Dapitan

The earliest settlers of Dapitan were the Subanens, a nomadic tribe of Austronesian stock known to have settled and lived along the banks of the river or “suba” out of which their present-day tribal identity originated.{{cite web |title=Dapitan History |url=https://dapitancity.gov.ph/dapitan-history/ |website=dapitancity.gov.ph |publisher=Dapitan |access-date=June 1, 2021 |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215424/https://dapitancity.gov.ph/dapitan-history/ |url-status=live }}

In 1564, the people of the Dapitan Kingdom, headed by Pagbuaya, initially based on Bohol, migrated to what is now Dapitan after their territory was subjugated. The polity existed until 1595, when Dapitan was brutally subjugated by the Spanish colonizers.{{Cite web|url=http://www.discoverbohol.com/Features/Dauis-History-Part-1.htm|title=Discover Bohol|access-date=2024-05-23|archive-date=2023-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919124551/http://www.discoverbohol.com/Features/Dauis-History-Part-1.htm|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal |last=Catubig |first=Jonathan B. |date=2003 |title=Dapitan Kingdom: A Historical Study on the Bisayan Migration and Settlement in Mindanao, circa 1563 |url=https://ejournals.ph/article.php?id=5227 |journal=The Journal of History |volume=49 |issue=1–4 |page=143 |quote= |archive-date=2021-09-29 |access-date=2021-02-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929170217/https://ejournals.ph/article.php?id=5227 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.boholchronicle.com.ph/2019/10/20/significant-battles-in-bohol-battle-of-the-bo-ol-kingdom/ |title="Significant battles in Bohol: Battle of the Bo-ol Kingdom" By The Bohol Chronicle |access-date=2023-11-30 |archive-date=2024-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417151136/https://www.boholchronicle.com.ph/2019/10/20/significant-battles-in-bohol-battle-of-the-bo-ol-kingdom/ |url-status=live }}

Early cartographers of the Philippines showed Dapitan's location on their maps of Mindanao in varying names, such as "Dapito" in Kaerius' map of 1598, "Dapite" in Dudley's map of 1646, "Dapyto" in Sanson's map of 1652, and "Dapitan" in Moll's map of East Indies 1729 and in Murillo Velarde's map of 1734.

Dapitan was already a thriving settlement when Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in 1595. It is believed that some Augustinian friars accompanied Legazpi's expedition, who converted the natives to Christianity. Foremost of the converts were Pedro Manooc, son of Pagbuaya, and Manooc's daughter, Maria Uray. A permanent mission was founded at Dapitan in 1629 headed by a Jesuit missionary, Father Pedro Gutierrez.

It was only after the establishment of the Jesuit mission that a strong and stable form of government was finally established. The Spanish authorities adopted the local form of government that was already existing but placed the officials under the absolute control of the Spanish government. The settlement came to be known as the "pueblo", and its head variously called either "Datu", "Capitan" or "Cabeza de Barangay". The politico-military commandancia of Dapitan until the end of the Spanish domination in 1898 was still dependent on Misamis. It was only during the revolutionary period that Dapitan became an integral part of the Filipino forces in Zamboanga.

{{main|Cities of the Philippines}}

On June 22, 1963, President Diosdado Macapagal signed R.A. 3811 which converted Dapitan into a chartered city.{{cite web |title=Republic Act No. 3811 - An Act Creating the City of Dapitan |url=https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1963/ra_3811_1963.html |website=The Lawphil Project |publisher=Arellano Law Foundation |access-date=June 1, 2021 |date=June 22, 1963 |archive-date=April 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410193228/https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1963/ra_3811_1963.html |url-status=live }} On November 8, 1963, president Macapagal signed Proclamation No. 179 which also converted Dapitan into a city, with him appointing Germanico Carreon and Francisco Hamoy as the city's mayor and vice mayor respectively on November 12.{{cite news|title=Dapitan made a city; LP bets named officials|work=The Manila Times|publisher=The Manila Times Publishing Company, Inc.|date=November 13, 1963|location=Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte|page=1|quote=Appointed city officials were Germanico Carreon, mayor; Francisco Hamoy, vice mayor[...]}} It is officially renowned as the "Shrine City of the Philippines."

Dapitan is situated at the mouth of the Dapitan River on Dapitan Bay, and is the northernmost point of the Zamboanga Peninsula. It is about {{Convert|404|nmi}} south of Metro Manila; {{Convert|156|nmi}} to Zamboanga City; and {{Convert|14|km}} to Dipolog.{{cite web |title=Geographical Location |url=https://dapitancity.gov.ph/geographical-location/ |website=dapitancity.gov.ph |publisher=Dapitan |access-date=June 1, 2021 |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215904/https://dapitancity.gov.ph/geographical-location/ |url-status=live }}

{{Weather box

| location = Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte

| width = auto

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

| Jan high C = 29

| Jan low C = 23

| Feb high C = 29

| Feb low C = 23

| Mar high C = 30

| Mar low C = 23

| Apr high C = 31

| Apr low C = 24

| May high C = 30

| May low C = 25

| Jun high C = 30

| Jun low C = 25

| Jul high C = 29

| Jul low C = 24

| Aug high C = 30

| Aug low C = 24

| Sep high C = 30

| Sep low C = 24

| Oct high C = 29

| Oct low C = 24

| Nov high C = 29

| Nov low C = 24

| Dec high C = 29

| Dec low C = 24

| Jan precipitation mm = 104

| Feb precipitation mm = 76

| Mar precipitation mm = 92

| Apr precipitation mm = 97

| May precipitation mm = 199

| Jun precipitation mm = 238

| Jul precipitation mm = 195

| Aug precipitation mm = 193

| Sep precipitation mm = 178

| Oct precipitation mm = 212

| Nov precipitation mm = 171

| Dec precipitation mm = 110

| Jan rain days = 14.7

| Feb rain days = 12.5

| Mar rain days = 15.8

| Apr rain days = 17.5

| May rain days = 27.6

| Jun rain days = 28.5

| Jul rain days = 29.0

| Aug rain days = 27.5

| Sep rain days = 26.9

| Oct rain days = 27.9

| Nov rain days = 23.5

| Dec rain days = 18.2

| source 1 = Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally){{cite web

| url = https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/dapitan_philippines_1715542

| title = Dapitan: Average Temperatures and Rainfall

| publisher = Meteoblue

| access-date = April 30, 2020

| archive-date = December 2, 2024

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20241202022346/https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/dapitan_philippines_1715542

| url-status = live

}}

| date = April 30, 2020

}}

Dapitan is politically subdivided into 50 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Currently, there are 8 barangays which considered urban, 27 are interior, 13 are coastal, and 2 are island barangays.{{cite web |title=Barangays |url=http://gwhs-stg03.i.gov.ph/~s3govdapitanph/barangays/ |publisher=Dapitan Official Website |access-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007165942/http://gwhs-stg03.i.gov.ph/~s3govdapitanph/barangays/ |url-status=dead }} In 1955, the sitios of Sipalok, Barcelona, and Potungan were converted into barrios.{{cite web |url=http://lawph.com/statutes/ra1313-converting-certain-sitios-in-zamboanga-del-norte-as-barrios.html |title=An Act Converting into Barrios Certain Sitios in the Province of Zamboanga Del Norte |publisher=LawPH.com |access-date=April 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714081744/http://lawph.com/statutes/ra1313-converting-certain-sitios-in-zamboanga-del-norte-as-barrios.html |archive-date=July 14, 2012 }}

{{anchor|Barangays of Dapitan}}

{{notelist}}

{{main|Taguilon, Dapitan}}

File:Dakak Beach Resort.jpg

Taguilon is home to the Dakak Park and Beach Resort. It is a producer of coconut and agar (based on sea weed) as well as a fishing port. The pier in Taguilon is a secondary/alternate port to the main passenger/cargo port in Dapitan. Additionally, during severe storms at sea, ferries and other ships find shelter in the Taguilon cove. One can find the mount Lalab overlooking the islets of Silinog and part of Balyangaw.

Talisay is a seaside barangay where José Rizal spent four years in exile. A park and shrine honoring the Philippine national hero can be found in the José Rizal Memorial Protected Landscape, a protected area declared in 2000, located in the old Rizal farm site in the barangay.

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File:Dapitan City Government Center.jpg

File:Dapitan Zamboanga del Norte.png version]]

{{see also|Dapitan City Council}}

Dapitan's seat of government, the City Hall, is located at the Dapitan Government Center in Barangay Dawo. The local government structure is composed of one mayor, one vice mayor and ten councilors all elected through popular vote. Two ex officio members are added to the City Council with one representing Dapitan's 50 Barangay Captains being the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President, and one representing Dapitan's 50 Barangay Youth Council Presidents being the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation President. Each official, with the exemption of the ABC and SK Presidents, is elected publicly to a 3-year term and can be re-elected up to 3 terms in succession. The day-to-day administration of the city is handled by the city administrator.

{{see also|Dapitan Heritage Zone}}

{{multiple image

| align = right

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| width = 200

| image1 = Liwasan ng Dapitan Park.JPG

| caption1 = Liwasan ng Dapitan (Dapitan City Plaza)

| image2 = Dapitan Ancestral House 04.JPG

| caption2 = Punto del Desembarco de Rizal

| image3 = Rizal Shrine, Dapitan City (Features and Structures) 12.JPG

| caption3 = Rizal Shrine

| image4 = St. James the Greater Church, Dapitan City (Features) 27.JPG

| caption4 = St. James the Greater Parish

}}

;Liwasan ng Dapitan (Dapitan City Plaza): Dapitan City Plaza ("Liwasan ng Dapitan"), also known as the City Square, was beautified and developed by Dr. José Rizal during his exile. With the assistance of the Spanish Politico-Military Governor of Dapitan, Gov. Ricardo Carnicero, Rizal made the City Square comparable to those he saw in Europe.{{cite web|url = http://www.markmaranga.com/liwasan-ng-dapitan-dapitan-city-plaza/|title = Liwasan ng Dapitan: Dapitan City Plaza|date = June 18, 2010|access-date = September 4, 2014}} It has an area of one hectare, more or less.

; Punto del Desembarco de Rizal: Rizal disembarked in Punto del Desembarco de Rizal (Rizal's Point of Disembarking). A 20-foot cross also stands in the place to symbolize the propagation of Christianity in the locality of Dapitan.

; Rizal Park and Shrine: Rizal Park and Shrine is a major historical landmark in Dapitan. In August 1892, Rizal, together with Governor Carnicero and Francisco Equilor, a Spaniard living in Dipolog, won a lottery bet which financially enabled Dr. Rizal to buy a 10-hectare piece of land from Lucia Pagbangon. Rizal moved to the area in which the shrine currently stands in March 1893. Later on, his mother, Doña Teodora Alonso Realonda, his sisters, and some relatives from Calamba, Laguna, came and lived with him in Barangay Talisay (which is where the shrine is located) until 1896. Rizal Shrine was declared a national shrine through Presidential Decree No. 105 issued by then-President Ferdinand Marcos on January 24, 1973.

; Casa Real: Rizal stayed in Casa Real with Governor Carnicero from his arrival until he moved to the present-day location of Rizal Shrine in Barangay Talisay in March 1893. The appearance of Casa Real is similar to that of the old city hall, with bamboo on each side and the upper portion made up of wood. A replica of Casa Real will soon rise near its marker.

; St. James the Greater Church: This church was built in 1871 in honor of St. James the Greater, Dapitan's patron saint. The design of the interior walls is more or less one meter thick and still original except for the furnishing. The altar and the interior hane undergone several renovations. Inside is a historical spot where Rizal stood while hearing Mass every Sunday. At the mezzanine is the priceless heritage organ that bears the year wherein it was made – 1827 – at the choir loft. It was brought to Dapitan by the Augustinian Recollect fathers. A German-made instrument with European pipes, it is a manual pipe organ.

; Cotta de Dapitan: Established in 1761, the fort was made to monitor the waters of northern Zamboanga. The fort was made on top of the sacred Ilihan Hill. Currently, the fort is in dire need of conservation.

Dapitan has launched a diversified fiesta celebration of its Patron St. James or Señor Santiago, whose memorial is celebrated every July 25, for the locals through a three-in-one affair, combining religious, cultural and sports events in its Kinabayo Festival.

The Kinabayo Festival kicks off July 16 and culminates on July 31 with various events taking place within the Shrine City of the Philippines.

File:Dipolog Dapitan ferry port.JPG

Dapitan is served by the Port of Pulauan in barangay San Vicente (albeit ferry schedules often list the destination as Port of Dipolog, a neighboring city). There are daily ferries from/to Dumaguete and from/to Cebu City.

Dapitan is catered by Dipolog Airport through Philippine Airlines, and Cebu Pacific. From Dipolog take a shuttle bus to Dapitan which is 20–30 minutes ride, that's 12 kilometers from the airport to the City proper of Dapitan.

• José Rizal (b. 1861 - d. 1896) - national hero
• Martha Cecilia (b. 1953 - d. 2014) - Filipino writer of Tagalog romance pocketbook novels
• Gazini Ganados (b. 1995) - Filipino fashion model and beauty pageant titleholder who became Binibining Pilipinas 2019 Universe and part of Top 20 of Miss Universe 2019.
• Theodore Boborol (b. 1979) - A renowned film and television director in the Philippines.

{{see also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Philippines}}

• {{flagicon|PHI}} Zamboanga City, Philippines
• {{flagicon|PHI}} Dipolog, Philippines
• {{flagicon|PHI}} Davao City, Philippines{{cite web|url=https://www.bworldonline.com/sister-cities-join-82nd-davao-foundation-day/|title=Sister cities join 82nd Davao foundation day|website=BusinessWorld|access-date=September 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917230805/https://www.bworldonline.com/sister-cities-join-82nd-davao-foundation-day/|archive-date=September 17, 2020|url-status=dead}}

• {{flagicon|CZE}} Litoměřice, Czech Republic{{cite web|title=Partnerská města|url=https://www.litomerice.cz/partnerska-mesta|website=litomerice.cz|publisher=Město Litoměřice|language=cs|access-date=August 17, 2020|archive-date=June 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607100134/https://www.litomerice.cz/partnerska-mesta|url-status=live}}

{{reflist}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://dapitancity.gov.ph/ Official website]
• [{{NSCB detail}} Philippine Standard Geographic Code]

{{Geographic location

|Centre = Dapitan

|North = Bohol Sea

|East = Sibutad

|Southeast = La Libertad
Mutia

|South = Piñan

|Southwest = Polanco

|West = Dipolog

|Northwest = Dapitan Bay

}}

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