Kumbira began as the 1st Cagayan de Oro Cultural and Culinary Festival on August 23, 1996, a very modest one-day event by today’s standards even though the Cagayan de Oro City Council passed a resolution declaring it a one week celebration on August 23-30. However, COHARA wanted something local, so while discussing what name was …
Category Archives: History
Renovated 4ID Museum opening soon
Camp Evangelista, Cagayan De Oro City- The former museum building of this city’s resident military unit has been renovated and will soon reopen its doors as the city’s fifth museum. In a turnover ceremony held at Camp Edilberto Evangelista, the newly renovated Borromeo Hall turns a new chapter as home of the 4th Infantry “Diamond” …
Pershing’s March Around Lake Lanao: Archaeol dig debunks American report on Battle of Kota Kalawi
An archeological dig in Lanao del Sur has apparently unmasked the claims of one of America’s foremost military leaders as a fake. During the presentation and turnover of the Kota Kalawi Archeological and Historical Project held 24 August 2026 at the Lanao del Sur Provincial Capitol, Project Team Leader Leee Anthony M. Neri, PhD, Dean …
Message from The Editor-in-Chief Ramoncito Ocampo Cruz, Cagayan de Oro 400 Years Coffee Table Book
When people think of Cagayan de Oro, they often think of the phrase we carry so proudly: “The City of Golden Friendship.” But as an editorial team, when we began digging into the very bones of this project, we asked ourselves: What lies beneath that golden warmth? What is the true bedrock of this city? …
A Four Centuries in Four Decades Journey : CAGAYAN DE ORO 400 YEARS Coffee Table Book
It took a long time coming, but after a passage of nearly five decades, Cagayan de Oro’s first ever Coffee Table book covering its past, present and future history and heritage has come to fruition. In a Grand Launch held at a local hotel on June 9, 2026, “CAGAYAN DE ORO 400 YEARS” was finally …
The Northern Mindanao Campaign of the Philippine-American War Revisited
Very few Kagay-anons today are aware that Cagayan de Oro (then known as Cagayan de Misamis), was the primary center of resistance in Mindanao to the American invasion of the Philippines during the Philippine-American War. Based on historical records, the Northern Mindanao Resistance (primarily centered in Cagayan de Misamis under General Nicolas Capistrano) was a …
Continue reading “The Northern Mindanao Campaign of the Philippine-American War Revisited”
Mindanao Resistance mainstreamed in 125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and Nationhood
A fresh look at the local history of Mindanao during the Philippine Revolution which presented new and existing historiographies from 1898 to 1901 was highlighted in an academic conference hosted by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on 25-26 May 2026 at the Ayala Museum, Makati City. The conference sought to explore the enduring …
Historians gather for 125th Anniversary of the Proclamation of PH Independence Finale
PANAGRIING: A Nation Still Rising MAKATI CITY- The National Historical Commission of the Philippines paid a fitting tribute to the proclamation of the country’s independence with a two-day academic conference held 25 May 2026 at the Ayala Museum, Makati City. The Three-Year Milestone Commemoration began in 2023, as the Philippines marked the 125th Anniversary of …
𝑷𝑨𝑵𝑨𝑮𝑹𝑰𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑨 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑺𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈
Mindanao Local History takes center stage in Closing Conference of the 125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and Nationhood A fresh look at the local history of Mindanao during the Philippine Revolution which will present both new and existing historiographies from 1898 to 1901 will be highlighted in an academic conference hosted by the National Historical …
The Fountainhead
The Humble Beginnings of Lim Ket Kai In the early part of the 20th century, a young Mr. Lim Ket Kai, at the age of 12, together with his father, emigrated from Quemoy, China and landed in the old town of Cagayan de Misamis, in the then frontier island of Mindanao, Philippines. As a poor …