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Butuan / Agusan Del Sur
THE PROVINCE AT A GLANCE
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Located at the Northeastern part of Agusan Valley
sprawling across the Agusan River is Butuan City known for
it's colorful history and culture. BUTUAN is believed to
have originated from the sour fruit "Batuan". Others opined,
it came from a certain "Datu Buntuan", a chieftain who once
ruled Butuan. Scholars believed, it came from the word "
But-an", which literally means a person who has a sound and
discerning disposition. Whichever theories appear credible
depends on the kind of people residing in Butuan, for
whatever is said about them, Butuan continues to live on.
Butuan's history, culture, arts and people date back to the
4th Century as showcased in museums and festivals, makes
Butuan an exiting source of cultural artifacts in Mindanao.
As early as the 10th Century, according to the Chinese soong
Shi (history), people from Butuan had already established
trading relations with the Kingdom of Champa in what is now
South Vietnam. By the 11th Century, Butuan was the center of
trade and commerce in the Philippines. The best evidence to
prove this fact is the discovery of 9 balangays (The BUTUAN
BOAT) and other archaeological finds in the vicinities of
Butuan City , particularly in Ambangan, Libertad near the
old EL RIO de BUTUAN and MASAO river.
Welcome to a City that has seen over 1,677 years of recorded
history! The original site of the First Easter Mass in
Philippine Soil. Here, the present nurtures the past and
vice-versa. While the future waits promisingly in the wings.
BRIEF HISTORY
Agusanดs Prehispanic cultural history is traced back to
the great influence of the Majapahit Empire through the
discovery of an eight inch tall image of a woman in pure
gold at Maasam, Esperanza, in the early 20ดs and 60ดs. The
coming of the Spaniards was a visit to Rajah Siagu, a native
chieftain along the Limasawa. Spanish galleons dropped
anchor after an apparent long and weary journey commanded by
Pernao Magalhao to visit his place on the occasion of Easter
Sunday, on April 6,1951, the first mass in Agusan and for
that matter in Mindanao was celebrated. Spanish troops came
with friars who converted the natives into Christians.
Administration of the affairs of the government was later
centered on the church.
The revolt of Luzon had repercussions in Agusan who also
took up arms against Spaniards. After the signing of the
Treaty of Paris on December 10,1898, the Americans took over
the civil government and again Agusan took arms this time
against the American soldiers. But bolos and spears were no
match to powerful guns, so in January 1900, Agusan yielded.
This was then followed by peaceful road to self government
which was halted by the treacherous attack on Pearl Harbor
on Dec.7, 1941. The day of liberation came and in 1945
Agusan was very busy picking herself up for rehabilitation.
A very interesting sideline in the history of the province
is her name. In the long time past Agusan was only known as
"AGASAN" or "Where the Water Flows. In the ensuing years,
the archipelago was discovered by a Portuguese navigator
flying the Spanish flag. The greatest impact on this severe
winding river was when it laid itself as a highway for the
penetration of the Spanish explorers. These intrepid
"Conquistadores" had their penchant of corrupting
pronunciation and the place where the "Water Flows" or
"Agasan" came to be called "Agusan" to the civilized world.
LANGUAGE/DIALECT
The population of Agusan del Sur predominantly consists
of migrants from the Visayas regions and, therefore, the
Visayan dialects are widely used by the populace. Of the
Visayan dialects, it is Cebuano that is spoken by about 67%
of the total population. In the native cultural communities,
"Manobo" dialect is the most popular among the native
tongues. Other native tongues are Banuaon, Hiligaynon,
Kamayo, and others. There are only few foreigners in the
Agusan Del Sur, majority of whom speak Chinese. The rest
speak English, Dutch and Spanish of whom are the priests.
MAJOR INDUSTRIES
The large scale enterprises in Agusan del Sur deal mainly
with logs and lumber productions and mining. This area had
establishments consisting of logging firms; a lumber yard;
rice and corn mills, and others. Commercial establishments
has been growing steadily but most of the business
activities are in small scale
