Cagayan de Oro City stands as the business, trade, information technology, and adventure tourism center of Mindanao. In fact, it has become the leading convention center for Visayas and Mindanao. Those planning to hold conventions or similar events can select from a wide range of facilities including large convention halls and affordable training centers. As the “City of Golden Opportunities”, it is considered as the regional growth capital of Northern Mindanao and the focus of investment in the region. It is also the transhipment point for agricultural and industrial produce of nearby provinces.
Interesting places to visit include the General Douglas McArthur Marker, Lim Ket Kai Centre, Del Monte Philippines Cannery, the old Plaza Divisoria, the Museum of Three Cultures of Capitol University, the La Castilla Museum of Liceo de Cagayan University, and the Xavier University Folkloric Museum.
The city can accommodate visitors of all types as the city offers a wide array of lodging choices, from budget to standard to luxury hotels. For dining and entertainment, CdeO stands proud as the culinary center in Mindanao. Local establishments that have gained national recognition are the Kagay-anon Restaurant, Thai Me Up, and Pryce Plaza Hotel. Have a taste of the city”s Ostrich meat, first class steaks, Lechon de Leche, and the famous “Pigok” fish, a very seasonal delicacy found in the Cagayan de Oro River.
Spas are located in almost every corner of the city. For shopping, visitors can find an array of items to buy from the different shopping malls, gift and souvenir shops, and specialized stores. Ethnic-made products like the Kamuyot or Mindanao Silk, native bags, decors and furniture, clay pots, and world-class stoneware products are just a few of the many selections to choose from.
Where to Go?
MUSEO DE ORO
More of the alluring mysteries of Cagayan de Oro and Northern Mindanao lay within the displays of Museo de Oro which houses hundreds of years’ worth of relics and artifacts that were either excavated or passed down among the native tribes of the region. The museum is located within Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan in the Divisoria area and it boasts a collection of prized antiquities from the Mindanao’s T’boli, Bukidnon, and Maranao cultures. As a folkloric museum, Museo de Oro will open one’s eyes to the beginnings of the now majestic peoples of Region 10 with paintings and ethnographic artifacts that depict how people before viewed themselves concerning the universe, the origin of the world, and man in mythic tradition.
A notable piece in the museum collection are the human skeletal remains found at Huluga Cave in Taguanao. The fossil dates back to 377 AD as evidenced by a carbon dating test conducted by the University of California, thus, establishing it as one of the earliest known pieces of evidence of human existence in the entire Mindanao.
MACAHAMBUS CAVE
Macahambus Cave is a scenic tourism attraction that anchors on the Battle of Macahambus on June 4, 1900. This is a significant point in Philippine history as it is regarded as the very first victory of the Filipinos against the Americans at the turn of the 20th century. A marker of the National Historical Institute is placed at the entrance of the cave to commemorate the bravery of the Kagay-anons.
Tourists come here not only to be in the presence of the setting of one of Philippine’s most historic victories but also to take in the breathtaking view of the Cagayan River which flows below the cavern or to observe the formations and bat colonies that rests inside the historic cave.
