Butuan City
The
City of Butuan (
Filipino:
Lungsod ng Butuan; Butuanon:
Dakbayan hong Butuan) is the regional center of
Caraga, serving as an administrative
region of the
Philippines; it is a highly urbanized city. It is located at the northeastern part of Agusan Valley,
Mindanao, sprawling across the
Agusan River. It is bounded to the north, west and south by
Agusan del Norte, to the east by
Agusan del Sur and to the northwest by
Butuan Bay. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 309,709 people.
[2]
The name "Butuan" is believed to have originated from the sour fruit,
batuan. Other etymology sources say that it comes from a certain "Datu Buntuan", a chieftain who once ruled over Butuan.
[citation needed]
Butuan was the capital of Agusan del Norte until 2000 when Republic Act 8811 transferred the capital to
Cabadbaran City.
However many of the provincial government offices are still located
there, including the provincial capitol, as are many the Caraga regional
offices of the national government agencies.
By the 11th century, Butuan was a center of trade and commerce in the
Philippines and was the location of the prehispanic Indianized
Kingdom of Butuan. Archaeological finds from that era include the nine
balanghai called "the Butuan boats," and the finds in Ambangan, Libertad near the old El Rio de Butuan and Masao River.
First mass On March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday, Magellan ordered a
mass to be celebrated which was officiated by Friar Pedro Valderrama,
the Andalusion chaplain of the fleet, the only priest then. The other
priest, the French Bernard Calmette (Bernardo Calmeta) had been marooned
at Patagonia with Juan de Cartagena for being implicated in the mutiny
at San Julian. Conducted near the shores of the island, the Holy First
Mass marked the birth of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines. Colambu
and Siaiu were the first natives of the archipelago, which was not yet
named "Philippines" until the expedition of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos in
1543, to attend the mass among other Mazaua inhabitants, together with
visitors from Butuan who came with the entourage of Rajah Colambu, king
of Butuan
Controversy has been generated with regard to the holding of the
first mass—whether it was held in
Limasawa,
Leyte in Masao, Butuan City, in the hidden isle made up of
barangays
Pinamanculan and Bancasi inside Butuan, in the latest discovered site
in between agusan sur and surigao sur, the little barangay of Barobo, or
elsewhere. It is sure, however, that
Ferdinand Magellan did not drop anchor by the mouth of
Agusan River
in 1521 and hold mass to commemorate the event which was held at
Mazaua, an island separate from 1521 Butuan which was in the
geographical conception of Europeans who wrote about it was a larger
entity than what it is now. Antonio Pigafetta who wrote an eyewitness
account of Magellan's voyage described in text and in map a Butuan that
stretched from today's Surigao up to the top edge of Zamboanga del
Norte.
The first municipal election in Butuan took place on March 1902 in accordance with Public Law No. 82
[3] which coincided with the American occupation of the place.
During the
Japanese occupation of the Philippines in
World War II, Butuan was razed to the ground when the
guerrilla forces attacked the enemy garrison during the middle of 1943. In 1945, the
Philippine Commonwealth
troops in Butuan together with the recognized guerrillas attacked the
Japanese forces during the Battle of Agusan. On October 20, 1948, still
recovering from the war, the entire municipality was ruined by a fire.
The boom of the logging industry from the 1950s to the middle of
1970s made Butuan the "Timber City of the South" and led to an influx of
business and fortune seekers from other provinces. The flourishing
logging industry inspired and prompted Congressman Marcos M. Calo to
file a bill converting Butuan into a city and on August 2, 1950, Butuan
became a city.
[4]
Butuan was reclassified from a
chartered city to a "highly urbanized city" on February 7, 1995.
Topography
Butuan City has a land area of 816.62 km
2, which is roughly 4.1% of the total area of the
Caraga region. With an estimated total population of 300,000, it has an average density of 367 persons per km
2, higher than the regional average density of 101 persons per km
2.
The existing land use of the city consists of the following uses: agriculture areas (397.23 km2), forestland (268 km2), grass/shrub/pasture land (61.14 km2) and other uses (90.242 km2). Of the total forestland, 105 km2 is production forest areas while 167.5 km2 is protection forest areas.
The forestland, as mentioned earlier, comprised both the production
and protection forest. The classified forest is further specified as
production forest and protection forest. In the production forest
industrial tree species are mostly grown in the area. The production
forest on the other hand, is preserved to support and sustain necessary
ecological performance. One is the watershed areas will dry up and
during heavy rain, rapid water run-off will occur creating flash floods.
And in sunny days, rapid evaporation happens, leaving the area arid.
The city is endowed with swamplands near its coastal area. These
swamp areas are interconnected with the waterways joined by the Agusan
River. Most of the swamplands are actually mangroves that served as
habitat to different marine species.
Filling material needs of the city are extracted usually from the
riverbank of Taguibo River. Others are sourced out from promontories
with special features and for special purpose.
The fishing ground of Butuan is the Butuan Bay of which two coastal
barangays are located. It extends some two kilometers to the sea and
joins the Bohol Sea. These are barangays Lumbocan and Masao.
Education
Butuan City is the center of education in the Caraga region. There
are now two universities in the city. The first home grown university of
the region is the
Father Saturnino Urios University.
The second is the Caraga State University (CSU), which was formerly
known as the Northern Mindanao Institute of Science and Technology
(NORMISIST). There is also the Timber City Academy, the oldest Chinese
school in the region. Other than the privately run academic institutions
that address the collegiate-level needs of the locals, most basic-level
schools are publicly run, notably the Butuan City SPED Center, the
Butuan Central Elementary School, and the Agusan National High School
(ANHS) which are adjacent to each other and found at the old center of
the city. Teachers from these two schools have significant exposure to
complimentary seminars and workshops with partnership programs such as
the Philippine-Australia Project on Basic Education (PROBE), enabling
these schools and others to maintain high rating National Achievement
Test results.
[citation needed]
There are also religious schools in the city, like the Liberty
Foundational Christian Academy (LFCA), that are aimed at producing
"God-loving, smart and trust-worthy students."
Festivals
The Kahimunan Festival is celebrated every third Sunday of January in celebration of the city patron
Sr. Sto. Niño. This celebration is a Butuanon version of the
Sinulog festival of
Cebu City. Kahimunan is a
Lumad term which means "gathering".
The Cultural festival/tourism consciousness week is a week long
celebration that lasts from the last week of July up to August 2 in
celebration of the Charter Day of Butuan.
The Abayan Festival, a part of the Cultural Festival, is held in
celebration of St. Anne, patroness of Agusan River, which is celebrated
every last Sunday of July.
Adlaw Hong Butuan is the charter day celebration of Butuan, which
includes a thanksgiving mass, motorcade, palagsing festival, street
party recognitions of outstanding Butuanons and city government
employees night.
Butuan celebrates its annual fiesta, the Balangay Festival, for the celebration of the city patron
St. Joseph
every whole month of May, with the the exact feast day of St. Joseph on
May 19. The city holds many events such as summer league basketball
championship games, thanksgiving mass, and more.
Foods
“Palagsing” is a local delicacy popularly made in Banza, one of the old
poblacion
of Butuan City. The popularity of making Palagsing in Banza is
attributed to the abundance of Lumbiya (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) where
Unaw or lumbiya starch is harvested from the Palm Tree. Another popular
ingredient is young coconut meat taken from coconut trees. The mixture
of unaw, young coconut and brown sugar make palagsing moist and chewy.
They are delicately wrapped by banana leaves and are boiled for 30
minutes to create the soft consistency of palagsing.
Tourist Attractions
Agusan River
The Agusan River is the the widest and most navigable river in
Mindanao.
Natives who live on the banks of this river pay tribute to their
Patroness, Senora Sta. Ana (Saint Anne) every last Sunday of July in the
Abayan Festival.
Asian Century Museum
The Asian Century Museum is roughly the newest museum in Butuan.
Unlike most museums in the city, they focus more on Eastern Asia's
history and future.
Balangay
The Balangays (or Balanghai) are ancient boats found in Butuan. They
were excavated in the Balangay Shrine, across the Masao River from Bood
Promontory. They played a major role in Butuan because Butuan was, and
still is, a port city. Since its discovery, the Balangays are an icon of
Butuan. Now, the Kaya ng Pinoy, Inc. recreated the Balangay boats and
sailed it on their project, the Balangay Voyage. So far they have only
sailed in Southeast Asia, though they are planning to sail around the
world.
Balangay Shrine Museum
The Balangay Shrine Museum, located in Brgy. Libertad, lays the
graveyard of the Balangay 1 dated 320 A.D. or 1688 years old. The
Balangay shrine museum is located at Balanghai, Libertad, Butuan City.
This wooden plank-build and edge-pegged boats measured an average of 15
meters in length and 3 meters wide across the beam. To date, 9 Balangays
have already been discovered in Ambangan, Libertad. Three have been
excavated and others are still in Site.
National Museum-Butuan branch or the regional museum
This museum is the repository of historical and cultural materials
and artifacts that proves Butuan's prehistoric existence and rich
cultural heritage. There are two exhibit galleries. The Archaeological
Hall and Ethnological Hall specimens of stone crafts, metal crafts,
woodcrafts, potteries, goldsmith, burial coffins, and other
archaeological diggings are exhibited. At the Ethnological Hall are
exhibits of contemporary cultural materials the Butuanon or every
Filipino for matter used for a living.
Mount Mayapay
Looming southwest of the Agusan Valley is this majestic mountain
plateau. It rises to 2,214 feet (675 m) above sea level. Mount Mayapay
got its name from the ancient Madjapahit Empire. The history behind the
Sri-Vishaya period bears much meaning and influence of Butuan's pre-historic and archaeological discoveries.
Delta Discovery Park
Delta Discovery Park is a newly opened
zip-line
in Butuan. Delta Discovery Park is located at Brgy. Bonbon, Butuan
City. A Hidden Paradise in the heart of the city. This is also known as
the longest zip-line in Mindanao and in Asia as well with a length of
1.3 kilometers. a project of former Mayor Democrito Plaza.
Bood Promontory Eco Park
This historic hill is believed to have been the site where Magellan
and his men celebrated the first Catholic Mass on Philippine soil and
erected a cross when he landed in Mazaua on March 31, 1521.
The highest elevation nearest to the seaside village of present day
Masao, Bood is a wooded area located at a bend in the Masao River (El
Rio de Butuan), overlooking Butuan Bay and ancient Butuan as well as the
serpentine Masao River.
Today, the indigenous Hadlayati tree still abound lording over a
clonal nursery and tree park, amidst fishponds and archaeological
treasures.
According to the chronicles of Spanish historian Pigafetta, this
event took place in the afternoon of March 31, 1521 after the Easter
Mass was celebrated in the morning of the same date. Two Butuanon
brother kings attended these Easter ceremonies. Pigafetta also noted the
surrounding fields and balanghai boats on the bay that could be seen
from the hill.
The eco-park was established to provide the people of Butuan and its
visitors a place to rekindle the past amidst a relaxing natural setting.
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