“Never again!” Two words I uttered after
stepping into Butuan for the first time in the late 1990s, vowing never to
return there (unless I’d take a plane) after surviving an almost ten-hour bumpy
ride over the miserable road network along the two Agusans, which was then
notorious for being one of Mindanao’s worst. Geez, it’s so pathetic you’d think
you’re treading the road to perdition!
 |
The mighty Agusan River
|
Now, all that is water under the President Diosdado
Macapagal Bridge II so I humbly take back my word against Butuan. In one of my
journeys to the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog, I was delighted to see
the much improved road condition as the bus passed through the Agusan
provinces. Whew, it’s probably one of Mindanao’s finest! It would be exciting to drive at high speeds along that highway, I
thought.
After exploring nearby Surigao City for the first time a
year ago, I returned once again to Caraga Region, this time, on a solo sojourn.
Hitting the road to Butuan was like hitting two birds with one stone. First, I was
finally able to come up with this post about the bustling city in Northern
Mindanao. And second, I had a much needed change of scene which did wonders to buck
me up in many ways than one.
Historic Butuan intrigued me. Once known as the “Timber
City of the South” because of its thriving logging industry many decades ago,
it has successfully managed to re-invent itself into one of the Philippines’
highly-urbanized cities. Designated as Caraga’s administrative center, it
serves as the hub for trade, commerce, education, tourism, entertainment and
transportation of the region.
Driving my way into the city, I managed to pull another
first-time stunt—a five-hour solo drive thru the long and winding roads leading
to Butuan that had me meandering into two regions and four provinces of
Mindanao! It was a dream fulfilled for this thrill-seeker, a personal feat that
upsized my sense of self. It was an exhilarating joyride that pushed me
beyond my comfort zone.
Initially, I had my misgivings about pursuing the trek.
For days, I was debating with myself whether to drive or to commute. Why, it
even came to a point that I almost canceled the trip out of fear over this and
that! But there’s this inner voice that urged me to forge ahead and wrestle
with my inner demons. Finally deciding to take the wheel, I kept telling myself
one mantra: “Butuan or bust!”
As it turned out, the solo sojourn was a delight to this
city slicker who’s craving to bask in the beauty of the countryside. As my car
rolled along the highways of that part of Mindanao, I caught glimpses of rustic
grandeur under the sun—green fields teeming with the season’s produce; mighty
rivers and clear streams here and there; farmers riding astride their beasts of
burden; and many more.
The rural visuals had an alleviating effect on me; I felt
so light and at peace with the world, as if a heavy burden were taken off my
shoulders. It was a long drive—almost six hours as I stopped every now and then
for selfies!—that I thought I’d have difficulty completing as it’s my first
time to drive thru those unfamiliar paths, particularly the serpentine roads of
Compostela Valley. But I survived ‘em all!
Why go solo to a remote destination? Well, patience is
the least of my virtues; I can’t wait for travel buddies to become available.
Admittedly, I’ve taken to heart these lines from American author and poet Henry
David Thoreau: “He who goes alone can start today, but he who travels with
another must wait till that other is ready.” Mind you, one isn’t such a lonely
number; one is more fun!
 |
Montilla Boulevard
|
Why
bum around Butuan? Of all the things I’ve heard about it, it’s the city’s
prominent role during the dawn of our country’s history that interested me.
Dubbed as the “Prehistoric City of the Philippines”, Butuan is home to the
remnants of several ancient boats known as balangays
(or balanghais three of which have
been radiocarbon tested and dated to as early as 320, 990 and 1250 A.D.!
 |
A remnant of the balangay boat
|
According to http://mandirigma.org, a balangay is a “plank boat adjoined by a carved-out plank edged
through pins and dowels.” A flotilla of about nine balangays, which were used
by the Malayo-Polynesian migrants from different parts of Southeast Asia, was
excavated in the village of Libertad. Seeing the Butuan boat was one of the
things I wanted to achieve during that sojourn.
Said to be the first pre-Hispanic wooden seacraft
excavated in the country, the Butuan boats were first mentioned in the journals
of Italian scholar and explorer Antonio Pigafetta. Sailing with Ferdinand
Magellan and his crew under the auspices of King Charles I of Spain, he
documented the Portuguese explorer’s expedition to the Moluccas, including the
rediscovery of the Philippines.
The discovery of the ancient boats in 1976 reinforces our
historians’ assertion that the Philippines had a culture and way of life of her
own before Spain came to these islands. It also lends support to Butuan’s claim
of being this country’s flourishing trade and commercial center as early as the
11th century. Undeniably, our ancestors were civilized long before they were Hispanicized!
Of the nine balangay boats that were discovered, BB No. 1
(carbon-dated to 320 A.D.) is now housed at the Balangay Shrine and Museum,
along with other ancient artifacts excavated at the site. In addition, BB No. 2
(carbon-dated to 1250 A.D.) is on display at the National Museum in Manila
while BB No. 5 (carbon-dated to 900 A.D.), is undergoing conservation treatment
at the Butuan Branch of the National
Museum.
 |
Artifacts at the Balangay Shrine
|
 |
| Libertad excavation site |
All three boats have been declared by the late President
Corazon Aquino as National Cultural Treasures thru Proclamation No. 86.
Meanwhile, the other six vessels have been kept in their waterlogged state,
which experts consider as the best way of preserving them. But I heard the
diggings have resumed a few years ago—more than three decades after the
three original boats were dug!
Sometime last year, I read that the diggings have
unearthed what is called the “mother of all balangay boats”. Experts said that
the newly-discovered massive vessel, estimated to be about 25 meters long,
would still have to undergo a thorough technical evaluation to determine its
authenticity as a balangay. If found to be a real one, the discovery promises
to spark a re-writing of our country’s history!
 |
St. Joseph Cathedral
|
History has it that the early Filipinos navigated across
Southeast Asia as early as the 10th century, reaching as far as Champa, or what
is now the eastern coast of Vietnam, onboard flotillas of balangays. It has
always been the common thinking that these flotillas consisted of
similarly-sized small boats but the discovery of the huge vessel suggests that
the smaller ones could have been support seacrafts.
The said mother boat that’s discovered in Butuan is
deemed to be the storage for trade goods and supplies of our seafaring
ancestors. The recent discovery further implies that they were much more
organized than earlier thought. Incidentally, it has been established that
Butuan has had extensive trading links with ancient China and Vietnam and the
discovery of the boat lends credence to that.
(to be continued)
Now, all that is water under the President Diosdado
Macapagal Bridge II so I humbly take back my word against Butuan. In one of my
journeys to the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog, I was delighted to see
the much improved road condition as the bus passed through the Agusan
provinces. Whew, it’s probably one of Mindanao’s finest! It would be exciting to drive at high speeds along that highway, I
thought. 
After exploring nearby Surigao City for the first time a
year ago, I returned once again to Caraga Region, this time, on a solo sojourn.
Hitting the road to Butuan was like hitting two birds with one stone. First, I was
finally able to come up with this post about the bustling city in Northern
Mindanao. And second, I had a much needed change of scene which did wonders to buck
me up in many ways than one. 
Historic Butuan intrigued me. Once known as the “Timber
City of the South” because of its thriving logging industry many decades ago,
it has successfully managed to re-invent itself into one of the Philippines’
highly-urbanized cities. Designated as Caraga’s administrative center, it
serves as the hub for trade, commerce, education, tourism, entertainment and
transportation of the region.
Driving my way into the city, I managed to pull another
first-time stunt—a five-hour solo drive thru the long and winding roads leading
to Butuan that had me meandering into two regions and four provinces of
Mindanao! It was a dream fulfilled for this thrill-seeker, a personal feat that
upsized my sense of self. It was an exhilarating joyride that pushed me
beyond my comfort zone. 
Initially, I had my misgivings about pursuing the trek.
For days, I was debating with myself whether to drive or to commute. Why, it
even came to a point that I almost canceled the trip out of fear over this and
that! But there’s this inner voice that urged me to forge ahead and wrestle
with my inner demons. Finally deciding to take the wheel, I kept telling myself
one mantra: “Butuan or bust!” 
The rural visuals had an alleviating effect on me; I felt
so light and at peace with the world, as if a heavy burden were taken off my
shoulders. It was a long drive—almost six hours as I stopped every now and then
for selfies!—that I thought I’d have difficulty completing as it’s my first
time to drive thru those unfamiliar paths, particularly the serpentine roads of
Compostela Valley. But I survived ‘em all!
Why
bum around Butuan? Of all the things I’ve heard about it, it’s the city’s
prominent role during the dawn of our country’s history that interested me.
Dubbed as the “Prehistoric City of the Philippines”, Butuan is home to the
remnants of several ancient boats known as balangays
(or balanghais three of which have
been radiocarbon tested and dated to as early as 320, 990 and 1250 A.D.!
According to http://mandirigma.org, a balangay is a “plank boat adjoined by a carved-out plank edged
through pins and dowels.” A flotilla of about nine balangays, which were used
by the Malayo-Polynesian migrants from different parts of Southeast Asia, was
excavated in the village of Libertad. Seeing the Butuan boat was one of the
things I wanted to achieve during that sojourn. 
Said to be the first pre-Hispanic wooden seacraft
excavated in the country, the Butuan boats were first mentioned in the journals
of Italian scholar and explorer Antonio Pigafetta. Sailing with Ferdinand
Magellan and his crew under the auspices of King Charles I of Spain, he
documented the Portuguese explorer’s expedition to the Moluccas, including the
rediscovery of the Philippines. 
The said mother boat that’s discovered in Butuan is
deemed to be the storage for trade goods and supplies of our seafaring
ancestors. The recent discovery further implies that they were much more
organized than earlier thought. Incidentally, it has been established that
Butuan has had extensive trading links with ancient China and Vietnam and the
discovery of the boat lends credence to that.
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