In the beginning there was no Philippines but there was Butuan.

   

Butuan City is a place full of mystery yet a place you  will surely enjoy. With its  ancient  history, one can  really say  that  in the  beginning, there was no Philippines but there  was  BUTUAN. It is a place full of  smiles, full of enthusiasm and joy.Come  and visit Butuan, Ato ini Kadyawon ta!

"Butuan is not an ordinary place you have visited in a trip.Its rich history has been preserved but it has already evolved industrially. As you witness the different stories of how great Butuan is, you will surely end up looking for flights towards Butuan City. Enjoy!"

"THE HISTORIC BUTUAN CITY: HOME OF THE BALANGAYS"

"MAGELLAN’S ANCHORAGE"

Barangay Masao

       The fleet of Ferdinand Magellan anchored near an island that lit up with a radiant quality of light and that island is called Mazaua (it is derived from the native word Masao). In Mazaua, the two Butuanon brother kings attended the first Mass in the Philippines and the Magellan crew planted a cross on a hill. A memorial was built in Masao near the site where it represents the site that Magellan’s fleet have made an anchorage. Masao is also a popular beach where people go to swim, eat and rel

"BALANGAY DIG SITE"

Barangay Libertad

This museum is the repository of archaelogical and cultural materials and artifacts found in Butuan and the Caraga region. It functions as a show window of the history and culture of the ancient kingdom of Butuan. Specimens of stone, metal and woodcraft, pottery, goldsmithing, burial coffins, and other important archaeological finds are exhibite

16AUG2013 The largest sailing vessel of its kind yet discovered is being unearthed in Butuan City in Mindanao, and it promises to rewrite Philippine maritime history as we know it.

Estimated to be around 800 years old, the plank vessel may be centuries older than the ships used by European explorers in the 16th century when they first came upon the archipelago later named after a Spanish king, Las Islas Felipenas.

"Diosdado Macapagal Bridge"

  Diosdado Macapagal Bridge

Crosses over the Agusan River, this state-of-the-art bridge is the longest in Mindanao and even said as the longest road span in the world and Asias first. Its span has a roadway width of 11.4 meters with its main stream ends northeast in Butuan Bay and its southeast upstream reaches as far as the two Davao provinces in Mindanao. The bridge is built for better transportation connecting the bypass roads of the existing Iligan-Cagayan

                            " Laksoy"

LAKSOY” is local wine made out of indigenous Nipa Palm that abound in Butuan. It goes through the process of fermentation from a crudely made vat only a native Butuanon can ingenuously produce. Laksoy is definitely one of the local wines in best tasting the Island.

"Agusan River"

Agusan River is the longest river in Mindanao. Its source is Tagum, Davao del Norte, while its mouth is at Butuan Bay, with a total length of 350 kilometers.

This is the biggest and longest river in Mindanao. A cruise along the river barangays reveals so much in Butuan`s history, culture, art, and people, and as a tribute to the Patroness of the Agusan River Senora Sta. Ana, the Abayan Festival was born – a day long celebration of baroto races and fluvial procession at the Agusan River.

"Golden tara"

This photo of the golden tara was taken at Balanghai Hotel, the real image which weighs approximately 4 pounds, and is a 21 carat gold figurine, is now located at Chicago museum

       If you visit Butuan, you can also view the replica at Butuan regional museum. This artifact was found in 1917, southeast of Butuan at an Agusan river tributuary. It is as the experts say, an evidence of the early indian influence, as it was dated as early as 850-950 AD.

        A source also says that In 1917 after a storm and flood, a 21-carat golden figurine of a female deity of Hindu was found by a Manobo woman on a muddy bank of Wawa River, a tributary of the large Agusan River. This ancient figure seated in lotus position weighs nearly 4 pounds which is the earliest known image identified to be an Indian in origin. The image corroborates a single cultural sphere that developed in the archipelagic regions of Southeast Asia during the height of trade between Butuan and the rest of the Sri Vijaya Empire.

        The Golden Tara of Butuan is a metaphor of the City's Glorious history and its journey to a progresive future. I even had my classmates painted with a gold paint and they wore a gold suit. They portrayed the Golden Tara and they danced in Baguio City representing Butuan City.

"BUD PROMONTORY & ECO-PARK"

The place believed to be where the cross of the first mass was planted.

“Bud”, which means hill in the Butuanon language, is the commemoration site of the first planting of the cross by Ferdinand Magellan and his crew after celebrating the Mass  on the afternoon of  Easter Sunday March 31, 1521. A cross and a memorial depicting the event have been erected on the site. On this hill that overlooks the Masao River, people would once have observed the Butuan trading center, where traders from China and Southeast Asian kingdom brought their wares to barter for gold and other produce.  The park provides a scenic view of the surrounding countryside and has many Teak trees (called Hadlayati in Butuanon) growing on it. It is a good place to spend a leisurely time.

Nilusak (or nilupak)

Nilusak (or nilupak) is cassava (or "balanghoy" inButuanon, the local dialect) that is mashed ("nilusak") with sugar and margarine, sprinkled with grated mature coconut, and rolled into ping-pong sized balls. The yellow color of the cassava, speckled with the white coconut, makes nilusakballs, for lack of a better term, cute--just the way I think all small pastries should look. This "balanghoy" is sweeter than its suman and puto counterparts, and because it is "nilusak" with margarine, it is naturally softer and creamier. Sometimes, "nilusak na saging" or mashed plantain bananas is also available in the market. We call this "tinupukan," and this is considered to be more Butuanon.

"Bolihon Beach Resort" 

Bolihon Beach Resort was a hidden beach actually. We have climbed the mountain and turned right we go down to a still ongoing constructed muddy road dissecting the mountain to give way for beachgoers. Without this road, the path to Bolihon Beach Resort could be difficult to reach. 

But someone has the spirit to find real treasure in life you have to move on and see how God created masterfully in His hand the art of nature by crossing the hardships and difficulties. Imagine the mountain at top and below the white curve line seeing the little bay of Caraga. If you witness the giant bays like Butuan and Bislig, well you can picture the cute little curve in a distance. Walking from the tip to other tip of a curve and you are done.

"Palagsing:A Local Delicacy from Butuan"

Palagsing is a delightful delicacy from Northern Mindanao that shouldn't be missed. Palagsing is made from the combination of brown sugar, coconut and  unaw (the rich starch obtained from the bark of this palm) as the main ingredient. After mixing coconut milk with unaw, it is then rolled using banana leaves as wrapper. The rolled unaw is arranged in a big cauldron to be boiled for about an hour.

Palagsing is usually eaten with sugar over coffee. Palagsing making is very popular in Brgy. Banza, Butuan , one of the oldest communities in the area. To have a taste of authentic palagsing, you need to take a habal habal to reach the place. The rich starch obtained from the bark of this palm has become the staple food of the indigenous people. With its unique yet mouth-watering flavor, Palagsing  truly is a pride of Butuan.