Brief History of Barangay Tinago

As of this moment, you may have discovered two local histories of some of the barangays here in Cebu City. Let me take a quote from a television show, would you agree if they say, "One is not enough, Two is too much, so let's make it one and a half?"

I say, let us make it, "not one, not two, but make it THREE." 

Here comes the history of Barangay Tinago.

            Unknown to everyone, Barangay Tinago is one of the oldest barangays in the City of Cebu. Its name may sound rural or mountain in location, but it is actually located right in the heart of the city.

            TINAGO is a Cebuano word for the English word “Hidden.” Its root will trace back to the Spanish colonization. The center of the Guardia Civil which is Fort San Pedro, is located very adjacent to our barangay, that’s the reason why Tinago came to existence. Tinago is used to be a swamp area, is strategic in location behind enemy lines. The rebels, Revolucionarios, and the Katipunero sympathizers used to hide in this swamp area because it is easy for them to maneuver to Cordova, which is located in the Island of Mactan where the seat of the great Lapu-Lapu was situated.

            During the Japanese occupation, the seat or the main headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army is again situated in Fort San Pedro. The guerillas and other Filipino rebels who were against the occupation used the same strategy in escaping towards the neighboring island of Mactan. Barangay Tinago is very hard to penetrate because it is swampy and it used to have “Potat” trees and mangroves where the rebels used to hide from their enemies.

            As time went by, the swamp barangay was being renamed and the first to naturally settle are immigrants from neighboring provinces considering that the busiest port in Central Visayas, which is Pier 3, is situated in the barangay. Most of the settlers in the reclaimed area facing the waterfront are squatters and belong to the poverty level of our community. Because of this kind of environment, Barangay Tinago was very notorious for rampant criminalities, smuggling and even prostitution.

            During the Martial Law era, our barangay was tagged haven for bad elements of our society. Again, it lived-up its name Tinago as the “Hidden” area for bad elements.

            But with the leadership of the Barangay Officials of the last decade, it slowly changes its image from being notorious to progressive and prosperous. Aside from the fact that Barangay Tinago is the most peaceful among waterfront barangays, it is adjudged as the Most Outstanding Barangay in the last eight years. Most of the government agencies like the Coast Guard, Commission on Audit, and the Department of Public Works and Highways are situated in the barangay.

SOURCE: Tinago Barangay Hall