Oroquieta is named after the Basque settlement of Orokieta[es] (spelled "Oroquieta" in Spanish) in Navarra, Spain. It was the birthplace of the FranciscanFriar Tomás Casado, who was the first Spanish parish priest of Oroquieta and was an important figure in its early foundation.[6]
History
The settlement was originally known as Layawan, a visita of the parroquia of Jimenez in the province of Misamis. Layawan (literally "the meandering one") is named after the Layawan River which flows through the settlement.[6]
It was named after the Basque settlement of Oroquieta in Navarra, Spain. The original Oroquieta was the birthplace of the FranciscanFriar Tomás Casado, who was the first (and last) Spanish parish priest of Oroquieta. Fray Casado figured prominently in helping to establish Oroquieta as a model pueblo, finishing numerous infrastructural projects including a convent, a school, bridges, roads, houses, a cemetery, and a kiosk (which still stands to this day). Fray Casado also helped establish an abaca industry and purchased an abaca processing machine to provide livelihoods for the locals. Unlike the corrupt Spanish friars common during this period, Casado was motivated by a genuine desire to improve the lives of its residents. He hoped to turn Oroquieta into la pueblo de la buena vida ("the town of the good life").[6]
However, Fray Casado had to leave Oroquieta under the orders of his superiors in 1898, when the Philippine Revolution made it too dangerous to remain. Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States shortly afterwards, as part of the negotiations after the Spanish–American War.[6]
Oroquieta became the capital (cabecera) on January 6, 1930. As capital town, people of various neighboring provinces came and inhabited in the place where they earn their living through fishing, farming, merchandising and other forms of businesses. Soon afterwards its income increased simultaneously with increase in population, resulting from southward migration from Luzon and Visayas to the area.
In 1942, Oroquieta was made the capital of the free Philippines by the recognized guerrillas and later the ongoing troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army. (Personal interview with the late Atty. Vicente Blanco, Municipal Mayor during the Japanese Occupation) During this time, President Manuel L. Quezon, together with Sergio Osmeña Sr., a bodyguard and Major Manuel Nieto Sr., landed in Oroquieta after their evacuation from Corregidor to Australia.
The seat of government of the Free Philippines then was the Capitol. The Free Philippine Government was then issuing Misamis Occidental emergency notes. President Quezon, upon knowing that Oroquieta was made a capital of the Free Philippines and that the town was issuing emergency notes, authorized the Printing of the Mindanao emergency note.
Oroquieta was created a city under Republic Act 5518 and inaugurated as a chartered city on January 1, 1970. The charter converting the municipality of Oroquieta into a city was signed by President Marcos on June 25, 1969, in the presence of then City Mayor Ciriaco C. Pastrano, with the newly elected councilors and other city officials.
Geography
Oroquieta City is bounded on the south by Aloran and the north by Lopez Jaena. On the eastern side is Iligan Bay, with Concepcion on the southwest and Sapang Dalaga on the northwest. Lowland plains and coastal lowlands are located in the city's eastern side while highlands and mountains tower over its western side.
The city occupies roughly 26,393 hectares (65,220 acres), the majority of which comprises the mountain barangays of Mialen, Toliyok, and Sebucal, averaging less than a thousand hectares per Barangay, the 47 barangays of the city outsize its urbanized counterparts.
Climate
Climate data for Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental
According to the 2024 census, Oroquieta has a population of 71,373 people,[15] with a density of 300 inhabitants per square kilometre or 780 inhabitants per square mile.
Economy
Misamis Occidental Provincial Athletic Complex located in Oroquieta City
The groundbreaking ceremony and construction of the first mall in Oroquieta City was started in April 2024. The mall is located in Purok 1, Villaflor.
Starlite Ferries, a maritime company under the Chelsea Logistics Groups, marked its 4th route when it officially opened the new route connecting Oroquieta City to Larena, Tagbilaran, and Cebu City, and vice versa on April 28. The Starlite Ferries are stationed at the San Vicente Bajo Port in Oroquieta City.
Students coming from neighboring provinces of Lanao del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, and neighboring cities and municipalities within the province of Misamis Occidental come to Oroquieta to pursue their college and education.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
