Facts and Figures
Geographical Location
Tago is located in the central part of Surigao del Sur facing the Pacific Ocean. It lies between 126 degrees 12 minutes longitude and 9 degrees minutes north latitude. It is bounded on the north by the Capital Town of Tandag, on the northwest by Municipality of Lanuza, on the west by Municipality of San Miguel, on the southeast by the Municipality of Bayabas and on the south by the Municipalities of Cagwait and Marihatag.
Municipal Delineation
Tago has 24 barangays namely: Alba, Anahao Bag-o, Anahao-Daan, Badong, Bajao, Bangsud, Cabangahan, Cagdapao, Camagong, Caras-an, Cayale, Dayo-an, Gamut, Jubang, Kinabigtasan, Layog, Lindoy, Mercedes, Poblacion Purisima, Sumo-sumo, Unaban, Unidos, Umbay and Victoria.
Land Area
Tago sits on a 343.52 sq. kms of land which is about 7.55 % of the total area of Surigao del Sur. In terms of area, Barangay Cabangahan is the largest with 20% of Tago’s land area while Barangay Purisima is the smallest with 1.51%.
Climate
Generally, Tago falls under the normal climate with rainy season occurring from November to March and dry season from April to October. The hottest months are July and August. The planting season usually takes place in November to late January.
Soil
Tago’s soil types vary; along the shoreline is sandy. Barangays Victoria and Dayoan have Bantug clay; Barangays Gamut, Kinabigtasan, Sumo-Sumo, Adlay and Anahao Daan have Butuan clay; while Bajao, Alba, Cayale, Bangsud and Anahao Bag-o have silt loam. Matho clay can be found in most of the mountain ranges from the seashore to the boundaries of Tandag-Tago and Tago-San Miguel.
Slope
Roughly 50% of Tago’s land area is relatively flat terrain (0-3%) while roughly 30%, mostly in the northwestern portion, is stiff.
Population Distribution
Tago’s total population is 29,721 (NSO;2000) with Barangay Purisima posting the highest at 5,902 (20%) followed by Gamut at 2,104 (7%). Barangay Umbay has the lowest population at 428 (1.4%). There are 5,563 households whose average size is 5.
Growth Rate
Tago recorded an average growth rate of 2.3% from 1980 to 1990. But because of out-migration arising from lack of job opportunities, it had gone down to 1.86% between the periods 1995 and 2000.Among the barangays, Victoria registered the highest growth rate at 6.12% due to in-migration, the area being home to the Surigao del Sur Polytechnic State College while Barangay Mercedes posted a negative growth (-0.28%).
Population Density
Population density is placed at 86 persons per sq. km. Barangay Purisima is the most densely populated with 1,137 persons per sq. km, higher than the municipal density. Barangay Umbay has the lowest population density with 16 persons per sq. km.
Education
Fifty-seven per cent (57%) of Tagon-ons are elementary graduates, 25% are high school graduates. Eighty-five per cent (85%) of them obtain college education but barely half of them hold academic degrees.
TAGO AND ITS CURSE
The common question for the three finalists in last year’s Search for Mutya ng Tago was: How would you describe Tago to a blind person?
As contestants groped for words, an answer formed in my head: Tago is like an orgasm---intense, beautiful, and above all, addictive!
Addiction is the essence of Tago’s curse.
My father once told me what is perhaps an apocryphal story that happened many, many years ago when Tago was still an agricultural horn of plenty; when birds hovered low over streams sparkling and pristine; when winds could be summoned by mere whistles from the unpainted lips of women winnowing rice under fruit-laden trees; when every year, at harvest time, Tago turned into a nerve center of commerce and trade, with people from as far as Luzon peddling their wares to farmers whose kalero dotted the fields like golden hills.
HOW TAGO GOT ITS NAME
"To know the truth of history is to realize its ultimate myth and inevitable ambiguity." -Roy P. Basler- The most popular yarn about how Tago got its name involves three Tagon-on women hiding from unseen enemy soldiers on a cloudy Tuesday, six full moons after the First World War broke out. Just as they were about to enter their hideaway, an American soldier emerged from a bamboo clump, holding a rifle with his right hand and three limp roosters with his left. When he asked them what the name of the place was, the women, who didn’t speak English, thought he was asking them what they were doing. And so they chorused, “Yag Tago (we’re hiding).”
