Cagayan de Oro City Central School

The Cagayan de Oro City Central School is a school located in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines. It opened to children of Misamis Oriental in 1909. One of the oldest structures built in this school, the Gabaldon Building, still stands. In 1909, there were already 51 Gabaldon Buildings throughout the Philippines, including the Gabaldon Building in Cagayan Intermediate School (now City Central School). In fact, the Gabaldon Building in City Central was inaugurated on August 28, 1911 according to the Cagayan de Oro City Historical Commission. The construction was inspired by Sen. Isauro Gabaldon, the deputy to the First Philippine Assembly in 1909. In the Philippine Assembly he was noted for Education Act of 1801 better known as the Gabaldon Law, endorsing the construction of school building across the archipelago. The construction of Gabaldon Building continued and records shows it reached to 1,800 buildings nationwide in 1946 according to the Philippine Information Agency. Cagayan Intermediate area was donated by the philanthropist Don Tirso Neri – the first municipal presidente or mayor of Cagayan that time under the American Colonial Period in 1901-1904. The donated lot has a total lot area of 37,766 sq. m. bounded on the north by the Pelaez Sports Center which used to be the stable of the donor, and Don Apolinar Velez Street on the eastern side. The Gabaldon building was used as a Multigrade building occupied by Grade I to VI that time and was the first venue of the first significant school event – the graduation in 1916. The Gabaldon Building has remained for 89 years. The Department of Education and the Heritage Conservation Society embarked on a project to restore the historic school building through the Heritage Schoolhouse Restoration Program in 2009. The Gabaldon building has now been renovated. The school’s development from a single schoolhouse continues and it has housed school children of the city and some neighboring towns for more than 100 years. City Central School will continue to collaborate with the Department of Education and the Heritage Conservation Society.

Researched by: Ms. Olive P. Marban – MT-I & Alumni Batch ’56, Mr. Cornelio Salvaloza, Jr., CCS Alumni Coordinator With input from Dr. Shirley Mérida, Mrs. Alma Penonia and Mr. Andy Ligsanan.