PRIDE AND HERITAGE OF CARAGA (CABADBARAN CITY, AGUSAN DEL NORTE)

Vice President Sara Duterte - Carpio's ethnic attire during President Ferdinand R. Marcos. Jr.’s State of the Nation Address has again elicited cynicisms from the ignorant and everyone that has nothing but detestations for the 17th President and Vice President.

 

Appropriately, as the Vice President is simply proud of her heritage and of the people she represents, particularly the Lumads, the Visayan collective term used to describe the about 13 non-Muslim ethnic groups of Mindanao, including the Blaan, Bukidnon, Higaonon, Mamanwa, Mandaya, Manobo, Mansaka, Sangir, Subanen, Tagabawa, Tagakaulo, Tasaday, and T'boli.

 

With key personalities present in the SONA, it is inevitable not to evoke CARAGA's rich cultural heritage, the home of talented, beautiful, intelligent, and wonderful men and women in past and present generations, bound by family ties (by consanguinity or by affinity), and common roots in CABADBARAN CITY, AGUSAN DEL NORTE.

Notably are :

 

YEDDA MARIE KITTILSTVEDT-ROMUALDEZ, wife of House Speaker Martin Romuladez, was Bb. Pilipinas International 1996 and served as Representative of the 1st District of Leyte. 

 

Yedda is a niece of VERONICA ELIZABETH MORTOLA ATEGA- NABLE, also a beauty queen and past member of Bayanihan Dance Troupe.

Both are direct descendants of the Revolutionary Leader Don Andres Atega, while Veronica, ("Nang Veth", as the Mortola family calls her) is also on her mother's side a granddaughter of Don Adolfo Mortola y Cabrera.

 

The Atega and Mortola clans are closely related because of the inter-marriages between the families

SOLEDAD GONZALES ROA -DUTERTE (November 14, 1916 – February 4, 2012) was a Filipina teacher and activist. She is the mother of the 16th Philippine PRESIDENT, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, and the paternal grandmother of VICE PRESIDENT SARA ZIMMERMAN DUTERTE-CARPIO. 

 

Many Cabadbaranons have also made noteworthy accomplishments in their own rights.

TRESSA ADELFA M. MORTOLA, CPA, Ph.D., LPT, CAT, CFMP, CSEE, a granddaughter of Don Adolfo Mortola y Cabrera, for 7 years had served as Dean of a reputable Business Management and Accountancy School in the City of Legazpi. Her siblings and other family members have also made intellectual marks in the academies, like Georgina of the Trinity University of Asia, Editor-in-Chief; Azucena, Chemistry, Cebu Institute of Technology; and Elsa, named "Woman of the Year" at Silliman University.

Adelfa wears a Manobo attire being proud also of her Manobo (maternal) and Spanish (paternal) lineages. 

 

Cabadbaran City is the home of numerous topnotchers in major national professional exams.

 

Mindanao, to respectfully educate, is not backward or politically and socially unstable as some may think. It has its colorful heritage, made more vibrant by its people.

 

Make it your next tourist destination.

 

(Photos and some information gathered from the WWW and immediate family members).

 

j.e.masagca
 
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