It is not for nothing that Dapitan City is described as the Shrine City of the Philippines. It is embedded in the Dapitanons' memory, and the rest of the Filipinos the exile of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, who found himself in a sleepy town that embraced him welcomingly like its own son. Rizal remained in exile for four years in Dapitan, doing scientific research, founding a school and hospital. The original estate of Dr. Jose P. Rizal has been declared a national shrine and is being administered by the National Historical Institute.
Dapitan had a relatively quiet beginning. Long before the Spanish conquistadores set foot on the island of Midnanao, its earliest settlers were Subanons, a nomadic tribe of Indonesian stock. They settled and lived along the banks of the river or suba, out of which their present-day tribal identity originated.
The timid Subanons found themselves moving into the hinterlands, when on several occasions, pirates would take shelter in the natural harbors of Dapitan's irregular coastline during foul weather. Then came the migrant settlers from Bohol led by their chieftain Datu Pagbuaya, escaping successive defeats in the hands of the Ternatan invaders.
There are two versions of how Dapitan got its name. One is from Fr. Urdaneta, who called the place "Daquepitan" which was later changed to "Dacpitan" and still later to "Dapitan." The second version says that the word Dapitan was derived from the word dapit, which means "to invite" in the local Cebuano dialect. St. James, the Greater is the patron saint of Dapitan. Earlier on into the Spanish rule, Dapitan was still besieged by Moro pirates. The Jesuit priests fatefully installed St. James, to protect the Dapitanons from an onslaught of inva-ders.
It was believed that in the fifth century, an apparition of St. James, atop a horse carrying a sword, guided the Spansih Christians into victory over the Moors in the Battle of Covadonga.
Three centuries later, St. James still plays an important part in the Dapitanons' lives. For the past three years the Kinabayo Festival of Dapitan has been celebrated by city folk centering on his feast day, July 25. On that day a glorious re-enactment of the Battle of Covadonga is unfurled before the city folk and tourists. It is 45 days of revelry that can only be rivalled by Cebu's Sinulog and Aklan's Ati-Atihan.
By the year 2020 Dapitan will be the Dr. Jose Rizal Heritage Center of the Philippines. Memorable places and edifices identified with Rizal's life will be replicated - the house of his birth in Calamba, Laguna, his place of exile in Dapitan and even Bagumbayan, will be suspended in time, around the period of Rizal's exile in the town. Another goal is to make Dapitan competitive as an eco-tourism paradise.
Located on the northern western coast of Mindanao, it is found on the province of Zamboanga del Norte. Its irregular coastline has long been a treasure chest of amazing flora and fauna, white beaches and intimate coves. The Dapitan City Resort is most accessible and convenient for those planning to join the revelry for the season's festivities surrounding the feast of St. James, the Greater, called the Kinabayo Festival in the months of June and July. A good choice away from the maddening crowd would be the Dakak Beach Resort, famously known for its cove.
On the other hand, Silinog and Aliguay islands approximately 10-12 kilometers northwest off the coast of Tag-ulo point are also worth a day trip or two for its pristine white beaches and abundant marine life .
Some sights and scenery within the cityscape would be the Rizal Park, housing Rizalian books and periodicals, the City Square that Dr. Jose P. Rizal developed and beautified. A relief map of Mindanao that Rizal conceptualized as an inspiration and tool for learning more about the southern island; Fort Ilihan, the impressive Spanish fortress set atop a hill from which you can see the whole town of Dapitan.
Rizal's exile in his beloved hometown is the reason why Dapitan was easily converted into a city. It doesn't even have an airport of its own.
Today, Dapitan still has the feel and look of the town Rizal fell in love with a hundred years ago. "... Isolated from the vulgar world... with a beautiful river consenting to divide itself into two silver arms, an invitation to those who come its way," Rizal described it so well.
No comments:
Post a Comment