If you could choose, would you live in Tagum City or Cagayan de Oro? Assuming you have elementary school-aged kids.

I'm originally from Cagayan de Oro. I was born and raised in CDO. I did elementary school, high school, college, and even medical school all in CDO. My wife, who also finished school in CDO, and I both passed the US medical licensing exams. We specialized in the US and practiced there for a few years. Now we're back in CDO, and our kids go to high school here and we plan for them to go to college in CDO too. From my own experience, I trust the education system here. Just choose your kids' school carefully.

Both are good places and good for kids. You can't go wrong with either one. I recommend living close to family.

Tagum is a nice little city. It has everything. It's close to Davao. The neighborhoods are clean and pleasant. The only problem is there's no decent beach nearby.

Honestly, when it comes to sending kids to school, no province is a good option. I'd only choose Metro Manila, where the private schools and international schools are better.