PLARIDEL MINDANAO HISTORY

The Municipality of Plaridel was formerly known as Langaran. It was one of the biggest towns of the former province of Misamis. The seat of government of the municipality or settlement known as Langaran was in the sitio of Daisug, known as the Municipality of Lopez Jaena.

According to the early inhabitants of Langaran, a Spanish priest constructed a wooden bridge of strong materials across the Lobog River and settled in Langaran. There he constructed a church, convent and a presidential building.

The town Langaran according to the tales of the old inhabitants was first settled by the people who immigrated from Siquijor Island. One of whom was known as Alicio Kais, who began the settlement sometime in 1870. The Boholanos as immigrants followed. The immigrants from Siquijor, Bohol and Negros increased in number and they opened a vast tract of land and converted the same into a ricefield which now consist of more than 1,000 hectares. They constructed an irrigation canal named Langaran which is considered as one of the best irrigation canals in the Philippines. It was constructed under the ingenuity of an almost illiterate Boholanos whose name was Nazareno Gamutan on November 1, 1876. Without the aid of sophisticated machineries, the early immigrants were able to build a canal from the Langaran River along a hill of solid rocks.

The town named Langaran was changed into Plaridel in the year 1907, when the late Santos Palma was elected municipal President. From that period the town Langaran disintegrated bringing along a big portion of its territorial area which later on formed into a separate municipality now known as the Municipality of Sapang Dalaga and the district of Concepcion. Later on, the sitio of Daisug became a town now known as the Municipality of Lopez Jaena. During the administration of the late President Carlos P. Garcia, Calamba was created into a separate municipality.

Plaridel has 33 component Barangays with a population of more or less 35,000.

Learning Institution Primary and Elementary Level are evenly distributed to the Barangays, Secondary Academy are St. Nicolas High School, Looc Nationalized High School and St. Patrick High School. The Local Government was able to provide Day Care Learning Centers for every Barangay. Plaridel is the site for the construction of the Provincial Manpower Training Center of the National Manpower and Youth Council.

The source of income of the people of Plaridel derives from Rice and Palay Production, Traditional to moderate Fishing Industry, coconut and other agricultural cash crops, wholesale and retail consumer business establishment, stevedoring and arrastre and government employment.

Trends and Commerce of Plaridel is progressive in the sense that it has more than 100 establishment engaged in retailing and 0 in wholesaling, 20 Carenderias, 6 Bakeries,7 Shops and 16 Ricemills. Farm inputs trading and production are handled by 19 registered cooperatives. There are now 2 deep sea purse seminar fishing cooperatives. Barangay Looc has a wharf which is the transient point of passengers and cargo shipping vessels plying the Plaridel, Siquijor, Bohol, Cebu routes. Potentials domestic and foreign investors are now eying for establishment of heavy industries due to the newly established municipal Telephone System that connects the municipality of Plaridel worldwide.