THE long weekend did not only reminded - supposedly - Cagayan de Oro on its 68th Charter Day, the day when the city calling it a non-working holiday annually every June 15th, as a historical reminder when the once Misamis de Cagayan become Cagayan de Oro City on June 15, 1950.
The annual celebration of Charter Day was through the virtue of Republic Act 7670 which became a law in 1994. The law that made Cagayan de Oro as a chartered city was Republic Act 521, but the lobbying of its creation started since 1946 by Misamis Congressman Pedro Baculio.
The Charter Day celebrations should have been a reminder of the rich history of Cagayan de Oro, dating from the pre-colonial civilization of Huluga - and now that there have been re-discoveries of 700,000 year-old prehistoric humans and animals found in Kalinga in Northern Luzon, it can be possible that Cagayan de Oro has one, too, if not in Northern Mindanao region.
Some groups in the education sector have long been lobbying the inclusion of local history in the curricula on all levels, from elementary to tertiary, this is to fully appreciate that every locality in the Philippines, people in the regions also have its contribution not only shaping their cities or municipalities now, but in the building of the nation as a whole.
Perhaps the City Council can introduce a local legislation that encourages the creation of Cagayan de Oro or Northern Mindanao history, otherwise, recent generations can only appreciate June 15 as a mere no-working holiday, with less value of its historical importance.
However, the celebration for Charter Day last Friday was almost muted because of the political activities staged. We witnessed two opposing political rivals being swept by one persona - Davao City mayor Sara Duterte, who is also the daughter of an incumbent and controversial Philippine president.
Some common folks in Cagayan de Oro accepted her with glee, while some coming from the critical thinking circles find it with a little disgust, insinuating how local politicians have again turned their coats in the name of political survival. Yet again, the funny thing is, despite the two groups being associated now with the current administration, the local division is as clear as day.
Mayor Duterte was guest speaker on two separate oath taking ceremonies of recently elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials - one, was organized by the City Government led by Mayor Oscar Moreno, the other by the Provincial Government led by Governor Yevgeny Emano.
It has been Moreno versus the Emano family since 2013, and even the younger Emano holds Misamis Oriental, still a number of barangay officials in Cagayan de Oro are linked to his family’s Padayon Pilipino local party. After all, his father, Vicente, was mayor for more than 20 years and it’s not that easy to severe loyalties with some barangay officials in the city.
Again, it is crucial local politicians get a hold of barangay officials, especially that 2019 elections are drawing near, and they needed to be associated by bigger political party at some point in order for these politicians get the support from barangay officials. This led Moreno transfer to PDP-Laban through Senator Koko Pimentel, and now Emano siding with the newly created Hugpong sa Pagbabago regional party. While PDP is the ruling party in the national level, Hugpong is still allied with PDP since it’s led by the daughter Duterte.
And yet, at the end of the day, these two political rivalries were subdued by a Duterte, and now it is up for these rivals to “patch things up,” or not. This is another chapter in Cagayan de Oro history, but on how it’s narrated is still subject to the future historians’ perceived biases.
(nefluczon@gmail.com)