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Many are always looking for fascinating religious monuments to visit abroad. However, the people of Cagayan de Oro do not have to go anywhere outside the country just to behold an awe-inspiring religious site, for there is the Statue of the Divine Mercy.

This gigantic statue of Jesus Christ stands an overwhelming 50 feet and is perhaps the most remarkable monument in Mindanao. And what a place for this grand statue to rise – El Salvador – the town that was named after the savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

Although, technically, El Salvador lies outside Cagayan de Oro, it’s located just a few minutes away from the city limits.

The site is situated on a hilltop, but is easily accessible because of the cemented roads. If travelling by public transportation, you will meet motorcycles or “habal-habals” along the highway, and these will take you to the place.

It was the local intercessory prayer group of the Divine Mercy Foundation that conceptualized the construction of this holy place of pilgrimage. They received a message from the Lord, which was to build His Church of Mercy with an image of the Lord standing on top of a hill overlooking the ocean. In 2008, once the monument was finished, it was then turned over to the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro on the Blessed Virgin’s birthday, September 8.

Privately funded, this project is the tallest Divine Mercy statue in the world. The main man responsible for designing and creating the giant sculpture is Nick Reyes, a sculptor and UP Fine Arts graduate.

Situated within the center of the heart of Christ is a chamber devotees can climb up to using the stairs that lead to it. The stairway is actually the top ray of the five white beams that stream from Christ’s heart. The two rays – red and white – represent blood and water that gushed forth from His body.

This stairway is also said to be much longer than that of the MRT stations. And since it takes a considerable number of steps to get to the chamber, people who have health conditions are advised to stay on the ground. Nonetheless, the overpowering image of the Lord can still be appreciated even by looking at it from below. There’s also the Adoration Chapel near the statue where people who don’t want to go up can pray in private.

There is also an area where you can get healing water for free, just make sure to bring your own container.

Visitors are required to observe proper decorum here since it is a solemn, sacred pilgrimage site. According to the dress code, shorts and sleeveless shirts are not allowed. Women are allowed to wear long pants, but are advised to wear long skirts.

The Divine Mercy statue is a spectacular religious site and tourist attraction. So make sure to bring your cameras when visiting the place. You might also want to check when the site is open for visiting before heading to El Salvador.

Here, you may find that you’ll be walking long distances, but the exercise just might do you good and will be all worth it.

-by Gillian Abonitalla-

As the summer season approaches, more and more people from practically all over the country and the world are planning to travel into the tropics to cool off in its exotic beaches. The Philippines, for example, is one of those most visited places during the summertime.

Among its 7,000+ islands, Cagayan de Oro City is considered as one of the best summer destinations. The progressive city is home to several exotic beaches and is very accessible to numerous diving spots. To complement its beaches, the city has a wide range of hotels to accommodate tourists during their vacation escapades. In addition to its beaches, tourists can also go white water rafting in the Cagayan de Oro River.

A few of the best beach hotels in the area are the Apple Tree Resort and Hotel, Basamanggas Resort, Cha-Li Beach Resort, Duka Bay Resort, and the Mantangale Alibuag Dive Resort.

•The Apple Tree Resort and Hotel – located along Cagayan de Oro’s line of beaches in Opol. As of today, the resort has 37 rooms. Room rates can go as low as Php1,800 and as high as Php4,000.
•The Basamanggas Resort – situated near the outskirts of Cagayan de Oro. The resort, which is located in Kimaya, Jasaan, currently has 11 rooms and two large swimming pools.
•The Cha-Li Beach Resort – located in Cugman, CDOC. The hotel has a total of 26 hotel rooms, 10 bungalows and 6 Cabanas.

•The Duka Bay Resort – one of the nearby diving spots in CDO. This famous resort is located in Medina, Misamis Oriental. The resort is only a few hours away from the city and currently has 30 suites.
•Mantangale Alibuag Dive Resort – located in Mantangale, Balingoan, Misamis Oriental. The resort has a total of 21 rooms. This is also one of the most popular resorts near the city.

Check out these beach hotels this summer season and have the best fun under the summer sun!

-by Mara Tismo-
(Photos taken from cagayandeorodev.files.wordpress.com and www.cohara.org)

Cagayan de Oro has managed to preserve and even enhance more than a few of its natural resources and natural scenic spots despite the heavy industrialization activities always going on. Over the years, the blossoming city has attracted numerous tourists and investors due to its economic progress, as well as for its accessibility to other towns and cities in Mindanao and its numerous tourist spots.

The place has or is located near a few parks, caves and gorges such as the following:

•The Initao National Park

The park can be found in Tubigan, Initao, which is only 51 kilometers away from the city. Among several things, the park features a forest park, a ridge, natural limestone formations, as well as wildlife and marine life. Visitors can also see various caves as they get inside the park. Two of its caves are closed, the Splitnose bat cave and the Swiftplits cave. Both caves are named according to what can be found inside of each. The Splitnose bat cave is home to an unusual species of bat while the Swiftplits contains a swift fall way below its end.

•Lingon-lingon Plateau Park

This park is located in Barangay Samay, Balingasag, a good 46.5 kilometers away from Cagayan de Oro. This park often serves as a summer resort camp for most people. The place is ideal for activities like bird watching and mountain climbing.

•Cueva Con Agua

Cueva Con Agua, which is also known as the Sicolon Cave, is located in Sitio Sicolon, Brgy. Mauswagon, Laguindingan. The place is only 28 kilometers away from the hustle and bustle of Cagayan de Oro. The place was named Cueva Con Agua due to the flowing water that pours from the walls of the cave. Being one of the most beautiful caverns in Mindanao, the pace is being protected and maintained by the DENR.

•Magallanes Cave

The Magallanes Cave is situated in Brgy. San Antonio, Jasaan. The unexplored cave, which is known to have a rather large opening, is only 31 kilometers away from the city.

•Huluga Caves

This is one of the most historical sites in Cagayan de Oro city. It can be found at the east bank of the Cagayan River, some 8 kilometers away from the city’s Saint Augustine Cathedral. In this historical site, a group of researchers from Xavier University were able to unearth a female skull that, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was from 350 AD.

•Huluga Open Site

Right beside the Huluga Caves is the Huluga open site. This place is said to be the site of an ancient settlement. This settlement, according to historians, was the predecessor of the modern Cagayan de Oro.

•Macahambus Cave

The Macahambus Cave is located about 14 kilometers southeast of Cagayan de Oro. The cave, which features a large opening, leads to some point that allows the visitor a view of the Cagayan River.

•Macahambus Gorge

Located just a few meters away from the Macahambus Cave is the Macahambus Gorge. The place, as anyone who has been there would agree, is blessed with nature’s most beautiful flora. There is also a viewdeck where visitors can enjoy the view of a clear stream.

-by Mara Tismo-
(Photo taken from dipolognon.com)

Cagayan de Oro City is known for being a city of progress. It prides itself for promoting tourism, as well as real estate. The city boasts of Pueblo de Oro, the uptown 360-hectare property used for various developments situated between downtown Cagayan de Oro and the airport.

Pueblo de Oro began 15 years ago, in 1995. It is a township project proposed by Louis Berger International, with its main tenants Xavier University High School and Grade School, and SM City. It is also where the Church and residence of the Archbishop of Mindanao is situated.

Additionally, it features joint venture township projects that cover all economic classes – from A to E. It consists of a golf estate that has an 18-hole all-weather championship golf course, which was designed by the famous Robert Trent Jones II. The golf estate is said to be the fourth best course in the country, according to Golfing Philippines.

Completing the productive development of Pueblo de Oro as a township would be the establishment of an IT hub in the commercial and business location of the property. This IT hub, which was proposed as an eight-hectare development, is actually being constructed near SM. There is still an ongoing registration with the Office of the City Council and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). When the request is approved, the businesses within the township can avail of its incentives. These include a four-year income tax holiday for pioneering and non-pioneering IT enterprises; a permanent resident status to foreign stakeholders, with preliminary investments of $150,000 or higher, as well as an additional tax deduction equal to 50% of training expenditures.

As reported by Guillermo Luchanhco, the chief executive and chairman of the ICCP Group, the primary proponent of Pueblo de Oro – the ideal estate for IT businesses – in recent years have accomplished key factors such as electric power, water, amenities, services and telecommunications, which contribute to their development.