A Catastrophe Struck the City: Moro Gulf Earthquake and Tsunami

On August 16, 1976, an earthquake which was believed to have originated from the Cotabato Trench struck the isaland of Mindanao. Aggravating the earthquake’s disastrous event is the simultaneous emergence of a tsunami which was generated from the Gulf of Moro and the Celebes Sea.

It was the worst earthquake and tsunami in the history of the Philippines. It killed about 8,000 people in the coastal communities of North and South Zamboanga, North and South Lanao, North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat. An estimated number of victims for this tragedy left 5,000 dead, 2,200 missing or presumed dead, more than 9,500 injured and a total of 93,500 people were left homeless.

PAGASA identified the earthquake magnitude as intensity VI for the city.

Similarly, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Honolulu issued a Tsunami Watch for the Pacific and queried tide gauge stations in Okinawa, Yap and Malakal. Due to negative reports from these stations, the watch was cancelled. Unfortunately, minutes after the earthquake’s emergence, a large local tsunami struck the region. Therefore, due to the unexpected outcome, there was no time to issue a local warning.

Based on the survey, it was determined that the maximum height of the tsunami waves in the entire Moro Gulf were in the order of 4.5 meters (14-15 feet), which was considerably less than what had been reported in the newspapers before. Such large waves occurred at Alicia, Bongo Island, Lebak, Resa, east coasts of Basilan, Jolo Islands and Pagadian City.

Pagadian City was the major city in the area that was struck by both the earthquake and the tsunami and sustained the greatest number of casualties.

The survey of Pagadian City and of the vicinity included measurements of the horizontal and vertical extent of inundation, observations on the failure of structures and buildings, collection of information on the seismic affects, interviews of eyewitnesses and officials, and observations on the response of the people to the disaster. Statistical information was gathered on loss of life and property.

According to the stories of the people, during the disaster, the people were evacuated to a higher vicinity. It was a school before, but today, is now more commonly called the Pagadian City Gymnasium. People who were able to survive the event can still remember in their minds the unpleasant memory brought by the catastrophe.

The city lost large amounts of properties and the disaster was something that the people won't ever hope to experience again.

The Becoming of a City

The history of Pagadian City dates back even before the time when the city was granted its municipality status in 1937, to the time when indigenous people still called the place their own and even after the Spanish came and colonized the Philippines. This history started with the Subanens, a cultural group of river people based in the southern part of the Philippines who used to roam the seas surrounding the area in large numbers. They lived in the riverbanks of what eventually became Pagadian City.

During that time, the early settlers were headed by one leader, Datu Akob (Datu is a title used by the early chieftains or monarchs in pre-Hispanic Philippines, similar to Rajahs or Sultans). Datu Akob had a daughter who caught the attention of another leader, Datu Macaumbang. He eventually married Datu Akob’s daughter and, upon the former’s death, assumed leadership over the two tribes. He then established the territorial boundaries of the present city, which is the Balangasan River from the west until the Tawagan Sur River in the east.

When pirates started attacking the area, the datu started to seek help from the Philippine Constabulary and, under the leadership of Colonel Tiburcio Ballesteros, a detachment of officers stationed themselves at Dumagoc Islands. Their arrival restored peace and order, thereby attracting an influx of settlers from as far as the regions of Visayas and Luzon, as well as the neighboring places of Mindanao. The settlement eventually became a lively town, with active trade and commerce that made it one of the main trade points in northern Mindanao.

There are many legends as to how the city got its name. One theory is that during the early times, when Christians were still ferried from the place to Dumagoc Islands, a lot of them died with malaria. They eventually named the place “Pangadyi-an”, which means, “a place to pray for”. Another version also says that it came from the Maguindanao (another province in the Philippines) term “pagad” meaning “wait” and “padian” which means “market”, as it has been a trading post and market for the Maguindanaoan Sultanate at that time.

During this time, Pagadian was still a sitio (a small enclave) of Margosatubig. When Labangan, one of the places near it, became a municipality district, Pagadian became one of its barrios or neighborhood. It stayed as such until, in 1934 during the American occupation, Governor-General Leonard Wood commissioned Teofisto Guingona, Sr., the director of the Bureau of Non-Christian tribes, to find out the possibility of transferring the seat of government from the district of Labangan to another place. With the help of Datu Macaumbang and Datu Balimbingan (who was the leader of Labangan at that time), the municipal district of Labangan was dissolved and, in its place, the municipal district of Pagadian.

It finally became a city on June 6, 1952 when Congressman Roseller Lim authored the R.A. 711 which divides Zamboanga, the region where Pagadian is, into two provinces: Norte and Sur. Pagadian became the capital of Zamboanga del Sur and, on June 21, 1969, via R.A. 5478, became a chartered city.