Brief History (source: www.caragatravelguide.com):
The province of Agusan del Sur once shared one governance with its sister province, Agusan del Norte. However, Republic Act 4969, enacted on June 17, 1967, divided the Agusan province into two: Agusan del Sur and Agusan del Norte.
Agusan’s pre-hispanic history was greatly influenced by the Madjapahit Empire. This can be attested through the discovery of the Golden Tara in 1960, in one of its towns, which is Maasam, Esperanza. The 8-inches gold image, that was retrieved along the river of Esperanza, originated from the Madjapahit Empire.
The aborigines of Agusan were the ancestors of the present-day Mamanwas who were driven to the hinterlands by the waves of Malay immigrants from nearby Borneo, Celebes and Malaysia. These people, in turn, sought the protection of the interior jungles because of the forays and the constant raids of Moros. Being a sea-faring people, they confined themselves to the coastal areas where they started settlements, leaving the forestall area to the other native tribes.
Population
As of 1995, the population count for Agusan del Sur is 514,736. It is composed of 99, 048 households with an average household size of 5.3. The province population growth is 3.85% with a population density of 59.75.
People.
Based on the records of the National Integration Commission, the Aeta, Mamanwa, Bagobo, Banwaon, and Manobo are the five tribes who are found in Agusan del Sur. However, most of the Agusanon speak Cebuano while some use Boholano and Ilonggo. English is usually spoken in conversations with foreigners, in offices, and educational institutions.
Among the five existing tribes in the province, only Manobo and Banwaon or Higaonon Tribes are distinctly identified since they live along the National Highway and river towns of Davao del Norte while others live in the town of Esperanza towards the boundaries of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.
The Manobo.
The Manobos have medium built/stout bodies with light brown-straight hair and brown eyes. This was the result of the inter-marriages among Duyag-Batang, Talaandig and Mamanwa aborigines and the Indonesians during the reign of the Madjapahit Empire, plus the inter-marriages of the natives with the Malay River people during the Sri Visayan Empire and the Chinese traders who came to Agusan in the 11th and 12th Centuries. The coming of the Spaniards had also contributed to this racial and cultural marriages.
The monobos have their own dialect, which is a mixture of a native dialect and an acquired foreign language. The name “Manobo” is influence by the Malay River People. These people are called “Mansuba”, from the word “suba”, the malayan term for river. Therefore, “Mansuba” literally means “people living near or in the river (most of them live on floating houses). Later on, Mansuba is shortened to Manuba, which eventually took its masculine gender which is Manobo.
The Higaonon-Banwaon Tribe.
Higaonon-Banwaon Tribe is the second largest indigenous community in Agusan del Sur. Higaonon is derived from the native word “gaon”, which means mountain or literally, it means “The mountain people”. They are somewhat nomadic, traveling from one mountain to another, looking for fertile soil for a better harvest.
The Higaonons have medium built bodies with an average height of 5 ft. & 2 inches tall and a lighter skin complexion as compared with the other tribes in the province. Quite a number of them have a recognizable European features, aqualine nose, deep-set eyes and prominent cheeks, a legacy of the intermarriage between the natives and the spanish conquiestadores. Generally, they are warm and friendly people but when intimidated, they are the fiercest warrior. Higaonons are good hunters and farmers.
The Banwaon is a relative to the Manobo tribe. Banwaon is derived from the word “banwa”, meaning village or country or they are called the village settlers. So, while the Higaonons occupy the mountains of Esperanza, the Banwaons live in the lowlands and upstream of Maasam, Libang and Adgawan Rivers. Just like the Manobos, they are adept in fishing and farming and they have similar features with the Manobos.
Being neighbors, these two tribes were constantly in conflict with each other. In order to resolved the tribal differences, the datus of the two tribes allowed their constituents to intermarry. Eventually, the intermarriages between Higaonon and Banwaon had resolved the conflict, bringing forth the Higaonon-Banwaon Tribe.
The Land.
It has a total land area of 896,550 hectares or 8,965.50 square kilometers, with flat and rolling topography crisscrossed with rivers. The Agusan River is the largest and cuts the province into two along North-South direction.
Political Subdivision
Agusan del Sur occupies a portion of the Northern Mindanao Region bounded on the north by Agusan del Norte, on the east by Surigao del Sur, on the South by Davao del Norte and on the west by Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.
The entire province has a lone congressional district, which is composed of 14 municipalities and 314 barangays. Its capital town is Prosperidad where the Provincial Government Center is situated.
The Resources.
Agusan del Sur is maybe one of the country’s richest gold deposits. It contributes to the estimated 5.5 billion metric tons of metallic and non-metallic ore reserves Caraga region possesses. Other minerals found in the area are limestone, marble, gypsum, manganese, phosphate rock, coal, andesite rock, chromite, quartz, gold, white clay, and sand & gravel.
As part of Caraga region, it is also known to have the largest established timberland hectarage nationwide. In fact, it is envisioned to be the next timber corridor and food bowl in the region. Its major forestry and agricultural products are exotic tree species, rice, corn, coconut, cacao, coffee, banana, palm oil, and other agricultural resources.
Accessibility
The province is landlocked and can be reached only by land transportation through the Davao-Butuan National Highway. Three minor roads also provide access for travelers coming from Tandag, Lianga, Barobo, and Bislig in Surigao del Sur. One road connects the southwestern part of the province and Asuncion, Davao del Norte. Although the Agusan River is a potential highway for travelers to the province, there is no existing ferry facilities regularly servicing passage from Butuan City or Davao del Norte through the river.
The province is adequately linked to its neighboring provinces. Its municipalities are likewise interconnected with paved roads, except for La Paz and Loreto which are accessible through a motorized flat boat from the mini-ports of Bunawan and Talacogon. Most barangays are also connected to the main road arteries.
Since the major entry point of Caraga is Butuan City (74 kilometers away from Prosperidad), access to the province from Cebu or Manila is essentially the same as the access to its regional capital.
Distance of Municipalities from the Provincial Capital
PROVINCE: AGUSAN DEL SUR CAPITAL: PROSPERIDAD
MUNICIPALITY DISTANCE (In kms.)
• Sibagat 49.88
• Bayugan 32.28
MUNICIPALITY DISTANCE (In kms.)
• Prosperidad 8.90
• San Francisco 6.10
• Rosario 22.25
• Bunawan 47.66
• Trento 65.04
• Sta. Josefa 77.42
• Veruela 91.88
• Loreto 83.94
• La Paz 62.38
• Talacogon 34.42
• San Luis 43.60
• Esperanza 46.00
Brief History
The province of Agusan del Sur once shared one governance with its sister province, Agusan del Norte. However, Republic Act 4969, enacted on June 17, 1967, divided the Agusan province into two: Agusan del Sur and Agusan del Norte.
Agusan’s pre-hispanic history was greatly influenced by the Madjapahit Empire. This can be attested through the discovery of the Golden Tara in 1960, in one of its towns, which is Maasam, Esperanza. The 8-inches gold image, that was retrieved along the river of Esperanza, originated from the Madjapahit Empire.
The aborigines of Agusan were the ancestors of the present-day Mamanwas who were driven to the hinterlands by the waves of Malay immigrants from nearby Borneo, Celebes and Malaysia. These people, in turn, sought the protection of the interior jungles because of the forays and the constant raids of Moros. Being a sea-faring people, they confined themselves to the coastal areas where they started settlements, leaving the forestall area to the other native tribes.
Population
As of 1995, the population count for Agusan del Sur is 514,736. It is composed of 99, 048 households with an average household size of 5.3. The province population growth is 3.85% with a population density of 59.75.
People
Based on the records of the National Integration Commission, the Aeta, Mamanwa, Bagobo, Banwaon, and Manobo are the five tribes who are found in Agusan del Sur. However, most of the Agusanon speak Cebuano while some use Boholano and Ilonggo. English is usually spoken in conversations with foreigners, in offices, and educational institutions.
Among the five existing tribes in the province, only Manobo and Banwaon or Higaonon Tribes are distinctly identified since they live along the National Highway and river towns of Davao del Norte while others live in the town of Esperanza towards the boundaries of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.
The Manobo
The Manobos have medium built/stout bodies with light brown-straight hair and brown eyes. This was the result of the inter-marriages among Duyag-Batang, Talaandig and Mamanwa aborigines and the Indonesians during the reign of the Madjapahit Empire, plus the inter-marriages of the natives with the Malay River people during the Sri Visayan Empire and the Chinese traders who came to Agusan in the 11th and 12th Centuries. The coming of the Spaniards had also contributed to this racial and cultural marriages.
The manobos have their own dialect, which is a mixture of a native dialect and an acquired foreign language. The name “Manobo” is influence by the Malay River People. These people are called “Mansuba”, from the word “suba”, the malayan term for river. Therefore, “Mansuba” literally means “people living near or in the river (most of them live on floating houses). Later on, Mansuba is shortened to Manuba, which eventually took its masculine gender which is Manobo.
The Higaonon-Banwaon Tribe
Higaonon-Banwaon Tribe is the second largest indigenous community in Agusan del Sur. Higaonon is derived from the native word “gaon”, which means mountain or literally, it means “The mountain people”. They are somewhat nomadic, traveling from one mountain to another, looking for fertile soil for a better harvest.
The Higaonons have medium built bodies with an average height of 5 ft. & 2 inches tall and a lighter skin complexion as compared with the other tribes in the province. Quite a number of them have a recognizable European features, aqualine nose, deep-set eyes and prominent cheeks, a legacy of the intermarriage between the natives and the spanish conquiestadores. Generally, they are warm and friendly people but when intimidated, they are the fiercest warrior. Higaonons are good hunters and farmers.
The Banwaon is a relative to the Manobo tribe. Banwaon is derived from the word “banwa”, meaning village or country or they are called the village settlers. So, while the Higaonons occupy the mountains of Esperanza, the Banwaons live in the lowlands and upstream of Maasam, Libang and Adgawan Rivers. Just like the Manobos, they are adept in fishing and farming and they have similar features with the Manobos.
Being neighbors, these two tribes were constantly in conflict with each other. In order to resolved the tribal differences, the datus of the two tribes allowed their constituents to intermarry. Eventually, the intermarriages between Higaonon and Banwaon had resolved the conflict, bringing forth the Higaonon-Banwaon Tribe.
The Land
It has a total land area of 896,550 hectares or 8,965.50 square kilometers, with flat and rolling topography crisscrossed with rivers. The Agusan River is the largest and cuts the province into two along North-South direction.
Political Subdivision
Agusan del Sur occupies a portion of the Northern Mindanao Region bounded on the north by Agusan del Norte, on the east by Surigao del Sur, on the South by Davao del Norte and on the west by Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.
The entire province has a lone congressional district, which is composed of 14 municipalities and 314 barangays. Its capital town is Prosperidad where the Provincial Government Center is situated.
The Resources
Agusan del Sur is maybe one of the country’s richest gold deposits. It contributes to the estimated 5.5 billion metric tons of metallic and non-metallic ore reserves Caraga region possesses. Other minerals found in the area are limestone, marble, gypsum, manganese, phosphate rock, coal, andesite rock, chromite, quartz, gold, white clay, and sand & gravel.
As part of Caraga region, it is also known to have the largest established timberland hectarage nationwide. In fact, it is envisioned to be the next timber corridor and food bowl in the region. Its major forestry and agricultural products are exotic tree species, rice, corn, coconut, cacao, coffee, banana, palm oil, and other agricultural resources.
Accessibility
The province is landlocked and can be reached only by land transportation through the Davao-Butuan National Highway. Three minor roads also provide access for travelers coming from Tandag, Lianga, Barobo, and Bislig in Surigao del Sur. One road connects the southwestern part of the province and Asuncion, Davao del Norte. Although the Agusan River is a potential highway for travelers to the province, there is no existing ferry facilities regularly servicing passage from Butuan City or Davao del Norte through the river.
The province is adequately linked to its neighboring provinces. Its municipalities are likewise interconnected with paved roads, except for La Paz and Loreto which are accessible through a motorized flat boat from the mini-ports of Bunawan and Talacogon. Most barangays are also connected to the main road arteries.
Since the major entry point of Caraga is Butuan City (74 kilometers away from Prosperidad), access to the province from Cebu or Manila is essentially the same as the access to its regional capital.
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