Subanons (Early Historic Era) The first known settlers in Pagadian were the
Subanen people who established a coastal fishing and trading village. The settlers in what would later become Pagadian referred to themselves as "
getaw Belengasa," or "from around the Balangasan River" to distinguish themselves from the nearby Subanen populations who were "
getaw Dumenghilas" (from around the Dumangkilas River and Bay), "
getaw Sibuguey" (from around the Sibuguey River and Bay), or "
getaw Thebed" (from around the river of Thebed in Labangan). Upon the death of Datu Akob also known as Datu Mimbalawag, his son-in-law, Datu Macaumbang (Sultan of Taga Nonok) assumed leadership; he established the territorial boundaries of the present city proper, from Balangasan River in the west of Tawagan Sur River in the east. Beyond the river of Tawagan Sur was the territory of Datu Balimbingan. At one time, Datu Macaumbang requested the assistance of the
Philippine Constabulary due to the rampant banditry and piracy in the area. A detachment led by Col. Tiburcio Ballesteros stationed at Malangas landed at the place and stationed themselves at Dumagoc Island. The arrival of the soldiers restored peace and order, thereby attracting the influx of settlers from other places. Pagadian Parish became a diocese on November 2, 1971, and is a suffragan of the
Archdiocese of Ozamis. Msgr. Jesus B. Tuquib served as the first bishop and was installed on February 24, 1973.
Under Margosatubig (1920s) The present-day Pagadian had its beginnings as a
sitio of
Margosatubig. In July 1927, it became a barrio under the Municipal District of
Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur upon the implementation of Executive Order no.70.
Prewar Era (1930s) The transfer the seat of the Labangan Government to Pagadian was made in 1934 through the efforts of Director Teofisto Guingona, Sr. who was commissioned by
Philippine Governor-General Leonard Wood to find out the possibility of transferring the seat of government of the Labangan municipality to another place. A conference was first held, together with the Datus and the early Christian settlers as the idea of the transfer was at first largely opposed by the Christians. Eventually, a consensus was reached when the designated committee led by Datu Balimbingan of Labangan and with the consent of Datu Macaumbang surveyed the western part of the present area and found
Talpokan, a part of the barrio of Pagadian, deemed as a suitable place for such transfer. At the same time, Datu Macaumbang donated 260 hectares of land to Christians who were willing to transfer to the area. On March 23, 1937, Pagadian became a municipality through Executive Order 77 due to the eager initiative of then Assemblyman Juan S. Alano, with the Jose Sanson appointed as acting mayor. Norberto Bana Sr. was elected as the first officially elected municipal mayor after the regular elections. The Municipality of Pagadian was formed by merging the municipal districts of
Labangan and
Dinas, as a result, making Labangan a district under its former barrio. The newly created town had 19 barangays or districts. In 1950, the barrios of Dinas, Legarda, Mirapao, Migpulao, Kalipapa, Pisaan, Bubway, Tiniguangan, Tabina, and Dimataling, which were under the Municipality of Pagadian, were incorporated into the newly created town of
Dimataling. In the same manner, the barrios of Dumalinao Proper, Begong, Nilo, Tigbao, Ticwas, Balongating, Baguitan, Pantad, Napolan, Tagulo, Camanga, Maragang, Sibucao, Tina, Guling, Miculong, Baga, Rebucon, and Mambilik were constituted into
Dumalinao in 1956.
During World War II Pagadian was occupied by Japanese troops during
World War II. From November 5 to 20, 1944, the combined American and Filipino troops attempted to take the town from the Japanese. Sixteen Japanese soldiers were killed, but they remained in possession of Pagadian. The establishment of the general headquarters of the
Philippine Commonwealth Army and the
Philippine Constabulary were stationed in Pagadian and active from November 21, 1944, to June 30, 1946, during and in the aftermath of
World War II, including the military operations and engagements against the Japanese and liberated areas in
Mindanao from November 21, 1944, to August 15, 1945. Pagadian was the major city in the area that was struck by both the earthquake and tsunami and sustained the greatest number of casualties. The 1970s brought a period of numerous concurrent conflicts on the island of Mindanao, including Pagadian and Zamboanga del Sur. This included land dispute conflicts arising from the influx of settlers from Luzon and the Visayas, and from the
Marcos administration’s encouragement of militia groups such as the
Ilaga. often involving the warrantless detention, murder, and physical, sexual, or mental torture of political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship. In Zamboanga del Sur, these were often attributed to
military-endorsed militias, which included the Ilaga and a number of armed cult groups, which were used to enhance the military's numbers as it fought various resistance movements. Within Pagadian itself, documented human rights violations directly associated with the
Philippine Constabulary included the killing of political prisoners at the Pagadian City Jail, while incidents of violence associated with the militias and armed cult groups included violence during the leadup to the
1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum, including that of Catholic church worker
Mateo Olivar at a checkpoint in Barangay Labangan, sparking local outrage in the Pagadian parish. Olivar would eventually be honored as a martyr of the resistance against the dictatorship at the
Bantayog ng mga Bayani memorial. But it was not until November 12, 2004 that Pagadian officially became the Regional Center due in part to the opposition of
Zamboanga City, the former regional center, which delayed the process of the transfer.
Highly urbanized city Proclamation No. 1247 was signed by President
Rodrigo Duterte on December 8, 2021, which sought to convert Pagadian into a highly urbanized city. However, this conversion will only take place after the ratification in a plebiscite. == Geography ==