishing grounds and the fish caught in Tukuran and Pagadian City
are transported to Ozamiz City
, Iligan City
and Cagayan de Oro City
. The fish caught in the western towns, due to costly transportation, are either salted or dried and sold to neighboring provinces. Life in Tukuran is relatively abundant.
s.
Public
Public
Private
WEST
Mutya Ng Tukuran - An annual beauty competition highlighting the Araw ng Tukuran Celebration every April 1 of the calendar year. The pageant is regularly held every March 31.
Sakayan Festival - An annual exhibition/parade of floats and the conduct of relevant activities sharing the same "sakayan" concept on the occasion of the "Araw Ng Tukuran".
Fluvial Parade - being conducted on the day before the town fiesta or during the vesperas.
Municipal Fiesta - A yearly celebration of the Our Lady of Star of the Sea under the diocese of Pagadian City.This happens every last Saturday of October. However, when the last Saturday is too close to November 1, the fiesta is being celebrated on the Saturday preceding the last.
Cebuano language
Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
: Lungsod Sa Tukuran; ; Iranun: Tukudan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Geography
The town of Tukuran is situated in the isthmus of Zamboanga peninsula of its southern part.After the construction of Maharlika Highway or the Tukuran-Dabliston Road, a national highway, Tukuran became the passageway of two regions – that are Region 9 and Region 10.The City of Pagadian can be reached within 20 minutes via private vehicle while 45–50 minutes via public utility vehicle or PUJ.
History
The original inhabitants were Subanens and Iranuns. Tukuran is derived from the word tukod meaning "to build" or "to construct". Its original inhabitants were Subanuns and Iranuns.Historically, Tukuran was a passing point of many merchants because of its location on the trade route. Merchants of different tribes regularly passed by the area, carrying with them their wares. These merchants usually came from the nearby provinces, most specifically, Zamboanga City and Southern Mindanao, as well as the places of Lanao and the Misamis region (Misamis Occidental
Misamis Occidental
Misamis Occidental is a province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Oroquieta City...
and Misamis Oriental
Misamis Oriental
Misamis Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital and provincial center is Cagayan de Oro City...
). When the Spaniards came, they tried to control the trade route, building the famous Fort Militar that overlooks Tukuran and the northern part of Illana Bay
Illana Bay
Illana Bay is a large bay in the southwestern part of Mindanao island, Philippines, at ....
, as well as the so-called Spanish Trocha which then connected Tukuran directly to the regions of Lanao and Misamis. It came to be known as the Trocha de Tukuran.
Close to the end of the century, the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, under the leadership of Sultan Amay Untad Panduma, founded a settlement in Tukuran. They claimed to have come from the Iranon tribe. Since their number was large, they decided to divide themselves and settle in the neighboring sitios. Sultan Paduma’s descendants succeeded him in ruling the group.
The first wave of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
settlers followed a few years later, led by Felix Ocampo. They hailed from far up north, in Manila. They chose to settle in the shores of Tukuran. They were later followed by the settlers from Pangasinan
Pangasinan
Pangasinan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is located on the west central and peripheral area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, with the total land area being 5,368.82 square kilometers . According to the latest census,...
together with their families and farming equipments.
Before Tukuran became a municipality, it was a part of the municipality of Labangan, until November 29, 1958, when President Carlos P. Garcia, under the recommendation of the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Board headed by Governor Bienvenido Ebarle, signed Executive Order No. 323 making Tukuran a municipality. The first municipal mayor appointed to head the municipality was Mayor Filomeno C. Villamero (who was then elected vice-mayor of Labangan), with Sultan Mamadra Panduma as the vice mayor.
The Spanish Period
An excerpt from the Treaty of Sultan Kudarat of MaguindanaoMaguindanao
Maguindanao is a province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Its capital is Shariff Aguak. It borders Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, and Sultan Kudarat to the south....
and King Philip IV
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
of Spain signed on June 24, 1645 proves that the place used to be vassalage of the Sultan of Maguindanao. Islam was the dominant religion of the land. There was no king to rule, nor there existed a single law signifying the rights and duties of the subjects. Each datu considered himself as the most outstanding and powerful chieftain of the place and yet he had no more loyal subjects than his relatives and slaves. According to Thomas Forrest
Thomas Forrest (navigator)
Thomas Forrest was an English navigator who worked for the British East India Company.-Life:He appears to have served for some time in the Royal Navy, and to have been a midshipman in 1745. Passages in his own writings show that he was employed in Indian waters from 1753 almost continuously...
in 1780 Tukuran is a place where Iranuns lived in, built and repaired prahus. There were several services conducted by Spaniards in the isthmus of Tukuran because of it being the strategic place for a Spanish stronghold and to shorten communication in the north of Pangil Bay to south of Illana Bay, as well. On March 12, 1890 a fortified station named after the member of the royal family fort Alfonso XII locally known as fort Militar was built to stop the Moro from their slave-raiding activities against the Subanu people to Christians, and to facilitate their pacification on Mindanao campaign of colonization in general. Governor General Valeriano Weyler proposed the construction of a canal across the isthmus. the plan, however, did not realize.
The American Period and World War II Liberation
Moro resistance on the hill of Tagulo, a sitio of Tukuran was pacified; the MorosMoros
In Greek mythology, Moros is the personification of impending doom, who drives mortals to their deadly fate. He is one of the offspring of Nyx , who had conceived him without male intervention, and brother of the Moirae ....
were forced to abandon the place on October 15, 1900 and the place was occupied by American soldiers. In 1912, Tukuran was established as a military district and then became a municipal district in 1918 with a population of 3,921. Due to the ongoing piratical raids, the people transferred the seat of the government to Labangan in 1921; settlers began to arrive. As a result of the heavy influx of the settlers from Luzon and Visayas there was fragile co-existence among the indigenous Moro, Lumads and Christian populations. In Luy-a and Camanga, Subanens retreated to the hinterlands and the Iranun Muslims gradually transferred to Labangan. Moros from Kalibaw, Karumatan (municipality of Karomatan) continued to raid the town. With this marauding activity, the American soldiers' attention was divided. The beach (front and shell depot) played an important role as a landing site of series of landing of ammunitions from Australia to supply the Guerilla Movement in Mindanao.
During the early days of resettlement, English was the lingua franca. The town fiesta was first celebrated in 1938 with San Isidro (Saint Isidore) as the patron.
The first contact with the Americans since World War II began was on March 5, 1943, when the US submarine Tambor passed by in Tukuran and distributed supplies. On board the submarine were Charles M. Smith and Commodore Charles Parson. These American officers informed Australia about the location of Tukuran as a good docking site. In the morning of January 25, 1945 at about 11:00 a US sea plane "Sta. Catalina" landed on the beach to unload supplies. During liberation period, American planes in V-formation fly in the sky. Displaced Tukuranons returned home and started to fix their abandoned homes. Schools were reopened and life returned to normal.
Townhood and the 1960's
Mayor Filomino Villamero, the mayor of the town of Labangan considered the idea of making Tukuran a municipality by virtue of Executive Order 323 signed by his Excellency Carlos P. GarciaCarlos P. Garcia
Carlos Polistico García was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist and guerrilla leader...
on November 29, 1958. Tukuran became a municipality. During early 1960s many Tukuranons had experienced the abundance of the sea. Some of the family especially the taga-baybay , coastline dwellers found fortune in the fishing industry. Curvada was the trading center of Tukuran during this time. Lab-asiros (fish traders) have usually experienced difficulty in transporting the tuna to Curvada due to the sticky mud in going to Tukuran proper. This decade was considered by Tukuranons as the dawn of the fishing industry of the town.
The center of the trading is in Curvada (the present PNP visibility post). Cans from the shore to Curvada were manually handled and which contained fresh fish. The trading activity was very progressive. There were Chinese -Filipinos who once lived there but vanished later due to their superstitious beliefs that the town was not favorable for business. Lab-aseros(fish traders), had usually experienced a difficulty in transporting the tuna to Curvada due to its sticky muddy road going to the trading center. Lupoy, an ordinary fish during this time was even visible at Canawa creek during high tide, and even crabs and other marine creatures were of abundance. Trucks from Aurora stayed only at Curvada because of the poor road condition and only waited for the lab-aseros to come and sell.
The 1970s
This decade was characterized by military instability and natural calamities that affected the people’s socio-economic activity.Great Fire in Poblacion
On January 21, 1971 at about one o’clock after the stall keepers had taken their lunch a day on the festivity of Sr. Sto. Niño of Pagadian, a great fire brought disaster on the first year of this decade. About a hundred houses and commercial establishments were burned down but luckily, no one was hurt. This caused an economic breakdown of the municipality as it was estimated to cost 2 million of the properties lost. Aid from the government through DSWD and some NGOs helped the townsfolk stand again from the ashes.
The Barracuda – Ilaga Conflict
Commander Toothpick, a Tiruray tribal warrior was known to fight against alleged Muslim terrorism and exploitation. It was this time that the term Ilaga was introduced into the vocabulary.“Ilaga” means “rat“ but Muslims of North Cotabato called it “Ilonggo Land Grabbing Association”.The Ilaga
Ilaga
The Ilaga is a Christian militia in the Philippines that operated during the 1970s in Southern Mindanao that fought against Moro Islamist militia. Increased tensions in the Philippines since 2008 have since seen the reemergence of the armed vigilante group calling themselves the Bag-ong Ilaga...
was a Paramilitary Organization known for its anti-Muslim sentiments. It was composed initially, as reported in media, of some Ilonggo natives of Panay.
The physical pattern of events showed the spread of conflicts, from North Cotabato to Lanao del Sur, from Cotabato to Lanao del Norte, and from Cotabato to Zamboanga del Sur.It should be noted that Tukuran is the first coastal municipality from Lanao Sur in Illana Bay. The murder of Al Mirasan Tampogao, vice-mayor of Carumatan, in Tukuran at Sto. Niño, Tukuran is said to be one of catalyst of the Barracuda attacks in the area. The alleged assassin was a member of Ilaga, a group known for its anti-Muslim sentiments. After that incident, there had been fears of a Moro attack on the town to avenge the Vice-mayor's death. In May, the rebels in front of the burned Municipal hall of Labangan kidnapped Father O’Halpin, the parish priest of Tukuran, on his way back to the town, but he was released later. This related incident added to the suspicions that a conflict will soon come. At this time Labangan was in the hands of the Barracudas (black shirts). A suspected Barracuda attack on the town mayor's residence on the third week of April 1972 added to the tension between the two groups, although it was also suspected the attack was politically motivated. Consequently, the 29th IB, PA was able to intercept a message revealing that on July 27, 1973, there will be an attack on the town; the attack took place at early morning on the day before the set date, on the 26th.
Even though the 29th IB, Philippine Army had intercepted the rebels at Lambayong now Baranggay Panduma Sr. which is seventy five meters from the shore, the Barracudas were able to take hostage a pumpboat operator along the way and were successful in taking over the Shell Depot which is located just a few meters from the shore. The depot manager was killed. However, their alleged plan to destroy the depot was stopped because of the Army's intervention by then. The group split in two: one group retreated to Luy-a where they beheaded two civilians and slaughtered one carabao for consumption and fed on uncooked mais. It took them a week to retreat since there were blockades by the 29th Infantry Brigade in their way. Eventually, the rebels were able to escape going to Lanao del Norte. The other group attacked Militar and neighboring coastal barangays. Blockades by the 29th IB, PA at Tukuran River prevented them to penetrate the town center; they were forced to retreat to the hinterlands of Libertad. Some casualties were not being reported due to the tension being experienced by the people. As they retreated, passing Brgy. Baclay, they ambushed the Parish Priest of Aurora, Father Paulo Kill and luckily, he survived. In the aftermath, the rebels left 46 civilians, 11 rebels and IPAs dead.
The Barracuda-Ilaga Conflict had greatly depopulated the municipality as majority of the people relocated to other towns. Atty. Francisco D. Boter, the municipal registrar, in his article in Pagadian Times reported:
"Like a volcano that had erupted, Tukuran became a ghost town with only a handful of people roaming the streets with the mournful howling of scraggy dogs now and then disturbing the cemetery-like silence and solitude that pervaded the ones buzzing and taming residents.
Will the ones happy and prosperous people of Tukuran resume once more their active and enterprising way of life?"
The Tsunami of 1976
On the evening of August 17, 1976, tsunami ravaged Illana Bay or 1976 Moro Gulf Earthquake1976 Moro Gulf Earthquake
The 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake and tsunami took place on August 16, 1976, near the islands of Mindanao and Sulu, in the Philippines. Its magnitude was calculated as being as high as 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale. The epicenter was in the Celebes Sea between the islands of Mindanao and Borneo...
. It was caused by a 6.7 magnitude undersea earthquake. People that night living in the coast heard the roaring sound of the sea, ran to save their lives going to Curvada at about 9:30 in the evening. In Bayao, houses were washed out into the mangroves and into the Bayao River delta. This time the residents were given assistance by the joint group of social action center (SAC), Kapapagaria Foundation Inc. (KFI) in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Despite the devastation, only one casualty was reported.
The decade of 70s left three marks: first, as the years of ashes that brought destruction to Poblacion that caused severe economic breakdown of the municipality. Second, the tidal wave on Illana Bay that destroyed properties. Third, was the Ilaga-Barracuda conflict in Tukuran that brought famine and hunger to the people and the very reason of the depopulation of the municipality. The general masses, both Christians and Muslims were caught in the middle of crossfire. Many of them transferred to neighboring towns of Aurora, Molave, Bonifacio, Pagadian, and even going back to Visayan islands, their homeland, if only to secure their life. Most of the Visayan people in the Poblacion took refuge in Dumaguete.
In 1978, right in his office, Mayor Antonio Jimenez, O.D. was arrested. An ASO or arrest and seizure order was issued against him from the national government. The remaining populace were baffled on the fate of the honorable mayor.
A series of related incidents on PA and CPP-NPA struggles in Tukuran during 1980’s. This was because of the Marcos dictatorship, communist movement had spread in the whole archipelago in an aim to change the routine style of the government. In this decade most of the barangay people fled or were forced and obliged to seek refuge in concentration camps and schools to protect them from the crossfire of two raging forces.
Post-EDSA Revolution to Present
After EDSA revolution, Isaias Barrido was appointed as municipal mayor as part of the reorganization program of Aquino government. He was a former forest ranger assigned at the Baclay nursery, a reforestation project of the national government. The first challenge to his administration occurred on October 24, 1986 due to the intense operation of PA against CPP-NPA. A mistarget landed in Curvada rice field. Hundreds could have been killed if it landed in the public market.In 1988, the new government of Corazon Aquino ordered the conduct of a local elections in the Philippines. Bonifacio Vega was elected town mayor. His first term was characterized as the height of CPP-NPA and PA struggle. In Tagulo incident, there were seven killed in the side of the government. PA strongly believes that it was done by the CPP-NPA. Because of the struggle of two raging forces, his administration adopted, through the advice of the military, the policy of hamleting. As a result, the farmers in the far-flung barangays suffered. The military had estimated 80% of the business sectors were influenced by the rebels. Some of the suspected members of the CPP-NPA were arrested. The mayor had a hard time solving the main problem of his municipality.
Vega won for the second time in the 1992 National Elections. The issue on the CPP-NPA struggle was eventually resolved due to the implementation of various projects which focused on both socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects. In the 1995 National Elections, Vega was set to run but then decided not to, due to health reasons. Instead, he endorsed Isaias Barrido under the banner of Lakas-NUCD. Isaias Barrido won the election. By the advent of IRA the barangays comprising the municipality were provided with increased shares of the financial resources of the government with the aim of enhancing the delivery of basic services to the people for the second time he was elected. Municipal road concreting was one of his main programs, livelihood programs were his
main focus. Because of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the National Government, many projects were completed during his administration. He continued the construction of municipal streets, hanging bridge, solar driers, water reservoir, basketball courts, and farm to market roads to fasten the development of rural barangays. The municipal streets and other newly constructed infrastructures under the Barrido administration had changed greatly the profile of the municipality.
Economy
The town is primarily agricultural with rice as its main crop. It also has a thriving fishport. The town's long stretch of fine black sand is a popular weekend destination for people from Pagadian and neighboring towns.One of the most important industries is fishery. Tukuran and Pagadian City and many of the western towns have rich fishing grounds and the fish caught in Tukuran and Pagadian City
Pagadian City
The City of Pagadian is the provincial capital of Zamboanga del Sur in the island of Mindanao, Republic of the Philippines.-Overview:The city had its beginnings as a...
are transported to Ozamiz City
Ozamiz City
Ozamiz is a 2nd class city in the province of Misamis Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 123,137.- History :...
, Iligan City
Iligan City
The City of Iligan is a highly urbanized industrial city north of the province of Lanao del Norte, Philippines, and the province's former capital. It is approximately 795 kilometers southeast of Manila...
and Cagayan de Oro City
Cagayan de Oro City
Cagayan de Oro; , officially the City of Cagayan de Oro, is the provincial capital city of the province of Misamis Oriental in the Philippines...
. The fish caught in the western towns, due to costly transportation, are either salted or dried and sold to neighboring provinces. Life in Tukuran is relatively abundant.
Population
Tukuran has 24,544 numbers of voters in 2009 and a population of 36,591 as of August 1, 2007. The National Statistics Office(NSO) did not classify the income class of the municipality on their website.Barangays
Tukuran is politically subdivided into 25 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
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| Tukuran LGU | |
|---|---|
| Tukuran LGU Officers (from 2010–2013) |
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| Effective Until June 30 (2013) | |
| Title Title A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name... |
Name |
| Mayor Mayor In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city.... |
Francisvic S.Villamero |
| Vice Mayor | Ceasar C. Rota |
| SB Member | Maychel V. Rota |
| SB Member | Joean Marie P. Tingson |
| SB Member | Alberto R. Bergado |
| SB Member | Lelanie A. Vargas |
| SB Member | Bienvenido E. Ocampo |
| SB Member | Raul P. Llagas |
| SB Member | Nahum E. Dosdos |
| SB Member | Pascual D. Pongase II |
| ABC President | Delfina S. Cortina |
| SK Federated | Karen A. Cabatic |
Pre-School
- Stella Maris Learning Center (Nursery and Kinder 1 and 2)
- Hyrons Pre-School
- Alliance Pre-School
- Liceo de ZamboangaLiceo de ZamboangaLiceo de Zamboanga is a new school in San Carlos, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur with an international-oriented curriculum founded on 2005.The curriculum experts and advisers are diverse, as they are people of different heritage, many of whom came from Northern Illinois University and University of...
Primary
Private- SDA-Seventh Day Adventist Elementary School
Public
- TCES-Tukuran Central Elementary School- San Carlos
- TSC-Tukuran Sped School- San Carlos
- SNCES-Sto. Niño Central Elementary School- Sto. Niño
- Panduma Sr. Elem. School- Panduma
- M.R. Dablo Elementary School- Sugod
- Jose Suico Sr. Mem. Elem. School- Alindahaw
Secondary
Private- SSHS-Star of the Sea High SchoolStar of the Sea High SchoolStar of the Sea High School , a parochial high school run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pagadian in Sto. Niño, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur, Republic of the Philippines...
- Sister School of Saint Columban High School Pagadian City
Public
- TTVHS-Tukuran Technical-Vocational High School
- Former Names
- Tukuran Comprehensive National High School
- San Carlos National High School
- San Carlos Barangay High School
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- Campuses
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- TTVHS Campus 1-3rd and 4th year
- TTVHS Campus 2-2nd year
- TTVHS Campus 3-1st year
- TTVHS Tagulo Extension Campus
- TTVHS Tabuan Extension Campus
- NNHS-Navalan National High School
- LNHS-Laperian National High School
Tertiary
Public- JHCSC-Josephina H. Cerilles State College Tukuran Campus
Private
- Hyrons Philippines College
Business
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Beach and Resorts
EAST- Baguio Beach
- Serena Beach
- Lorie Mae Beach Resort and Restaurant
WEST
- Hyrons Beach
- ED Beach
- Vega Beach
- Villamero Beach
- Triple-A Beach
- Tribu Beach
- Labad Beach
- E and D- formerly TABAK E
- LGU Beach and Convention Hall
- Marcaban Beach
- Pulmones Beach
- Dynasty King Beach
- Ocean Breeze Beach
- Pamaran Beach and Resort
Events
Tingson's Pangisda Festival Competition - Tribal dance competition every January organized by the owner of TS Fishing for yearly fiesta of Sr. Sto Niño of Cebu.On January 13, 2011, the second year competition was held with a grand prize of 50,000 Philippine peso. This competition will hopefully be held annually in coordination with the barangay (Sto. Niño) and Municipal LGUs.Mutya Ng Tukuran - An annual beauty competition highlighting the Araw ng Tukuran Celebration every April 1 of the calendar year. The pageant is regularly held every March 31.
Sakayan Festival - An annual exhibition/parade of floats and the conduct of relevant activities sharing the same "sakayan" concept on the occasion of the "Araw Ng Tukuran".
Fluvial Parade - being conducted on the day before the town fiesta or during the vesperas.
Municipal Fiesta - A yearly celebration of the Our Lady of Star of the Sea under the diocese of Pagadian City.This happens every last Saturday of October. However, when the last Saturday is too close to November 1, the fiesta is being celebrated on the Saturday preceding the last.
Transportation
- Tricycle - Operates its route from town to beach resorts and to the different barangays of the Municipality.
- Single Motorcycle - A mode of transport locally known as "habal-habal" to the Municipality of Sultan Naga Dimaporo or Also known as Karomatan, and to far-flung barangays which are not reachable by other modes of transportations.
- Rural Transit - Starts its operation on March 2010 from Tukuran to Ozamiz City via Aurora and Aurora To Pagadian City via Tukuran.
- Sikad Sikad - Around the town, a gas-less way of transportation by using pedals to run.
Mutya ng Tukuran
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| Mutya Ng Tukuran 2012 | Pageant Date-March 31, 2012 |
| Mutya Ng Tukuran 2011 | Kareen Mae Laano |
| Mutya Ng Tukuran 2010 | Mary Garneth E. Viray |
| Mutya Ng Tukuran 2009 | Cathy D. Cañete |
| Mutya Ng Tukuran 2008 | Jane Pillora |
| Mutya Ng Tukuran 2007 | Sheena M. Lador |
| Mutya Ng Tukuran 2006 | Luchie Pimentel |
| Mutya Ng Tukuran 2005 | Claire M. Quirabo |
| Mutya Ng Tukuran 2004 | Arlene Maglangit |
| Mutya Ng Tukuran 1998 | Lyra Jane O. Velayo |
Municipal Mayors and Vice Mayors
| Year | Mayor | Vice Mayor | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–present | Francisvic S.Villamero | Ceasar C. Rota | |
| 2007–2010 | Bonifacio C. Vega Jr. | Ceasar C. Rota | |
| 2004–2007 | Bonifacio C. Vega Jr. | Ceasar C. Rota | |
| 2001–2004 | Isaias P. Barrido | Marcelino Rota | |
| 1998–2001 | Isaias P. Barrido | Leo Velayo | |
| 1995–1998 | Isaias P. Barrido | Marcelino Rota | |
| 1992–1995 | Bonifacio Vega Sr. | Marcelino Rota | |
| 1988–1992 | Bonifacio Vega Sr. | ||
| 1987–1988 | Eduardo Salon | Nicanor Suarin | |
| Dec 1-15 1987 | Idelfonso S. Catane | ||
| 1986–1987 | Isaias P. Barrido | Bueno E. Cadungog | |
| 1980- | Prudencio Calletor | ||
| 1978- | Antonio Jimenez | ||
| 1962- | Calletor | ||
| 1959- | Felomino C. Villamero | Sultan Mamadra Panduma |
Organizations
- Alpha Kappa Rho (AKro) Tukuran Chapter
- Zeta Phi Omega (ZPO) Tukuran Chapter
- Tau Gamma Phi Tukuran Chapter
- Tukuran Badmenton Club
More About Tukuran
- Kargado - a movie starring Gardo VersozaGardo VersozaGardo Versoza, born Mennen Torres Polintan on November 8, 1969, is a popular Filipino actor who has appeared in over forty movies and dozens of television shows. He started out in roles such as Sabik Sa Halik, Machete II, Halimuyak Ng Babae and Kirot. Later, he went on to star in action movies...
as Frido Shoot in Tabak E Beach Resort now E and D beach with Camelle Roxas, Aya Medil, Anna Capri, Mat Ranillo III, and Dan FernandezDan FernandezDan Fernandez is the Lead Product Manager for Visual Studio Express at Microsoft corporation. He has worked for Microsoft since 2001 most recently he was the C# Product Manager. Dan is a frequent speaker at events like Developer Days, TechEd, and Visual Studio Connections...
and many more on 1998.
Tukuranon in Politics
- Maychel Velayo-Rota - The President of Councilors League of the Province of Zamboanga del SurZamboanga del SurZamboanga del Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Pagadian City is the capital...
from 2007 until 2010. - Kiram M. Cayda of AMIN or Anak MindanaoAnak MindanaoAnak Mindanao is a party-list in the Philippines, based in Mindanao.In the 2004 elections for the House of Representatives the party-list got 269,750 votes and one seat...
party-list. He is nominated as party-list representative for congress in the 2nd Set number 5 or 11th out of 11 nominees of 2 Sets for AMIN party list last May 10, 2010 National Election. Kiram M. Cayda was working as Barangay Book Keeper of Brgy. Panduma Sr., Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur. He was elected barangay kagawad last barangay elections. He is now a member of the barangay council.
External links
- Philippine Standard Geographic Code
- 2000 Philippine Census Information
- (Halil Sulog Mucaram) Page researcher
- Official Website of the Municipality of Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines