MAGSAYSAY is the easternmost town in Misamis Oriental, the gateway to the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Magsaysay is a very vast town with most of its southern upland portion dedicated to agriculture. And since it is bound to the east by the Caraga region (i.e. the province of Agusan del Norte), no wonder that it shares most of its customs unique to the region.

In fact, many people here speak Surigaonon which is the most dominant dialect in Caraga aside from the relatively mainstream Cebuano. Although they identified themselves politically with the governor of Misamis Oriental (currently it is Oscar Moreno), many of the people here know the inside scoop of Caraga politicians such as the Plazas, the Paredeses, the Ecleos, the Pichays and the Barbers.

Magsaysay’s farthest barangay Kibungsod still has remnants of the indigenous peoples. They are the ones who have the most preserved local culture. They are the real tourist attractions of Magsaysay.

But despite the seemingly backward state of Kibungsod, it is not. Kibungsod actually boasts of several solar panels for electricity. Yet one cannot deny that they still practice pagan traditions there even though most of the people have been Christianized already. Magsaysay is named after the 7th president of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay.