Barangay Dalipuga

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Date Created: Jan. 20, 1967
Fiesta: August 17
Population:14872
Area: 971 ha.
Distance (from the city): 12.1 km

Dalipuga is one of the coastal barangays in Iligan City. It has rolling hills and it borders the sea. As you enter the barangay of  Dalipuga by way of the main highway you are welcomed by the freemason’s monument on one side of the road. It’s because Dalipuga is the first coastal barangay in Iligan from the province of  Misamis Oriental. 



Dalipuga  continues on until it meets up with another coastal  barangay of Kiwalan.  Dalipuga is also very much industrialized.  Holcim Philippines is located on the border with   Petronas and other big companies are also in Dalipuga.

Although some of the beach front properties have been fenced in by corporations, you can still go swimming in the beautiful centennial park’s public beach.

Dalipuga is also known for  its waterfalls – Kalubihon Falls, Dalipuga Falls and Pampam Falls.

How Dalipuga Got Its Name?

In 1789 when Iligan became a pueblo or town, Dalipuga was already a barrio or balangay. According to the late Panulong Ganat, who was born on 1874, his late father was a descendant of late Sultan Kalubi, chieftain of Balangay Dalipuga when the Spaniards established a colony in Iligan.

Sultan Kalubi’s Torogan is situated in Purok 4, Sitio Kalubihon were traces of the old Mosque, cemetery and the site of the Torogan can be relocated. Sultan Kalubi had three (3) children. His sultanate kingdom or the political boundaries of his dominion ranges from Initao River to Mandulog River. One of his children is Princess Dali. Princess Dali was an extraordinary beautiful maiden and skillful in swordsmanship like her two ‘baganis’ or warrior brothers. The two brothers died in defending their kingdom against Moro bandits who wanted to enslave their dominion. On their death, Princess Dali acted as the head of several ‘baganis’ or warriors defending their kingdom.

When Sultan Kalubi grew old, he wants that his daughter got married. Princess Dali being born brave and warrior agree on a condition that she must be defeated in a fair fight. The winner will become the husband of Princess Dali and will be crowned as the new sultan. No one defeats Princess Dali and that’s the reason why Princess Dali became famous and that even Spanish soldiers were hesitant to trade with her.

One day a wounded man is seen adrift on the shoreline of Tag-ibo. The man was treated and become a slave. It turn out that the survivor has an extraordinary prowess and excel in martial arts that even Princess Dali cannot defeat. Skilled warrior of the past is an exception of a rule or norms of conduct that the slave class can marry a noble class. He became the husband of Princess Dali and was crowned as the new sultan.

The Spaniards came and was able to befriend the couple Princess Dali and Chieftain Puga. They established trade relations and were able to neutralize the area for the Spaniards presumed that it is a staging point for attacks of the natives against the Spanish forts. Under the leadership of Chieftain Puga, the natives lived peacefully. Both the couple (Dali and Puga) and Sultan Kalubi died mysteriously or due to an occurrence of an epidemic. The place was called ‘Dalipuga’ in memory of the exploits of the couple that open trade relations to external forces and it became a trade center and expands such activities to ‘Ba-ilo’ a Sitio of Barangay Kiwalan. BAILO is a native word for barter.

Legal Basis of Creation
 
Barangay Dalipuga was created under Resolution No. 366 series of 1966; under City Ordinance No. 321 and approved on Jan 20, 1967.

Entry of Settlers of different Ethnic Group

Prior to the American Regime Dalipuga is already a trading center since the days of Chieftain Dali, the establishment of that trade relations from outside or other parts of Mindanao triggered farming activities. Some of the traders brought their families in Dalipuga and settled down and/or have intermarriage with the natives. The Philippine Bill in 1902 declaring that Non-Christian natives could not own lands more than 8 hectares forces the natives to adopt Christian family names (particularly those coming from the colonized islands i.e. Luzon and Visayas). These processes lose the cultural identity of the natives. Those who opted to remain with a natives’ family name, owned or registered land only in small amount while those with Christian origin owns a homestead comprising more than 16 hectares. The Bill also, attracts more settlers used by the Americans in pacification campaign against Moro rebellion by peopling the Moro Provinces of these “Christian settlers”.

Ethnic Origin of the People and Dialects
 
The original inhabitants of Dalipuga are believed to be members of the Higa-unon Tribe, who are presently found in the mountain communities of Iligan and Misamis Oriental. In the course of time, most of them gradually retreated to the upland areas after selling their clearings to the settlers. Those who opted to remain, especially their offspring’s had been completely assimilated into the mainstream or Christians. Later settlers came from the Visayan provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Leyte, Negros Oriental and other provinces of Mindanao settled in Dalipuga.

Dalipuga during the Second World War

Dalipuga is a communication center of the guerillas or the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) fighting against the Japanese Invasion Forces. The micro-hydro power generator installed at Dalipuga Falls owned by Loloy Yañez used before the war as corn mill drive is used to power the communication facilities of the guerillas. One of the greatest achievement of the guerillas is having contacted General Mc Arthur who is based in Australia. A supply submarine from Australia landed in ACMAC (acronym of USAFFE guerilla leaders; Andres, Castro, Miguel, Actub and Carbonell the communication officer) bringing in materials used in guerilla operations, expansion and consolidation works. Dalipuga as a liberated area functions also, as a trading center at that period.

The present Sto. Niño Village or Purok 4, Kalubihon a Sitio of Barangay Dalipuga is the location of the flea market. The able leadership of Isaac Dandasan Sr. as a Provost Marshall contained and controlled the guerilla base. Prominent Iliganons families had evacuated in Dalipuga as a guerilla stronghold, they are; Jose F. Yañez, Dr. Jose Deleste, Dr. Mauro Ferraren, Judge Rovira and families of guerilla leaders. Almost all peoples of Dalipuga are active in guerilla related activities like food production, intelligence gathering and providing security services at the guerilla base.

Post War Dalipuga

The area (Barangay Dalipuga) consisting of sixteen (16) sitios namely: Matab-ang, Mapalad, Paitan, Upper Paitan, Balacanas, Ambiliron, Bulalang, Angkalon, Lacub 1, Kalubihon 1, Upper Tag-ibo, Tag-ibo, Dalipuga Proper, Habitat Community, Abandon Road and Lamak is 971.23 hectares, less than 1/80th of the political subdivision of Iligan City which has a total land area of 81,000 hectares. The area basically hilly and rolling, is a strategic importance to the City of Iligan and the Town of Luga-it, Misamis Oriental, a mining quarry of two major cement plants situated in Luga-it, Misamis Oriental and in Kiwalan, Iligan City with an approved mining claim of 12 – 81 hectares per claim with a total of 972 hectares covering Kalubihon, Lacub and Bulalang Hills. Attracted by its beautiful harbor on the Southwest portion a major food processing plant (PILMICO FOODS CORPORATION) was established in 1963, while, in the Northwest portion a gas, refractory bricks, and a power plants (Petronas, Refractory Bricks Corporation, Northern Mindanao Power Corporation) were also, established. Its ground water was tapped for industrial and domestic uses and its natural flowing springs were tapped for potable use. On its flood plain areas lay the population centers and recently, Habitat communities for those affected by infrastructure projects flourished in government lots at Sitio Kalubihon, Dalipuga, Iligan City.



The People
 
The people living in the area are the Lumads (Higa-unon descent who intermarriage with the Settlers), notable families of the Lumads are; the descendants of Amay Tipon, Man Alongay and/or Bagonsalibu like; Bahoy, Raterta, Balala, Jarales, Labian, Alongay, Macaliag, Sacabin, Donton, Bancairen, Bayog, Pagalan, Cabiladas, Tabora, Garcia, Nuñeza, Duayao, Diala, Jariolne, Balasabas, Balabat, Abejo, Labis, Mendez, Nale, Sabuero, Faberecio, Sakay, Dandasan and others who lost their family name due to intermarriage. These people are relatives and have their roots in Misamis Oriental particularly, Initao, Naawan, Manticao and Luga-it, they came to settle at Dalipuga due to the attraction of American Educational System introduced in early 1900 because Dalipuga is the first complete elementary school in the region. These people and some Settlers had served in the Second World War as members of the guerillas fighting against the Japanese Invasion Forces.

The Mestizo Maranaos (product of the intermarriage with Maranao who speak different language from the Higa-unon but of common ancestry), the descendants of Sultan Kalubi like; the Ganat’s, Dagalangit, Sarip, Datu-imam, Madali, Badi, Gangawan, Embaay and Dulag. The Sultanate system of the Mestizo Maranaos is still strong and maintains its cultural and territorial hold in Sitio Tag-ibo, Dalipuga, Iligan City while their Lumad cousins had intermarriage with the Settlers had lost their cultural identity by embracing the Settler’s religious system.

And the Settlers (who originate from the Visayan Islands) they are; First Wave of migration attracted by the dictum of Mindanao as the Land of Promise and use by the Americans in peopling the Moro Province. They are; Loloy Yañez, Sara, Lamberang, Pagaling, Villanueva, Jabagat, Duma-og or Da-ug, Anoos, Sumile, Jumawan, Migreño, Manos, Pogay, Sali-ot, Paculba, Tingcang, Daligdig, Ansing, Gumahad, Tinoy, Villamor, Magsayo, Andam, Dagasuhan, Dalura, Arcamo, Sandoy, Sumagang, Baoc, Samson, Lomonggo, Amantiad, Daguisonan, Onga, Galua, and the Villa and Quirino who originate from Ilocos Provinces.

The Second Wave of migration occurred in the post war era during the construction of the industries like the cement, food processing, logging, and coco oil plants. Skilled and semi-skilled workers and their families from Leyte, Samar, Cebu, and Negros Provinces and from Luzon came to settle in Dalipuga. And the third wave of migration occurred when Dalipuga became a population center per identification of the City Planning and Development Office of the City of Iligan. Subdivisions or housing units are established and it became a government’s relocation area. Presently Dalipuga has a population of more than Thirteen Thousand (13,000) people.

These various political and cultural influences create biases among the peoples of different tribes or ethnicity. However, the ideals and concepts of the kinship system are intervening these influences based on a historical legacy that is deeply rooted among their common ancestry and/or experiences. In addition, the Settlers had shared their experiences in Bayanihan or mutual benefit assistance in times of bereavement or happiness commonly known as ‘Tampa’ or ‘Amot’ which is positively adopted. These cultural traits had unified the peoples of different ethnicity, living in an area of “not conflict free but manageable”.

(Some texts courtesy of Cultural Atlas of Iligan and Lanao Del Norte)