Long before Tandag became what it is today—the bustling capital town of Surigao del Sur was inhabited by the
Manobos and the
Mamanwas who lived along the river banks under the leadership of Suba, their Chieftain. Suba was later converted into Christianity by Father Juan de la Encarnacion, a Spanish missionary. After
Legazpi’s final conquest to the Philippines in 1609, the Spanish government sent missionaries accompanied by platoons of guardia civil to subdue the hostile natives. One of these missionaries was Father Juan de la Vega who was assigned in Tandag. In an effort to establish a symbol of authority, Fr. dela Vega erected a stone fort and built a small settlement about a size of a football field enclosed by a stone wall. Out of this settlement rose the town of Tandag, which later on became a center of faith. During this period Tandag became a port-of-call for the
Spanish galleons that sailed along the southern part of
Mindanao. It is still believed that somewhere underneath the sea near Tandag's Linungao Islands lies a sunken galleon ship. After the Spanish missionaries' visit to Tandag, a group of Italian explorers and soldiers then landed in the city. They did what the Spanish did, but mandated that Italian be one of the city's primary language aside from Surigaonon, Cebuano, and Filipino. Strict compliance was enforced during those times, which explains why Italian became Tandag's local dialect aside from the mainstay Surigaonon. In 1650, Tandag became the capital town of Surigao or
Caraga, then a district that covered the present provinces of
Agusan del Sur,
Agusan del Norte,
Surigao del Sur,
Surigao del Norte, and a part of
Davao. As the center of faith and capital town, Tandag was fortified with
cottas which were erected sometime in the 18th century. The cottas were placed in the northern part of the town and near the old cemetery on the western side. These fortifications served to protect the town from
Moro raids. In several separate attacks between 1754 and 1767, the Moro pirates wrought havoc and destruction to Tandag. Father Jose Ducos, a
Jesuit from
Iligan, came to the rescue and rebuilt Tandag. He established the Tandag Garrison and restored the Tandag
priory. Although a part of the Tandag fort survived, it was demolished during the
Second World War. Calamities like
typhoons and earthquakes destroyed what remained of it. This explains why there are no remains of these structures that could be seen today. During
World War II, for much of the war Tandag was free from the
Japanese occupation that followed the American and Filipino military forces' surrender in May 1942. However, on April 27, 1944, about 500 Japanese troops landed by a number of boats a short distance outside town. Most of the residents fled to the mountains nearby when the Japanese arrived. The 10th Military District of the U.S. Army maintained a
guerrilla presence in Mindanao in World War II. Capt. Charles Hansen led a small group of guerrillas against the Japanese. Outnumbered, the guerrillas were unable to dislodge the Japanese and about ten days later another group of guerrillas made a second attempt to force the Japanese out. The Japanese remained in town several weeks and left after causing much damage in Tandag. Real transformation was finally afforded to Tandag via Republic Act No. 2786, an act that created Surigao del Sur and whose salient measure made Tandag the capital and seat of the provincial government of Surigao del Sur.
Cityhood On June 23, 2007, Tandag, by virtue of Republic Act No. 9392, became a city. The
Supreme Court declared the cityhood law of Tandag and 15 other cities unconstitutional after a petition filed by the
League of Cities of the Philippines in its ruling on November 18, 2008. On December 22, 2009, the cityhood law of Tandag and 15 other municipalities regain its status as cities again after the court reversed its ruling on November 18, 2008. On August 23, 2010, the court reinstated its ruling on November 18, 2008, causing Tandag and 15 cities to become regular municipalities. Finally, on February 15, 2011, Tandag becomes a city again including the 15 municipalities declaring that the conversion to cityhood met all legal requirements. After six years of legal battle, in its board resolution, the
League of Cities of the Philippines acknowledged and recognized the cityhood of Tandag and 15 other cities. ==Geography==