Historic Agusan del Norte
Posted on Monday, 4 August 2014
Historic
Agusan del Norte
By Apolinario Villalobos
As early as the eleventh century, the
people of Agusan had been trading with the Chinese junk merchants.
Archaeological diggings that yielded potteries dating back to the Ming and
other dynasties attested to the healthy commercial relationship of the early
Butuanons with those of the mainland China and neighboring kingdoms. Butuan
which is presently referred only to the capital city was what the whole area
under Rajah Si-awi was known to the traders who came long before it was Hispanized.
During my visit to the city in the late ’70
during which I had a talk with the local historian, Adolfo B. Sanchez, I was
told that the settlement known before as Baug (now Magallanes) at the mounth of
the Agusan River was the hub of flourishing commercial activities. The deep bay
provided a good mooring ground for junks and other boats that came laden with
merchandise from the mainland and neighboring sultanates.
The pre-Spanish prominence of the province
attested by the archaeological finds and contentions of prominent historians
such as J. Mallat, Thomas de Comyn, Morga, Alcazar, Zuῆiga, and Fr. Juan
Francisco de Antonio just added weight to the claim of Butuanons that the first
Mass was held at Masao, near Butuan. Except for J. Mallat, a French, the rest
of the mentioned historians were Spaniards who wrote that Magellan, indeed,
landed in Butuan, where he acquired fresh provisions, exchanged courtesies with
the local kings, Si-Awi and si-Colombo, and then, celebrated Mass. A marker
commemorating the Christian act done by Magellan was erected late in 1872 by
Don Jose Maria Carvallo on the left bank at the mouth of the river.
Until 1911, Butuan, which was later named
Agusan, was part of Surigao, known then as Caraga District. With the passage of
Act 1693, Agusan became independent from Surigao, and in 1914, Teopisto
Guingona was appointed as the first Filipino Governor, ending the American
military administration. In 1923, the first election was held in the province
and Apolonio P. Curato became the first governor to be chosen by popular vote.
Located in northeastern Mindanao, the
present Agusan del Norte is bounded on the north by Butuan Bay, Surigao del
Norte on the south, and the east by Agusan del Sur, and on the west by Misamis
Oriental. The province’s 204,254 hectares of land area is ringed by mountain
ranges.
The provincial capital which retains the
original name of the province, Butuan, is linked with other parts of the
province, the neighboring Agusan del Sur and Davao del Norte by the highly
navigable Agusan River. Its strategic location made it a trade center of Agusan
Valley, dominating all trades going to and from the upper ports.
The name “Butuan” is believed to have been
derived from “batuan”, a sour fruit, an important ingredient for sour Visayan
fish dish. Others affirm that it came from the name of its early ruler, Datu
Buntuan. Still others insist, it is a derivative of the word, “but-an”, a
Visayan word which means, a good-natured person.
About less than ten -minute drive from the
city is Libertad, particularly, Ambangan, where nine of the much talked-about
“balanghai” were unearthed, near the old El Rio de Butuan and Masao river. The
“balanghai” which is presently referred to as barangay to connote the basic
Filipino political unit, is a large swift boat used by the early Filipinos. It
could carry a considerable number of persons aboard and mentioned in the
Philippine history books as the means of sea transport used by the ten Bornean
datus who came in the early part of the thirteenth century. Accordingly, the
people of Butuan were already enjoying a flourishing commercial intercourse
with the Kingdom of Champa (formerly south Vietnam), as early as the 10th
century. By the 11th century, it has become the central point of
commerce in the the Philippines.
For one who is really piqued in going
deeper into the province’s past, a trip to Magallanes which is 35.9 kilometers
from the city is suggested. Masao which is being contested by local historians
to be where the first Mass in the Philippines was held is just a stone’s throw
from the boulevard where a marker on Magellan’s landing was erected. Several
hundred meters from the mouth of the river is Panaytayon “mountain” where on
its crest, Magellan reputedly planted a cross.
Going farther up north, covering the towns
of Kitcharao and Jabonga is the vast Lake Mainit that teems with local carp,
freshwater catfish and eels. At Santiago which is about 49 kilometers from the
city is the Mapaso Hot spring.
For those interested in caving, there’s the
Vinapor Caves in the town of Carmen, carved from the limestone cliff, facing
the open sea. From the mouth of its main chamber, a commanding view of the city
can be had and on a clear day, even the distant Camiguin Island can be
discerned. Consisting of many caverns which some claim to be numbering to
thirteen, hence, the (sometimes) name, Thirteen Caves, Vinapor Caves are also
said to be enchanted that earned it another name, Diwata Caves.
The provincial coastal area of Agusan is
lined with clean beaches, especially, Carmen, Nasipit, Buenavista, and
Cabadbaran. The area is also known for its “laksoy”, a wine distilled from nipa
sap. The Butuanons sometimes soak “albotra” wood chips in “laksoy” to give it a
distinct taste.
Other touristic landmark of the city are
Butuan Regional Museum, the repository of archaeological finds; Mount Mayapay,
rising to 2,214 feet above sea level, for a tame trek; Bood promontory First
Easter Mass Eco Park, a historic site where Magellan was supposed to have
planted the cross on March 31, 1521; and, Banza church ruins, located at the
original site of the city when it was yet a “poblacion”, built in 1625 by the
Recollect friars but burned to the ground by Moro pirates in 1753, and
considered as the oldest church ruin in the whole of Mindanao.
The airport of Butuan is located at
Bancasi, while the port is located at Nasipit. The city can be also reached
from Manila by bus that travel to Surigao and Davao, which though, the
cheapest, could be tiresome as it takes three days to make, with about three or
four Ro-Ro transfers. The modes of transportation around the city are by taxi,
multi-cab, and tricycle.
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