Agape. Aglow.
Agog. These three best describe what I felt during my sojourn to one of Caraga
Region’s most progressive provinces—Agusan del Norte, which I’d like to call
AgNor for short. Sounds exage, all right, but can’t blame me for being
overwhelmed by what I saw there. Geez, it seemed like ages since I first set
foot in that part of Mindanao so a revisit is a must!  |
| The clean and green Cabadbaran River in the provincial capital |
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| Cabadbaran Bridge |
After putting my AgNor escapade in the back burner for five years, I finally pushed through with it. Although I was able to return to Butuan City in 2014, I didn’t get the chance to roam around the province itself. It’s a protracted adventure that had to be shelved on numerous occasions to give way to other meanderings in Luzon and the Visayas. These past two years, however, I promised myself to devote more time to my escapades around Mindanao.
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| Agusan del Norte Provincial Capitol in Butuan City |
The itinerary I had drafted for my sojourn to AgNor required at least four days, including travel time. Good thing, I found the chance to do it because of the many declared holidays this month, giving me enough time to roam around the province. Excitedly, I packed my stuff and drove up north to take a peek at the province’s rustic charms.
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| The province is home to the deepest lake in the Philippines...Lake Mainit |
Driving solo
once again, I embarked on an exciting five-hour joyride to Northeastern Mindanao. From where I stayed in Davao City, I sped through the
highways of several towns and cities: Panabo City, the municipality of Carmen
and Tagum City in Davao del Norte and then the towns of Compostela
Valley—Nabunturan, Montevista and Monkayo.
Approaching
the border between Compostela Valley and Agusan del Sur, I rested for several
minutes before speeding my way to the bustling city of Butuan. Breezing through
the municipalities of Trento, Bunawan, and Rosario at high speed, I reached the
progressive town of San Francisco—fondly called San Franz by the locals—around
noontime.
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| A black sand beach in the port town of Nasipit |
When
hunger and thirst started bothering me in San Franz, I stopped over at one of
the karinderias near the highway before heading for the capital town of
Prosperidad, the nearby municipality of Sibagat and then onward to Bayugan
City. Over lunch, I thought of some possible changes in my itinerary that day.
Out of the blue, I wanted to make a detour to the Agusan Marsh! 
Declared
by former President Fidel Ramos as a protected area, the marshland is famous
for being the abode of Lolong, who, at a staggering 20 feet, was named the
world’s largest captive crocodile! Meeting the celebrity creature was one of
the reasons why I’ve been yearning to go to Agusan years ago. Unfortunately, he
passed away before we could see him live in the flesh.
On
second thought, I realized more time was needed to scour the wetlands. Besides,
I wanted to bask in the beauty of the marsh without rushing myself, enjoying
the sanguinity of my moments there while snapping at one of the most important
habitats for rare flora and fauna. So, I dropped the notion of drifting to the
protected swamps, reserving it for the future.
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| President Diosdado Macapagal Bridge: Mindanao's longest |
With
my tummy bursting at the seams, I hit the road anew. Driving smoothly through
the two Agusans, I was beaming with satisfaction at the improved road
condition. For decades, the road network going to Butuan from Davao gained
notoriety for being one of the island’s worsts. It was so laden with potholes, cracks
and ruts that it became the butt of travelers’ jokes.
One
gag I could still recall warns women passengers using IUD about going there as
they run the risk of slipping out the device while passing through the
godforsaken routes! Good thing, the once dreaded roads linking the province and
her twin, Agusan del Sur, with their neighbors—Davao del Norte, Bukidnon and
the two Surigaos—have either been concreted or asphalted.
Apparently,
the improvement, rehabilitation and construction of several kilometers of
farm-to-market roads and bridges in recent years have greatly contributed to
improving the region’s socioeconomic condition. These have facilitated trading
activities, providing more employment opportunities and lowering post-harvest
losses and transport costs.
Five hours
down the road, I reached Butuan late in the afternoon. Driving around, I
couldn’t help but marvel at the veritable signs of progress strewn all over.
These, I surmised, came about as a result of the two legislations that reorganized
Mindanao’s administrative regions, which, in turn, reshaped the Agnor’s
socioeconomic and political landscape.
At
present, the province is composed of ten municipalities (Carmen, Nasipit,
Buenavista and Las Nieves on the western side and Magallanes, Remedios T.
Romualdez, Tubay, Santiago, Jabonga and Kicharao on the eastern side) as well
as two cities, Butuan (independent highly urbanized city even if it’s
geographically within the province) and Cabadbaran, the provincial capital.  |
| Cabadbaran's City Hall |
Caraga
Region, which is almost similar in composition to the original Provincia de
Caraga in the 1600s, is made up of the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan
del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands, as well as the
cities of Bayugan, Cabadbaran, Bislig, Surigao, Tandag and, of course, Butuan.
Talk about history repeating itself. Whew!
All
in all, the entire escapade to Agnor enabled me to cover two regions (Davao and
Caraga), four provinces (Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley, Agusan del Sur and
Agusan del Norte), seventeen municipalities and five cities (Panabo, Tagum,
Bayugan, Butuan and Cabadbaran) that form part of Northern and Southern Mindanao.
What a journey it had been! :-D
(to be continued…)
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