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The Tapestry of the South. Welcome to the home of Mindanao feature stories. Beyond the daily headlines, Mindanao Gold Star Daily celebrates the diverse narratives that define our island’s identity. In 2026, we explore the "Colors of Mindanao"—from the ancestral wisdom of our indigenous Lumad communities and the vibrant Islamic heritage of Western Mindanao to the world-class surf breaks of Siargao. Our features dive deep into Mindanaoan cuisine, sustainable eco-tourism, and the human interest stories of local innovators shaping the "trillion-peso" regional economy. This is where we tell the story of who we are: fearless, factual, and deeply rooted in the heart of the southern Philippines.

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A Filipino trisikad driver pedaling a passenger through a narrow residential street in Cagayan de Oro City.
Cagayan de Oro

The invisible border: The heavy cost of the cheapest ride in Oro

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — In the narrow arteries of a rapidly modernizing city, the trisikad driver trades sweat for coins. For drivers like Lourderico “Rico” Pedimonte and Ferdielito “Nong Lito” Sinag, the three-wheeled cycle is not just a livelihood—it is a "debt machine." While the city implements "urban order" through strict RTA enforcement and digital payment programs like Paleng-QR Ph, the men pedaling the interior alleyways of Barangay Lapasan and Cogon find themselves squeezed into a shrinking cage of prohibited routes and insurmountable impound fees. A single P1,500 citation for plying the national highway often becomes an economic death sentence for families living on ten-peso fares. This deep-dive explores the human cost of Cagayan de Oro’s race toward the future and asks: how does a city move forward without running over those pedaling hardest to keep up?

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