Christmas is one of the most celebrated events in the Philippines. In Mindanao, the city of Tangub is flocked by local and foreign tourists eager to witness the yearly Christmas lights presentation prepared by the local government.

But more than a Christmas attraction, Tangub City and the rest of Misamis Occidental has something to offer all year round. From religious festivals to scenic parks and bodies of water, Misamis Occidental has the sights to make a visitor yearly add this province in his travel itinerary.

Demographics

1. Population – 531, 680 (as of 2007 Census)
2. Land Area – 2, 055.2 sq. km
3. Capital – Oroquieta City
4. Language/Dialect – Cebuano, English, and Filipino
5. Divisions

Cities (3)

• Oroquieta City
• Ozamis City
• Tangub City

Municipalities (14)

• Aloran
• Baliangao
• Bonifacio
• Calamba
• Clarin
• Concepcion
• Don Victoriano Chiongbian (Don Mariano Marcos)
• Jimenez
• Lopez Jaena
• Panaon
• Plaridel
• Sapang Dalaga
• Sinacaban
• Tudela

Christmas in Tangub City
During the Christmas Season, Tangub City figuratively lights up with Christmas lights and decors that are displayed throughout the city. Each barangay displays its own unique Christmas setup at the city plaza.

Fort Santiago / Cotta Fort
Both a religious and historical site, this fort was built to serve as an outpost during the Spanish occupation. Inside the fort is a said to be miraculous image of the Virgin Mary which has attracted devotees.

Pipe Organ of Immaculate Conception Cathedral
It is one of the few pipe organs in the country and the only one in Mindanao.

Cultural

Pipe Organ of Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Location: Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental
A German priest, Father Herman Schablitzki S.V.D, assisted by one carpenter and one electrician, assembled the organ in six weeks and it was completed on May 31, 1967. It was inaugurated on July 16, 1967; the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Oroquieta City Museum
Location: 3rd Floor City Hall Annex Building Independence Street, Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental
The city museum showcases a collection of various antique pieces loaned or donated by some pioneering families of Oroquieta. The museum’s priceless collections offer a glimpse of the “Oroquietanian Heritage.”

Historical

Fort Santiago (Cotta Fort and Shrine)
Location: Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental
Also know as Fort of Nuestra Señora del Triunfo dela Cruz, it was built in 1756 to protect this region from marauding pirates. A special chapel was built inside the walls of the fort and an image of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. The fort was renovated and restored to its original design in 2006.

Memorial Hill
Location: Tangub City, Misamis Occidental
The place is a small hill inside the prison reservation compound. It has a World War II Vintage Japanese canon and a site of a grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. It is also a burial site of Eriberto Misa, the famous Prison’s Director from years 1937 to 1949.

Man-made

Ciriaco H. Pastrano Hanging Foot Bridge
Location: Poblacion II, Brgy. Taboc Norte, Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental
It is a 75 meter long, 20 feet-high hanging bridge that overlooks the sea and the market area. This bridge connects the communities of Layawan and Taboc Norte. Crossing this hanging footbridge provides a scenic view of the Layawan River below.

Bacarro’s Printing Press
Location: Jimenez, Misamis Occidental
It is considered as the oldest printing press in Mindanao and one of the oldest in the country. It started its operation in 1938 and still operational up to the present.

Naomi's Botanical Garden and Tourists Inn
Location: Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental
The property sits on a 12 hectare property of local and imported tropical flowers, plants and fruit seedlings. There are fully air-conditioned private rooms, Function halls, tennis court, Golf range, ceramics factory, pottery and a bakery inside this sprawling garden.

Misamis Occidental Aquamarine Park
Location: Libertad Bajo, Sinacaban, Misamis Occidental
It features a wildlife park that houses a wide array of animals, most are native to the Philippines. It also features hotel accommodations of hut-style suite cottages that line the mangroves. .

Natural

Layawan River
Location: Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental
A consistent awardee of the Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran as the Cleanest Inland body of Water in the Philippines. Layawan River’s pristine water flows directly from the bosom of Mt. Malindang and is ideal for fishing, swimming and other water sports such as water tubing.

Lake Duminagat
Location: Don Victoriano Chiongban, Misamis Occidental
It is a crater lake located in Mt. Malindang Natural Park. Lake Duminagat holds a central place in the spirit life of the Subanon people, who look on the lake as sacred and a source of healing water.

Mount Malindang Range Natural Park
Location: Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental
Mt. Malindang is a mountain range rising from 600 meters to 2,404 meters above the mean sea level. The range covers 53, 262 hectares of which about 33,000 hectares is still covered with forest vegetation while more than 20,000 hectares is cultivated and inhabited by forest occupants mostly members of the Subanen Tribe. It is inhabited by diverse species of fauna including the rare ones such as the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), Rofous Hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax), Tarsier (Tarsius philippinensis) and Flying Lemur (Cynocephalus volans)

Sebucal Hot Spring
Location: Brgy. Sebucal, Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental
It is a natural hot sulfur spring that comes from the heart of Mount Malindang. It is one of the favorite destinations for mountaineers.

Religious

Nuestra Señora del Triunfo dela Cruz (Our Lady of Triumph)
Location: Fort Santiago, Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental
Inside the chapel and outside Fort Santiago, on the wall facing the bay, is an image of the Virgin Mary in the pink and blue attire. The image on the Cotta's wall is believed to be miraculously growing and has been the object of pilgrimage of devotees from all parts of the country, particularly every July 16, its feast day.

Bukagan Hill Bells
Location: Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental
There are four great bells at the top of Bukagan Hill. The bells were named after “St. Peter”, “St. Marien”, “St. Joseph” and “St. Michael” and were originally purchased by Bishop Patrick Cronin, D.D. for the Immaculate Conception Cathedral. Due to its massive weight, a total of seven tons, it was impossible to place them in the Cathedral. The huge bells were installed in Bukagan Hill Bells and officially inaugurated in July 16, 1948.

St. John the Baptist Church
Location: Jimenez, Misamis Occidental
Made from coral stone, the church is considered as one of the best preserved colonial churches in Mindanao. It was constructed by the Augustinian Recollects in the second half of the 19th century. Religious paintings are present in its ceiling.

Dalit Festival
Place: Tangub City, Misamis Occidental
Date: September 25 - 29
The event celebrates the feast of Saint Michael. Dalit means "offering". The festival is opened with the offering of a live goat killed by the wildlife hunters after the blessings of the tribal head are made. Selected beauties dressed in their ethnic costumes are also being offered as a modern version of the festival.

Inug-og Festival
Place: Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental
Date: October 15
An annual event in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (“Birhen sa Santo Rosaryo”). The festival is celebrated with street dancing and ritual presentations by contingents of dancers, props men and instrumentalists in colorful indigenous costumes.

Subayen Keg Subanon
Place: Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental
Date: December 1 - 8
A week-long festivity marking the feast of the Our Lady of Triumph. The main feature is the Subayan Keg Subanon is the street dancing competition which highlights the lifestyles of the Subanons as depicted in songs, dances, and other forms of simulated social expression. Participants wear creative costumes and props bearing the colors red and black, the most common color in Subanon costumes.

Christmas Symbols Festival
Place: Tangub City, Misamis Occidental
Date: December 1 – January 2
The whole city is lit up by thousands of Christmas lights as each barangay displays its own unique Christmas setup at the city plaza. Most materials used for decoration are indigenous, recycled and low-cost. Other activities during the event include agr-trade fair, fireworks displays and bazaar.