Ozamiz, officially the City of Ozamiz (; ), is a component city in the province of Misamis Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 143,620 people making it the most populous city in Misamis Occidental.
Although occasionally spelled as Ozamis in official sources like COMELEC, it is spelled as Ozamiz in Republic Act No. 321, also known as the Ozamiz City Charter Act. In 2005, City Resolution 251-05 was passed to reiterate that it is officially spelled Ozamiz, not Ozamis.
History Colonial period
Spanish period
The city of Ozamiz grew out of an old Spanish town called Misamis—a name believed to have been derived from the Subanon word , a variety of coconut that was a staple food of the Subanon people. Other unverified historical sources, however, suggest that the name Misamis came from the Spanish word (Catholic Mass).
Misamis was originally settled by the Subanon people, and were heavily targeted by marauding pirates coming from Lanao. The Spanish government created a flotilla to counter the pirates, with Spanish Jesuit missionary José Ducos assigned as its commander. After several victories, the Fuerte de la Concepcion y del Triunfo was constructed at the mouth of Panguil Bay sometime in 1756 as a form of protection from future attacks.
The town of Misamis grew in size due to the presence of the stone fort. In 1850, the town of Misamis became the capital of the District of Misamis, when Mindanao was originally divided into five districts, until February 27, 1872, when the Spanish Governor General Carlos María de la Torre y Navacerrada issued a decree declaring Cagayan de Misamis the permanent capital.https://www.cagayandeoro.gov.ph/index.php/item/303-history-of-cagayan-de-oro-city.html
American period and World War II During the American occupation, the territory of Misamis was reduced. In 1920, Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison issued Executive Order (EO) No. 61; the barrios, which were once part of the former municipality of Loculan, were separated and organized into the new municipalities of Clarin and Tudela.
In 1929, Governor-General Dwight F. Davis issued EO No. 220 that organized the municipality of Regidor (now Tangub; also included the present-day territory of Bonifacio), which took effect in 1930 as the province of Occidental Misamis was established following the split of Misamis.
In October 1942, Wendell Fertig established the command headquarters of the growing guerrilla resistance to the Japanese occupation of Mindanao in the Spanish fort in the town. His headquarters was abandoned on June 26, 1943 due to a large Japanese attack.Kent Holmes, Wendell Fertig and His Guerrilla Forces in the Philippines: Fighting the Japanese Occupation, 1942-1945 (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2015), p. 43. During the Japanese occupation of Misamis in World War II, the fort was garrisoned by a Japanese contingent until the end of the war, who dug foxholes near or under the walls. This undermining of the walls later led to the destruction of the southwest bastion in the 1955 Lanao earthquake.
Contemporary period After the war, Misamis became a chartered city by virtue of Republic Act 321 on July 16, 1948. This also renamed Misamis to Ozamiz, after the hero José Ozámiz who hailed from the province of Misamis Occidental and who at one time also served as its first governor, congressional representative of the Lone District of Misamis Occidental, and a delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention that resulted in the creation of the 1935 Constitution for the Philippine Commonwealth Government. José Ozámiz was also elected to the Philippine Senate in 1941. This made Ozamiz the 4th city in Mindanao, after Zamboanga, Davao, and Marawi.
On April 1, 1955, Ozamiz was struck by the 1955 Lanao earthquake, at 2:17 am. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake caused the destruction of the city's parish church and the southwest bastion of the Fuerte de la Concepcion y del Triunfo. Major cracks were also present in the city's roads. President Ramon Magsaysay declared a state of calamity in Ozamiz, as well as in the provinces of Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Lanao, and Surigao.
On February 25, 2000, three Super Five Transport buses aboard the M/V Our Lady of Mediatrix ferry exploded while the ferry was traveling from Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte to the Port of Ozamiz. The reason for the explosion was the use of large incendiary bombs, resulting in 44 deaths and more than 100 passengers wounded.
On July 30, 2017, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Ozamiz City Police raided the house of incumbent Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. where guns were allegedly stored, resulting in the deaths of 16 people, including Mayor Parojinog, his wife Susan, and two of his siblings. The raid also ended with the mayor's children, incumbent Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog-Echavez and Reynaldo Parojinog Jr., being arrested. This incident was part of the war on drugs campaign during President Rodrigo Duterte's administration.
Geography Ozamiz is located on the southeast coast of Misamis Occidental. It is nearby the Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte provinces to the west, and Lanao del Norte is across the Panguil Bay.
It is bordered by Tangub to the south and Clarin to the north. Ozamiz is from Maria Cristina Falls, the main source of hydroelectric power in Mindanao.
Ozamiz is located on a narrow portion of the Panguil Bay, providing marine resources as well as access to ferry and container ship transportation. The eastern portion of Ozamiz, including the city proper, lies on flat land, with parts of it being agricultural land. To the west, the flat terrain gives rise to rolling hills, being the foot of Mount Malindang. Near the city proper is Bukagan Hill, which is distinguishable across the mostly flat terrain of the downtown area and is visible across the bay.
Climate
Economy
Ozamiz is agricultural in terms of natural resources, but the city has become the center for commerce, health, transportation, and education, considering its strategic location. Its location makes for a good harbor, as its local port is the principal outlet of mineral deposits and agricultural and forest products of the provinces of Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, parts of Lanao del Norte, and Lanao del Sur.
Demographics
In the , Ozamiz had a population of 143,620 people, with a density of .
Government Local officials are elected every three years. The city local government is composed of the mayor, vice mayor, ten councilors, one Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) representative, one indigenous people (IPMR) representative, and an Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) representative.
As of 2025, these are the current elected officials: Mayor: Atty. Sam Norman G. Fuentes (Asenso Pinoy) Vice Mayor: Simplicia “Bebie” O. Neri (Asenso Pinoy) Congressman: Sancho Fernando “Ando” F. Oaminal (Lakas) Councilors: Lorlie Fuentes-Cipres (Asenso Pinoy) Katherine “Kat-Kat” C. Lim (Asenso Pinoy) Cecille Y. Co (Asenso Pinoy) Marcelo Archie S. Romero II (Asenso Pinoy) Roland “Dinky” B. Suizo Jr. (Asenso Pinoy) Atty. Daniel C. Lao (Asenso Pinoy) Juanito “Junjun” B. Saquin Jr. (Asenso Pinoy) Atty. Marcelian “Mars” C. Tapayan (Asenso Pinoy) Sancho “Sunny” S. Oaminal (Asenso Pinoy) Saulo B. Salvador (Asenso Pinoy) John Fel D. Duhaylungsod (SK Federation President) Jun Carlo Murallon (ABC President) Relinda A. Bation (IPMR)
Barangays Ozamiz is politically subdivided into 51 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
Name Population(2024) 50th District (Poblacion) 581 104210051Aguada (Poblacion) 7,113 104210001Bacolod 1,783 104210003Bagakay 5,110 104210004Balintawak 684 104210005Bañadero 7,692 104210002Baybay San Roque 3,398 104210043Baybay Santa Cruz 1,589 104210006Baybay Triunfo 2,520 104210007Bongbong 3,097 104210008Calabayan 4,029 104210009Capucao C. 649 104210010Capucao P. 1,183 104210011Carangan 5,160 104210012Carmen 6,135 104210037Catadman-Manabay 5,887 104210013Cavinte 686 104210014Cogon 1,733 104210015Dalapang 770 104210016Digu-an 1,530104210017Dimaluna 3,242 104210018Doña Consuelo 4,371 104210052Embargo 1,079 104210019Gala 959 104210020Gango 6,648 104210021Gotokan Daku 508 104210022Gotokan Diot 610 104210023Guimad 615 104210024Guingona 586 104210025Kinuman Norte 1,705 104210026Kinuman Sur 1,332 104210027Labinay 1,211 104210028Labo 4,023 104210029Lam-an 2,620 104210030Liposong 1,207 104210031Litapan 1,012 104210032Malaubang 9,421 104210033Manaka 817 104210034Maningcol 7,027 104210035Mentering 377 104210036Molicay 4,149 104210038Pantaon 1,215 104210040Pulot 4,116 104210041San Antonio 4,392 104210042Sangay Daku 909 104210044Sangay Diot 529 104210045Sinuza 1,373 104210046Stimson Abordo (Montol) 2,315 104210039Tabid 4,208 104210047Tinago 9,662 104210048Trigos 893 104210049
Culture Notable events and festivals The city celebrates the Sinulog Festival, dedicated to the Santo Niño de Cebu, every 4th Sunday of January, wherein a pilgrim image of the Santo Niño will arrive from Cebu City and will visit Ozamiz and other cities and towns in the province for a week.
Ozamiz's Charter Day anniversary, the feast of Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepcion y del Triunfo de la Cruz de Migpangi, and the Perangat Ozamiz Festival (formerly known as the Subayan Keg Subanen Festival) are celebrated on July 16. The Perangat Festival is a celebration dedicated to the Subanon people, the original inhabitants of the province. The festival includes day-long street dancing, as well as a ritual showdown that features the various rituals practiced by the Subanon people, such as weddings and healing rituals. "Perangat" means "to prosper" in the Subanen language.
On December 8, the Feast of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated. Firework displays are held at the City Hall.
Tourism
Fuerte de la Concepcion y del Triunfo, locally known as the "Cotta," is a fort built in 1756 by Father José Ducos to serve as a Spanish outpost in the area. On the outside wall of the fort is an outdoor shrine dedicated to the Nuestra Señora de la Immaculada Concepción y del Triunfo de la Cruz de Migpangi, locally known as the Birhen sa Cotta (). The bas relief of the Virgin is believed to be miraculous and is a pilgrimage destination. In 2002, the fort was renovated and restored to its original design.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was built from the ruins of the parish church destroyed in the 1955 earthquake. The cathedral is one of the earliest designs of National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin. His simple style of squares, circles, and half circles are evident throughout the external and internal designs of the church. Alterations to the façade of the cathedral were performed later. The cathedral is home to the wooden image of the Birhen sa Cotta.