The Year of the Wood Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac appears to be both promising and challenging for the capital city of Northern Mindanao.
Cagayan de Oro City became a chartered city on June 15, 1950 which (are you ready for this?) believe it or not, a Gold Tiger Year! A most auspicious coincidence indeed for a City with de Oro in its appellation and The City of Golden Friendship as its tagline!
1st Inter-Barangay Culinary Competition
Ready for another surprise? There is actually a Gold Tiger in the Animal Kingdom!
According to the Zoological Wildlife Foundation, a golden tiger is one with an extremely rare color variation caused by a recessive gene that is currently only found in captive tigers. Like the white tiger, it is a color form and not a separate species.
The golden tiger’s white coat and gold patches make it stand out from the norm. Their striping is much paler than usual and may fade into spots or large prominent patches. Golden tigers also tend to be larger and, due to the effect of the gene on the hair shaft, have softer fur than their orange relatives.
But we digress. On February 2 and 3, 2024, SM Supermalls hosted Feng Shui Expert Richard Yu in two events at their SM CDO Uptown and SM CDO Downtown Malls. A freelance geomancer for the past 20 years, Master Yu has been a frequent guest of SM Supermalls during the Chinese New Year period.
Economy
Asked about the prospects for Cagayan de Oro City in the coming Year of the Wood Dragon 2024, Master Yu said its economy should continue to flourish.
“Economy, iyon ang maganda. Although it’s not that well, it’s also not that bad. Dragons can only give luck but they do not have it by themselves, so it’s the signs on the lower six like the Tiger who will share luck with other people. Economy is good. but you will have to share your benefits with others, and that is where the gray area may happen,” noted Master Yu.
Statistics from the past two years from the Philippine Statistics Authority Region X (PSA-10) office bear this out: Cagayan de Oro City recorded the fastest growth in Region X in 2022 with a 9.4 percent growth, powering the regional economy’s resurgence to 7.2% from 6.3% in 2021.
Cagayan de Oro City was also the main contributor to the 7.2 percent (P 935.3 billion) growth of the Normin economy in 2022 with a growth contribution of 2.6 percentage points, and had the largest share of region’s economy at 28.0 %.
The city also had the highest Per Capita GRDP in Region X with P 343,936, (the per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) describes the GDP value accounted for each individual in the region).
Furthermore, Cagayan de Oro City led Northern Mindanao’s predominantly Services-based economy (54.5 %), accounting for more than half of the economy of the Cagayan de Oro City (75.4%). The City of Cagayan de Oro was the top growth contributor in 8 out of 11 sub-sectors under Services: Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (TRD); Accommodation and food service activities (AFSA); Information and communication (IAC); Financial and insurance activities (FIA); Real estate and ownership of dwellings (REOD); Professional and business services (PBS); Education (EDUC); and Other services (OS). (Table 2
Feng Shui Master Richard Yu conducts a one-on-one consultation with a lucky patron at SM CDO Downtown
Peace and Order
“Tiger is in the Middle Six so Peace and Order will be challenging, may konting issue kasi nasa Middle Six lang si Tiger(or Middle Ground) so technically there will be some issues, so compromises will have to be met.”
“The same goes for Food security. Food is not a problem and that is good but you will be forced to share your abundance with others who have less, so there will be some compromises will have to be made.”
Gold Tigers get along well with their colleagues and neighbors in life and, as a result, can have a smooth career due to the help and support received from colleagues. This should auger well for the city and its neighboring provinces of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.
Golden Tiger (photo courtesy of the Zoological Wildlife Foundation)
For people born in the Year of the Tiger, Master Yu said their lucky colors for the year will be Blue and Black; Lucky number: 12 (“So sa12th day, 12th Month doon ka tumulong) and its Helpful friend are people born in the sign of the Boar. In case they don’t have such a friend, Master Yu recommends getting a stuffed toy or figurine and placing this in an auspicious place in your home.
Most important perhaps, not only for those born in the Year of the Tiger, but for everyone else as well, Master Yu stresses there’s one thing they should always remember: “Don’t become lazy due to good luck”.
