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Being born in th City of Golden Friendship, Cagayan de Oro, I am proud to say that I am a Kagay-anon. What’s there to be proud of? Let me name some.

The city’s history dates from way back 377 AD when the island natives lived in settlement nearby Cagayan de Oro. It was when Fray Agustin de San Pedro persuaded the Datu Salangsang to transfer his settlement down the river that they marked the early inhabitants when the city later on came to be. After General Carlos Maria de la Torre issued a decree declaring Cagayan the permanent capital of Segundo Distrito de Misamis which was later changed to Cagayan de Misamis. As many years passed, the efforts of Congressman Emmanuel Pelaez paced way for the town of Cagayan de Misamis to formally be a city on June 15, 1950 and its name changed to Cagayan de Oro. Congressman Pelaez appended “de Oro” to “Cagayan” in recognition of the gold mining activities in the area known to Spanish explorers.

Aside from the place being blessed with a location rarely visited by typhoon, it has rich agricultural environments as it comprises 44.7% agricultural land. It is also known to be a farming area to a booming commerce and trade center as it includes 25 kilometers of coastline and a fine deep water harbor.

As it is a city located outside the typhoon belt, cagayan de Oro experiences a tropical climate. And because of this fact, many tourists and even the local people easily find places around the city to unwind themselves or get entertained. The heart of the city gives you the most visited
and famous Night café which opens every Friday and Saturday from 7:00 PM to 2:00 AM at the century old Golden Friendship Park formerly called Divisoria.

You may be delighted to know that Cagayan de Oro is home to a number of fun and excitement-filled adventures! From the spellbinding Monigue Cave to the breathtaking view from the Mapawa Nature Park to witnessing the wonder of F.S. Catanico Falls to the must experience walk on a stay bridge at Macahambus Adventure Park to the fourteen rapids that await you in Whitewater River Rafting… Whitewater rafting like any other sport has its own place in this adventure filled world. A river journey like this would definitely make any outdoor recreation best fitted for those who venture into becoming one with nature. CDO is getting to be a favorite adventure resort destination.

Strategic landmarks that dot the city suggests that there’s more to offer. Take a look at the Rodolfo and Elsa Pelaez family memorabilia at the La Castilla Museum. Some artifacts dug from Huluga Cave and repertoire of Bukidnon and Maranao Cultures in Museo de Oro. The archaeological site, Huluga, which features the a fragment of the woman’s skull dated 377 AD. And the Plaza de los Heroes located along the Masterson Avenue.

From history down to the very city that stands before us today - Cagayan de oro has emerged to an economically growing, industrially competitive, favorite investment and tourist haven and one of the fastest growing cities in the country.

Home to many of the great people we know and respect today, home to the future leading people of the country… To name some we have Emmanuel Pelaez, Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel, Jr.,Nestor Torre, Jose “Pepito” Chaves Alvarez, Elpidio Paras, Rufus Rodriguez, and the list goes on. Cagayan de oro continuously creates an environment for men and women conducive to sustainable growth and development that would generate investments, increase exports, generate jobs, and foster consumer protection.

There you have it. Though no exact amount of words could ever encapsulate the wonderful whole of Cagayan de Oro, the next step there is for you to take part and discover it yourself.

Let me tell you a little something…Cagayan de Oro is a great place to live in.

Nope, that wasn’t a typo you just read…once more.

Cagayan de Oro is a great place.

No typhoon. Unheard of. Gutsy winds and downpours yes, but they do not come with charming names like “Reming” or one haughty “Milenyo” – them that hollers and wrecks. Not that we are excited about having one like we all await winter, but that’s one CDO pride: Typhoon-free. To be poetic about it, we are not fond of attaching our city to tropical storms — to a tropical fruit, yes, juicy Pineapple.

Back to this great city — In spite of its narrow streets that can trigger nerve constrictions due to rush hour traffic jams. In spite of one too many chewing gums wads stuck under your seat in a movie theater (My sticky fate struck while watching Johnny’s Pirates of the Caribbean; thought that I had mine sea creatures wedged in ‘my other cheek’).

In spite of dilapidated edifices with gray walls plastered with unusual business signs, marvelous cosmetic success-claims, anti-urination graffiti fit for the pigs – ayaw pahingi diri butakal! — (We are coming up with a photo essay of this collection, soon!).

In spite of bookstore salesladies who read their “Dabinsi Code” and locals who made a buzz about the “The Littermen” concert. In spite of students who can stare like Bamboo (Hoy! Pinoy ako!), ready to exterminate the whole jeepneydom for their rights to “SP” — and the equally dazed drivers who careen their PUJs like they are auditioning for Kamikazee’s co-lead vocal - do be do be doo…

In spite of the perplexity of the ‘Cathedral, Gaston Park and Island’ destination-calling – when in fact this is one but the same complex.

In spite of rush hour re-routing scheme that averts our appetites for JRJ-taken-out dinner.

In spite of Cruz-Taal liaisons and sex scandals…never mind, the latter are our contributions to a national fancy.

I love CDO in spite of it all because one thing about it will never change for me…this is home and we are the friendliest of the lot. (One HR of a foreign-owned IT company who has done the rounds hiring people in major Philippine cities has glorious words about CDO congeniality).

And “home” is the only place in the Philippines that will understand me that I like my Sisig with gravy – heck we can pour gravy on anything. It is only in CDO that street-food vinegar dips are the organic “tuba” variety. Never mind live organisms, yore lactobacilli. It is only in CDO that the conglomerate Jollibee Chickenjoy pales and crumbles compared to the homegrown “JRJ”, which by any name is jokingly called “Jollibee Ra Japun.”

And where else but in CDO that I could still see the fishes and mosses on the bottom of the limpid River flowing right smack..sa city mismo.

Beyond ‘Persimmon-Cinnamon’ confusion and ‘Motorela-Motorola’ affiliation, CDO is a wonderful place that boasts of affordable, delectable, hearty eats and the happening Night Café (and side spots) that keep the city vibrant.

In fact, I believe that there are still many things about CDO that are yet to be discovered – the mighty River, including. (You see, it took Marikina City a while to do a Riverbanks). And I’ve noticed that more and more Kagay-anons are becoming more exploratory – good foreign films, indie music, obscure bookstores, themed-restos and vintage fashion (ukay-ukay, if you may).

And to guide the locals to that curiosity err exploration, CDOkay will discover new things and not-so-new things that matter. Together, let us bite the bits and pieces that have seen and will see CDO live up to its “Golden Friendship” sash (How’s that for a feel of a winner?).

It really depends on you Kagay-anon, and your lust for life. If you are not getting the drift, ‘TRY MO‘ mag white-water rafting (or so you thought that I missed on this one).

We at CDOkay wonder at the sight of bridges. And we realize that things are providential. We are crossing the times to where we are heading…to things “Okay!”

Riding high with the rapids of time, CDOkay is doing a redesign. In full color, there still are “Try Mo”…”Cogon”…”Trabaho”…”Divisoria”…”Didto-Diri Directory”…”CDO-u-Know”…and “Public Posting Service.” We are on a binge, so “Plato” will make way for “Eat’s CDO!”

We are opening more interesting sections. Soon, you will start your CDOkay trip with “Chada” which is basically your scanner of all “okay” things CDO has to offer, bits about what to watch out for: Chada-Kaon, Chada-Sine, Chada-Bar, Chada-sound, Chada-Sites, Chada-Shopping.

Chada! We are living in the exciting albeit harried ‘24/7’ and we wonder what’s a “day’s end” mean. Whenever, whatever is yours, CDOkay is just a click away. CDOkay is not exactly stuff to write Cagayan de Oro City about…it’s stuff to write “about home.”