Carmen, officially the Municipality of Carmen (; ), is a municipality in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,172 people.
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 âÂÂsystemâÂÂ, 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 areaâÂÂs 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 familiesâÂÂincluding the Pacon, Quesaba, Honcolada, and MalimitâÂÂestablished 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. 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 constituting of the 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 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. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
In the 2020 census, Carmen had a population of 23,172. The population density was .
Elected government officials of Carmen for the term of 2025-2028:
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.