Manolo Fortich
Manolo Fortich, officially the Municipality of Manolo Fortich, is a municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 113,200 people.
Manolo Fortich used to be known as Maluko; it was renamed in 1957. Maluko also happens to be the name of one of the municipality's barangay.
Manolo Fortich is the venue of the Banog-Banog Festival, held annually in the month of March.
History
Before the coming of the Spaniards, the term "Bukidnon" referred to as the semi-sedentary Indigenous inhabitants of the high plateaus and rugged mountain ranges of central Mindanao. The more prominent of these peoples were the Manobo people who were the earliest settlers of this region. Located on the northern part of Bukidnon, is the Municipality of Manolo Fortich.File:MacArthur Monument in Bukidnon.JPG|thumb|left|The MacArthur Monument in Barangay Diclum, the site of the World War II Del Monte Airfield from which Douglas MacArthur was evacuated to Australia from the Philippines after the fall of Corregidor and Bataan
The great pre-historic Asiatic migration was believed to have brought the early settlers of Bukidnon. It was theorized that they came from places of what is now known as Indonesia. Traveling by the sea, these migrants reached the gulf of Davao where some ventured further to areas of what is now known as Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental. The Asiatic beginnings of these people can be seen from their oral tradition and folktales, like the "Kalikat Hu Mga Elaw Dini Ta Mindanao". This folktale revolved on the story of two brothers from Asia "who crossed the seas" in their long journey "towards the east" which refers to the islands of the Philippines. The brothers reportedly landed in the island of Mindanao. With the region experiencing a drought, one of the brothers was forced to venture Northward in order to survive. He did this by following a dried up river to its almost dried up source, a lake. He settled and inter-married with the local inhabitants in the upstream of what is now known as Pulangi River. He and his family were considered as the ancestors of the present Bukidnons.
During the pre-historic era, the Bukidnons, also called Monteses or mountain-people, had settled in the area of what is now the Province of Bukidnon. These people have remained traditional till 1860 preserving most of their customs and traditions. Furthermore, these people had not been significantly influenced by the Spanish colonizers because of their isolation. The rugged mountain ranges and high plateaus which serve as home to these people presented an overwhelming obstacle to these colonizers. The Bukidnons undoubtedly have links to the culture predominant in the Southeast Asian region as evidenced by the similar customs and traditions. Their presence here can be traced to the early migration of these Asians throughout the region. Today, the surviving tribes inhabiting the mountains of Bukidnon still bear the culture they have inherited from their ancestors.
Manolo Fortich is named after Don Manuel "Manolo" González Fortich, a provincial resident of Barrio Damilag who became the first governor of the Sub-province of Bukidnon. Don Manuel Fortich was born on November 27, 1879, in San Nicolas, Cebu City. A Philippine Constabulary officer, he served as a guide to Dean C. Worcester while on expedition to Bukidnon. Upon retirement from government service in 1920, he established ranches in Maluko and Maramag, and acquired 3,000 cows. He died on January 15, 1943, at the age of 64.
The original name of the town was Maluko, and was headed by Santiago Mambinonsad who was appointed as Alcalde de Barrio from 1922 to 1924. It was during the term of Ciriaco Asilan as Presidente del Barrio from 1926 to 1928, that the seat of municipal government was permanently transferred to Tangkulan. Mateo Gumaling was the first appointed municipal mayor of Maluko and in 1940 Margarito Cabang became the first elected Mayor.
World War II
Manolo Fortich was captured by Japanese forces of the Kawamura Detachment of the IJA 5th Division attacking from Cagayan on May 6, 1942. They advance further eastward two days later.Post-war
Maluko was then renamed to Manolo Fortich by virtue of Republic Act No. 1720 on June 21, 1957.Geography
The municipality of Manolo Fortich has a total area of, accounting 6.1% of the total land area of the province of Bukidnon.Manolo Fortich is situated in the northern part of the province of Bukidnon. It is about 40 minutes away from the bustling commercial center of Cagayan de Oro.
It is bounded in the north by Cagayan de Oro and the municipality of Malitbog. In the east by the municipality of Sumilao, in the west by the municipality of Libona and Baungon and in the south by the rugged ranges of Mount Kitanglad.
Barangays
Manolo Fortich is politically subdivided into 22 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.Climate
The climate is classified as belonging to type IV or Intermediate. It is characterized by a moderate dry season with average rainfall of about. Its temperature is relatively cool and humid making the place suitable for production of any kind of crops. Production of high valued crops, which include vegetables, cut flowers and ornamentals is a big potential in the area.Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Manolo Fortich was 113,200 people, with a density of.In the 2010 census, the population of the municipality was 91,026 people, up from 82,051 in 2007. Manolo Fortich belongs to a very low-density area which has only approximately 162 persons per square kilometre. The urban population is confined in barangays Agusan Canyon, Damilag and Tankulan.