When I visited Iligan City to meet my students, I thought it was predominantly a Muslim place. However, I was corrected by my students that Lanao del Norte is more Christian while the Muslims are dominating Lanao del Sur. During the Marawi siege, many Muslims evacuated to Lanao del Norte to seek safe refuge.

So when I had the chance on my last day to attend a mass since it was a Sunday, I went to St. Michael’s Cathedral. St. Michael the Archangel is the patron saint of Iligan City. The church is the main seat of Iligan’s archdiocese and was separated from the parish of Cagayan de Misamis in 1834. It was said that the original location of the church is near the river but due to the great floods in that period, the church was transferred to its current place. Some renovations were made in the building including the tower, the Cross at the top of the steeple and the tall St. Michael statue.