Carmen, Agusan del Norte

The first Christian settlers of Kabayawa village (now Carmen) was the family of Fulgencio Loque and Demetria Mamba from Jagna, Bohol in the early 1900s. The family encounters of the native Manobo and Higaonon tribes of Mankalasi clan was not that difficult as they were friendly. Day to day's trade was done through a barter system wherein goods and services were directly exchanged for other goods and services without using any money and through this “system”, parcels of lands were also being acquired.

In earlier times, parcels of land were marked by planting moringa trees at their corners to define boundaries. During the Spanish period, these markers were replaced with concrete boundary posts known as mohons.

News of the area’s abundance spread among the relatives of early settlers, prompting an influx of migrants from Luzon and various parts of the Visayas. The Loque and Mamba families settled in what is now the poblacion, while other families—including the Pacon, Quesaba, Honcolada, and Malimit—established communities in the surrounding eastern, western, and southern areas. Further west, the Rojales and Jamito families formed their own settlements, while the Ebarle, Jamero, Sajor, and Salas families settled in Tagcatong, and the Balmoceda family in Goso-on.

Carmen got its present name from the miraculous image of the Virgin of Mount Carmen, believed to have been instrumental in killing the leader of the bandits who used to inhabit the place.

According to local accounts, a Spanish soldier named Juan Cardoniga attempted to shoot an outlaw leader believed to possess a protective amulet. When his rifle failed to fire, he placed an image of the Virgin from his necklace into the barrel. After doing so, the rifle discharged successfully, and he was able to kill the outlaw chief.

It was Rev. Saturnino Urios, the famous Jesuit priest of Agusan, who suggested that the name Kabayawa be changed to Carmen in honor of the secret image.

Carmen was created into a municipality in 1949, when the barrios of Carmen, Tagcatong, Cahayagan and San Agustin were separated from the municipality of Nasipit and constituted into the newly created town, by virtue of Republic Act No. 380 which was approved on June 15, 1949.^[6] This law was sponsored by Congressman Marcos M. Calo. The town came into being on July 1, 1949.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 311.02 square kilometres (120.09 sq mi) ^[7] constituting 11.39% of the 2,730.24-square-kilometre- (1,054.15 sq mi) total area of Agusan del Norte.

Carmen is strategically located in the Western Agusan Corridor. It is bounded on the north by Butuan Bay, south by Buenavista, east by Nasipit and west by Misamis Oriental. Its rolling hills are planted with different kinds of orchard, where some 500 hectares (1,200 acres) are devoted solely to mango plantations. About half of these are fully developed and are already producing sweet mango fruits which are being sold in volume in Cebu and Manila and to neighboring municipalities and Butuan City.

Carmen is politically subdivided into 8 barangays.^[9] Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

In the 2020 census, Carmen had a population of 23,172.^[16] The population density was 75 inhabitants per square kilometre (190/sq mi).

Poverty incidence of Carmen

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]}

Elected government officials of Carmen for the term of 2025-2028:

• Mayor: Ramon "Monching RMC" M. Calo
• Vice Mayor: Jovitte C. Calo
• Sangguniang Bayan:
  • Jesus Tranquilino R. Calo
  • Alfonso L. Elan Jr.
  • Richard O. Palang-at
  • Gilda A. Samaco
  • Romel Jhun C. Ledesma
  • Vivian S. Autor
  • Carmina Rasha G. Calo
  • Junjun R. Estoque
• SB Secretary:
  • Sharmaine P. Pacon

• Honculada, Nicanor O. - 1949–1951
• De Guzman, Arturo - 1952–1955
• Malimit, Jose - 1956–1960, 1964-1967
• Degamo, Esteban - 1960–1963
• Calo, Tranquilino Jr. - 1968–1969, 1972–1985, 1988-1993
• Campos, Ernesto - 1969–1971
• Pacon, Dionesio - 1986–1987
• Aparecio, Joaquin - 1987
• Battad, Arnulfo - 1987 - 1988 (until January only)
• Luneta, Eliseo - 1993–1995
• Calo, Ramon - 1996–2004, 2007–present
• Calo, Jovitte - 2004–2007

• Carmen Municipal Hall: new municipal hall officially opened on July 1, 2011.
• Plaza Beach Resort: beach covered with white sands in its coast located at Sitio Bulihon, Barangay Tagcatong.
• Mount Carmel View Park: park commonly called by Carmenanons as "Marcos Park", located at San Isidro, Barangay Tagcatong. From here, one can view the entire Carmen and nearby municipalities, and the island province of Camiguin.
• Punta Diwata Cave: one of the popular destinations in Carmen consisting of 43 caves, located in Barangay Vinapor.
• Balite Beach Resort: located in Barangay Vinapor.
• Vinapor Blue Waters: located near the Cliffs of Barangay Vinapor, this resort features carved stones formed into a dinosaurs, a reason for it to be commonly called "Jurassic Park".
• Veranda I and II Resorts: a beach resort, hotel and convention venue located at Barangays Tagcatong and Rojales. It has air-conditioned rooms and suites, air conditioned cabañas and other facilities like cottages fronting beachfront, seafood and Chinese restaurants, mini-bar, convention hall and swimming pool.
• Scuba diving sites: Carmen is known for its adventurous dive sites along the Punta Diwata Reefs and Balete Wall. It has six dive sites. Reef life includes soft and hard corals plus abundant reef and pelagic fishes. Profile ranges from sloping wall to cliffs with depths from 40 ft. to over a hundred, with generally sandy floors. Prime sites are located in barangays Vinapor, Tagcatong & Poblacion.
• Cabatuan Beach
• Kibanlag Falls

In February 2017, the new integrated bus terminal was opened with buses for travel to and from Butuan and Cagayan de Oro.

Trisikad is also an option when traveling within the area of Carmen and also from the town proper to Nasipit.