Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan is a city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. It is the first class and largest city in Nueva Ecija, and 5th in Central Luzon with a population of 272,676 in 2010.
The city is popular for being home to more than 30,000 tricycles and prides itself as the "Tricycle Capital of the Philippines" and its strategic location along the Cagayan Valley Road has made the city a major economic, educational, medical, entertainment shopping and transportation center in Nueva Ecija and nearby provinces in the region such as Aurora and Bulacan. It has earned the moniker "Gateway to the North".
Cabanatuan remained as Nueva Ecija's capital until 1965 when the government created Palayan City as the new provincial capital. Nueva Ecija's old capitol and other government offices are still used and maintained by the provincial administration.
History
Cabanatuan was founded as Barrio of Gapan in 1750 and became a Municipality and capital of La Provincia de Nueva Ecija in 1780. Cabanatuan is the site of the historical "Plaza Lucero" and the Cabanatuan Cathedral, where General Antonio Luna was assassinated by Captain Pedro Janolino and members of the kawit battalion. Cabanatuan lost the title of provincial capital in 1850 when the capital of Nueva Ecija was moved to San Isidro, another historic town. It was only in 1917, when the Administrative code was enacted, that Cabanatuan was restored as capital of the Province. However, in 1965, Congress created Palayan City, which has been the capital ever since.
During World War II, the occupying Japanese built Cabanatuan Prison Camp, where many American soldiers were imprisoned, some of whom had been forced to endure the infamous Bataan Death March. In January 1945, elements of the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion marched 30 miles (48 km) behind enemy lines to rescue the prisoners in what became known as the Raid at Cabanatuan. As a result of the raid on January 30, 1945, victorious Filipino guerrillas and American troops of the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion celebrated having obtained the freedom of 500 American POWs. Soon thereafter, Philippine and American forces re-established the presence of military general headquarters and military camp bases of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, Philippine Constabulary 2nd Infantry Regiment, and the United States Army in Cabanatuan from February 1945 to June 1946 during the Allied Liberation. Before long, the combined Philippine Commonwealth and American armed forces, in cooperation with local guerrilla resistance fighters and Hukbalahap Communist guerrillas, had liberated Central Luzon from Japanese Imperial forces, a campaign that lasted from January until August 1945.
In 1957, the barrios of Mataas na Kahoy, Balangkare Norte, Balangkare Sur, Sapang Kawayan, Magasawang Sampaloc, Talabutab Norte, Talabutab Sur, Platero, Belen, Pecaleon, Piñahan, Kabulihan, Pasong-Hari, Balaring, Pulong Singkamas, Panaksak, Bravo, Sapang Bato, Burol, Miller, Tila Patio, Pula, Carinay, and Acacia were separated from Cabanatuan and constituted into a separate and independent municipality known as General Mamerto Natividad.
Cabanatuan was the epicenter of a very large earthquake at roughly 3 P.M. on July 16, 1990. It leveled some buildings, including the Christian College of the Philippines (Liwag Colleges) in the midst of class time. At 7.8 on the surface wave magnitude scale, it killed 1,653 people.
Conversion from town, component city to highly urbanized city
Cabanatuan became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 526, approved on June 16, 1950.[6] In 1998, Cabanatuan was declared by then-president Fidel V. Ramos as a highly urbanized city however it failed ratification after the majority of votes in the plebiscite was negative.
Cabanatuan was declared as highly urbanized city by President Benigno S. Aquino III under Presidential Proclamation No. 418 on July 14, 2012. A plebiscite scheduled on December 2012 was moved by the Commission on Elections to January 25, 2014 so as not to burden the poll body during its preparation for the 2013 local elections in the province. Incumbent Governor Aurelio Matias Umali, who had a strong voter base in the city, opposed the conversion and submitted a petition to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on January 24, 2014. On April 23, 2014, voting 9-5-1, the Supreme Court granted a petition for certiorari filed by Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali and declared as null and void Comelec Minute Resolution No. 12-0797 dated September 11, 2012 and Minute Resolution No. 12-0925 dated October 16, 2012 setting a date for the conduct of a plebiscite in which only registered voters of Cabanatuan would be allowed to vote. The province-wide plebiscite was rescheduled for November 8, 2014, but cancelled again because the Cabanatuan City government couldn't provide the funds needed for the plebiscite. No new date has been set until city government certifies that P101 million is available for the holding of the plebiscite.
Religion
Roman Catholicism has been the predominant religion in the city, being host to a major cathedral - the St. Nicholas of Tolentine Cathedral which serves as the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Cabanatuan. There are three major Catholic structures located within the city, these are the Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, the Carmelite Sisters Convent and the Maria Assumpta Seminary. Local chapels/parishes are also present in most barangays. Iglesia ni Cristo also maintains a remarkable presence in Cabanatuan with its large house of worship in Brgy. Zulueta with a 5,000 persons seating inside. Jesus Miracle Crusade and The United Methodist Church also have a large number of congregation within the city. Other Christian denominations also exist. The Islamic faith also has a remarkable presence in Cabanatuan, specifically within the districts of Imelda and Isla. Two large mosques exist in the city, with the largest located at Imelda District.
Geograph
Cabanatuan City is located in the rolling central plains of Luzon drained by the Pampanga River. The city is seated about 13 km west-southwest of the provincial capital Palayan City and 117 km north of Manila. The geographic coordinates of Cabanatuan City are 15° 29' 22 N, 120° 58' 14 E.
Climate
Cabanatuan has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen climate classification: Aw), with year-round warm weather and distinct dry and wet seasons. It is touted as one of the hottest cities in the country; in the summer season of 2011 Cabanatuan reached its hottest temperature at 39.8 °C, also the hottest in the Philippines in that same year, and on June 4, 2015 PAGASA reported 53 °C RealFeel on the city which is the hottest yet recorded.
Economy
Cabanatuan City is the economic heart of Nueva Ecija and is the core of a metropolitan area of about 580,000 people. It is a vital financial center home to 59 banks, 135 non-bank financial institutions, headquarters of some of the largest rural banks in Central Luzon, and a branch of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Its banks reportedly hold more than 29 billion pesos, 16th among cities outside Metro Manila. It also ranks as one of the most livable cities in the Philippines together with Makati City in terms of banking convenience. The city is the distribution center of goods and commodities for Nueva Ecija. Distribution warehouses and sales offices are found throughout the city. Although Cabanatuan does not have significant manufacturing industries, its dynamic service sector together with the thriving agriculture drives the economy forward.
Indicators reflect Cabanatuan economic achievements in the past few years. The growth of new business registrations in the city reached 26% last year while locally sourced taxes grew 12.23% annually in the ten years to 2015. Residential buildings and subdivisions, already exceeding 100, are taking up lands on the fringes of the downtown. The presence of big land developers such as Sta. Lucia Realty, Vista Land and Ayala Land ensures competition and quality in the new suburban homes. Commercial buildings are filling the CBD and Maharlika Highway on the average of 75 per year. Many car dealerships set up shop in the past five years, counting Cabanatuan among the cities with the most number of car dealerships in the country. Existing dealerships include Toyota (Toyota Cabanatuan Inc. being the 709th largest Philippine corporation), Kia, Isuzu, Mazda, Ford, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Hyundai, Suzuki,and Mahindra.
Telecommunications infrastructure is highly developed thanks to major players Globe, Smart, Sun Cellular, PLDT and Digitel that maintain business offices in the city. A number of TV and radio stations are also present. The city's electricity is provided by Cabanatuan Electric Corporation (CELCOR), the 879th largest Philippine corporation. CELCOR owns a 26.5-MW diesel power plant that provides the city's needed load when the supply in Luzon grid is thin.
To further explore its vibrant economic potentials, Cabanatuan is seeking to have a share of the IT-BPO boom. The first call center in Nueva Ecija was successfully established in the city in 2008. The city government is equally keen on attracting big-ticket projects by providing prospective investors fast business applications processing, low business taxes, income tax holidays and other similar incentives.
Cabanatuan nowadays is fast-becoming a major investment hub and is considered as one of the most competitive cities for doing business in the country. Investors in banking, real estate, retail and other business and industrial enterprises are similarly drawn to the city because of its adequate infrastructure and support services. Its continuing urbanization has been luring investors not only into the city but also to its suburban municipalities as well.
The city's total income reached PHP 1.063 billion in 2014, and its total assets amounted to PHP 2.826 billion (2014).
Bislig, officially called the City of Bislig and often referred to as Bislig City, is a third income class city in the province of Surigao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 96,578 people.
Barangay Mangagoy, the downtown area often dubbed as "the little city within the city", is the center of trade and industry of Bislig which has a population of 50,000. It is the largest barangay in the city in terms of population and land area. Since Brgy. Poblacion is often referred by the locals simply as 'Bislig', Mangagoy on the other hand is often mistaken as a separate town though it is only just one out of the 24 barangays that comprises the entire City of Bislig.
In 2000, Bislig was converted into a city per Republic Act 8804. It is the easternmost city in the Philippines in terms of geographical location.
Etymology
The legendary allusions as to how Bislig got its name could be traced back to the era prior to the coming of the Spanish conquistadors. The town got its name from a forest vine of the rattan family that grew in abundance along the banks of its rivers. This vine was noted for its strength and became known for saving a royal couple who crossed the swollen river in one of their hunting expeditions and who almost died as they were carried downstream by the rushing current. The legend has it that these hunters had already lost hope of surviving until they were able to cling to a vine which was about 1/4 inch in diameter called Bislig. As a sign of thanksgiving, the ruler named this place Bislig.
Historically, Bislig derived its name from the word “bizlin”, a kind of gold, “which is worth two pesos a tael. The weight of a tael is one and one-eight ounces” in the 16th century, which the natives used for trade and barter. Prior to the coming of Spaniards, this terminology was understood in Luzon and in Mindanao. In the report of the Administrator of Royal Properties Andres Mirandaola dated 8 September 1573 sent to King Philip of Spain that “much gold found in the island of Mindanao, District of Butuan, Surigao ...” It is believed that this kind of gold found in the rolling hills and mountains of the southernmost portion of Bislig and Agusan Province.
However, historical records shows that the name has been variously spelled by the Spanish chroniclers. Conquistador Miguel de Loarca, in his extreme exploratory survey trip of the archipelago, first mentioned and spelled it "Beslin" in his historical accounts “Relacion de los Yslas Filipinas” in 1582, as well as in the Confirmaciones de Encomienda (1616–1700) which Bislig was under the encomienda of Alferez Juan delas Marianas in 1619. In the “Historia general de los religiosos descalzos del orden de San Agustin” of Fray Andres de San Nicolas in 1664 spelled it "Bislin" and also in the “Historia general... del Orden de San Agustin” of Fray Luis de Jesus in 1681. A Franciscan writer, Fray Juan de San Francisco de San Antonio spelled it "Baslig" in his “Cronicas” in 1738. Other Spanish chroniclers spelled it "Bislic" and "Bisliq".
In the first detailed map of the Philippines in 1749, published in “Historia de la Provincia de Filipinas” by a Jesuit, Father Pedro Murillo Velarde spelled it Bislig, as did in the “Historia General ...” of Fray Pedro San Francisco de Assis in 1768 and in the “Mapa dela Provincia de Caraga” by Francisco Alegre in 1751. A complete statistical data of District of Caraga compiled in 1750 spelled as "Bislig", and also in the document titled “Provincia de San Nicolas de Tolentino de Agustinos descalzos dela Congregacion de España y Indias” in 1879.
From the time on, it is known and spelled as Bislig.
Geography
Bislig is approximately 208 kilometres (129 mi) northeast of Davao City, 152 kilometres (94 mi) south of Tandag City (the provincial capital) and 158 kilometres (98 mi) southeast of Butuan City.
Climate
Type II Climate characterized by no dry season and with a very pronounced maximum rainfall from November to January. The city enjoys steady weather condition being outside the typhoon belt.
History
The first inhabitants of Bislig were believed to have come from the Agusan Valley in the hinterlands of Mindanao beyond the Magdiwata Mountains. These people used spears, bows and arrows and lived a semi-nomadic life and were called Manobos.
They were ruled during the later part of the seventeenth century by a native leader called "Bagani", meaning a formidable leader. They were very brave, tough and war-like. They also introduced edible crops such as rice, corn and rootcrops to the area.
At the turn of the century, Spanish Colonizers and Missionaries imposed the rule of Spain and brought with them Tagalogs, Ilonggos, and Cebuanos from the North as members of their expeditionary forces.
Long before, it became a town on 1 January 1921 per Executive Order No. 62 issued by Governor General Francis Burton Harrison on 28 December 1920 with Primitivo A. Castillo as its first Municipal President, Vice-President: Sulpicio P. Laurente & Councilors: Ciriaco Alba; Bartolome Alvar; Higino Basañez; Escolastico Carmen; Tomas Masancay; Basilio Dua; and Macario Tenchavez. Bislig was already an established political instrumentality or "pueblo" in the Province of Surigao (now Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Norte). Earlier, the province was a part of an even bigger territory stretching from Northeastern Mindanao down to the island's Southeastern "pueblo" of Caraga and Man-ay in Davao Oriental. Caraga was originally the seat of political, military and religious authority.
Since then efforts were made to improve and develop Bislig until the advent of Cityhood campaign in 1999 and by virtue of Republic Act No. 8804 Bislig was converted into a component city duly ratified and approved in a plebiscite conducted on 18 September 2000.
Economy
Barangay Mangagoy is the center of trade and industry of the city which has a population of 50,000 and is the largest barangay in both land area and population. Espiritu St. and the adjacent areas within is colloquially often referred simply to as 'Barrio' by the locals in which the business district in Mangagoy is located. It houses national and local banks. Telecommunication such as Internet, cellular phones, cable televisions and leased data lines are well-available in the vicinity of Mangagoy. There are also accommodating inns and hotels, as well as motorized tricycles, jeepneys, and buses ply its concrete roads and highways.
Bislig was the home of the defunct company PICOP Resources, Inc. (PRI, or previously known as the Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines), which was the largest paper mill in Asia and one of the largest in the world. It is geographically situated at Barangay Tabon and its concession is a sanctuary of the Philippine eagle. The permanent shutdown was officially ruled on mid-2008.
The concrete runway of the commercial airport can accommodate light commercial planes of the Fokker 50 class, though most of the time the airport is only used for the occasional private plane.
Tourism
Known for its ecotourism, Bislig's main tourist attraction is the Tinuy-an Falls, known as the little "Niagara Falls" of the Philippines. It is a white water curtain that flows in three levels about 55 meters high and 95 meters wide. Its critically acclaimed majestic and unique natural formation was once appeared in the International Travel Magazine. It is also known as the widest waterfalls in the Philippines.
Other known tourist attractions include the white-sand beaches of Hagonoy Island; the Lawigan Beach which faces and considered a part of the Pacific Ocean; the underground river of the educational Delot and Hinayagan Cave; the Togonan Cold Spring which is a 30-minute ride a far from the city proper; the wild sanctuary of the Forester's Park; the wide range waters of the Mone River or the man-made Lake 77 which offers a boat ride tour and a floating cottage ideal for picnic and fishing; the Kamayo Heritage Park; the Florland Highland Resort at Brgy. San Vicente; the Chocolate Beach ideal for the avid mud skim boarding enthusiasts; the newly developed Mabakat beach (the former Dampingan area) ideal for surfing aficionados; the International Doll House at the Ocean View Park in Barangay Cumawas; and the City Baywalk Park. Trekking and bird watching could also be available in Bislig's densely natural forested areas.
Bislig once hosted the annual festival called "The Karawasan Festival" during the charter day of the city which features an inter-school ethnic dance competition. Karawasan came from a local dialect which means "movement of the crabs". Karawasan was held every 17th day of September. It has been replaced by the "Tinuy-an (Sayaw) Festival" since September 2013.
Butuan City, is a highly urbanized city in the Philippines. The city is the regional center of the Caraga Region. It is located at the northeastern part of the Agusan Valley, Mindanao, sprawling across the Agusan River. It is bounded to the north, west and south by Agusan del Norte, to the east by Agusan del Sur and to the northwest by Butuan Bay. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 309,709 people.
Butuan City was the capital of the province of Agusan del Norte until 2000, when Republic Act 8811 transferred the capital to Cabadbaran City.
Etymology
The name "Butuan" is believed to have originated from the sour fruit locally called batuan. Other etymological sources say that it comes from a certain Datu Buntuan, a chieftain who once ruled over areas of the present-day city.
History
Butuan, before its colonization, was known as the Rajahnate of Butuan, an Indianized kingdom known for its metallurgic industry and sophisticated naval technology. The rajahnate flourished at the 10th and 11th centuries CE, and had an extensive trade network with the Champa Civilization and the Srivijayan Empire.
On 1001 CE, the rajahnate had established contact with the Song Dynasty of China. The annual Song Shih recorded the appearance of a Butuan mission at the Chinese imperial court, and the rajahnate was described as a small Hindu country with a Buddhist monarchy, which had a regular trade connection with Champa. The mission, under a rajah named Kiling, asked for equal status in court protocol with the Champa envoy, but ultimately was denied by the imperial court. However, under the reign of Sri Bata Shaja, the diplomatic equality was eventually granted to the Kingdom, and as a result the diplomatic relations of the two nations reached its peak in the Yuan Dynasty.
Evidence of these trading links are in the discovery of 11 balangay boats around Ambangan in barangay Libertad, which was described as the only concentration of archaeological, ancient, ocean-going boats in Southeast Asia. Other evidences of the post are the discovery of a village in Libertad that specializes in gold, deformed skulls similar to reports in Sulawesi, and the discovery of many artifacts by locals and treasure hunters.
Butuan, before its colonization, was known as the Rajahnate of Butuan, an Indianized kingdom known for its metallurgic industry and sophisticated naval technology. The rajahnate flourished at the 10th and 11th centuries CE, and had an extensive trade network with the Champa Civilization and the Srivijayan Empire.
On 1001 CE, the rajahnate had established contact with the Song Dynasty of China. The annual Song Shih recorded the appearance of a Butuan mission at the Chinese imperial court, and the rajahnate was described as a small Hindu country with a Buddhist monarchy, which had a regular trade connection with Champa. The mission, under a rajah named Kiling, asked for equal status in court protocol with the Champa envoy, but ultimately was denied by the imperial court. However, under the reign of Sri Bata Shaja, the diplomatic equality was eventually granted to the Kingdom, and as a result the diplomatic relations of the two nations reached its peak in the Yuan Dynasty.
Evidence of these trading links are in the discovery of 11 balangay boats around Ambangan in barangay Libertad, which was described as the only concentration of archaeological, ancient, ocean-going boats in Southeast Asia. Other evidences of the post are the discovery of a village in Libertad that specializes in gold, deformed skulls similar to reports in Sulawesi, and the discovery of many artifacts by locals and treasure hunters.
Colonial period
In March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday, Ferdinand Magellan ordered a mass to be celebrated. This was officiated by Friar Pedro Valderrama, the Andalusian chaplain of the fleet, the only priest then. Another priest, the French Bernard Calmette (Bernardo Calmeta) had been marooned at Patagonia with Juan de Cartagena for being implicated in the mutiny at Puerto San Julián. Conducted near the shores of the island, the Holy First Mass marked the birth of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines. Rajah Colambu and Siaiu were said to be among the first natives of the soon-to-be Spanish colony to attend the mass among other Mazaua inhabitants, together with visitors from Butuan who came with the entourage of Colambu, king of Butuan.
Controversy has been generated regarding the holding of the first mass—whether it was held in Limasawa, Leyte in Masao, Butuan City, in the hidden isle made up of barangays Pinamanculan and Bancasi inside Butuan, in the latest discovered site in between Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur, the small barangay of Barobo, or elsewhere. It is sure, however, that Ferdinand Magellan did not drop anchor by the mouth of Agusan River in 1521 and hold mass to commemorate the event which was held at Mazaua, an island separate from 1521 Butuan which, in the geographical conception of Europeans who wrote about it, was a larger entity than what it is now. Antonio Pigafetta who wrote an eyewitness account of Magellan's voyage described in text and in map a Butuan that stretched from today's Surigao up to the top edge of Zamboanga del Norte.
The first municipal election in Butuan took place in March 1902 in accordance with Public Law No. 82 which coincided with the American occupation of the place.
During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, Butuan was razed to the ground when local guerrilla forces attacked the enemy garrison on 12 March 1943 in the Battle of Butuan In 1945, the Philippine Commonwealth troops in Butuan together with the recognized guerrillas attacked the Japanese forces during the Battle of Agusan. On October 20, 1948, still recovering from the war, the entire municipality was ruined by a fire.
Modern era
By the late 1940s to the 1970s, Butuan's industry specialized in timber, earning it the nickname, "Timber City of the South". The plentiful trees of the area invited many investors to the city, and inspired then-congressman Marcos M. Calo to file a bill elevating Butuan for cityhood. On August 2, 1950, this was passed converting Butuan into a city.
However, by the early 1980s, the logging industry of the city began to decline, although the city was still an economic haven to many investors. The city's main income by that time frame and until this day depended on small and medium business, and large-scale projects by investors. In February 7, 1995, the city was reclassified from a chartered city to a Highly Urbanized city. 16 days later, on February 23, the region of Caraga was created by virtue of Republic Act 7901, with Butuan as its regional center, and the provincial capital of Agusan del Norte. In 2000, Republic Act 8811 formally transferred the capital of Agusan del Norte from Butuan to Cabadbaran, however most provincial offices are still located in the city.
Geography
Butuan City has a land area of 81,662 hectares (201,790 acres), which is roughly 4.1% of the total area of the Caraga region.
The existing land use of the city consists of the following uses: agriculture areas (397.23 km2), forestland (268 km2), grass/shrub/pasture land (61.14 km2) and other uses (90.242 km2). Of the total forestland, 105 km2 is production forest areas while 167.5 km2 is protection forest areas.
The forestland, as mentioned earlier, comprised both the production and protection forest. The classified forest is further specified as production forest and protection forest. In the production forest industrial tree species are mostly grown in the area. The protection forest on the other hand, is preserved to support and sustain necessary ecological performance. Included in this are the watershed areas in Taguibo, which is the main source of water in the area,
The city is endowed with swamplands near its coastal area. These swamp areas are interconnected with the waterways joined by the Agusan River. Most of the swamplands are actually mangroves that served as habitat to different marine species.
Filling material needs of the city are extracted usually from the riverbank of Taguibo River. Others are sourced out from promontories with special features and for special purpose.
The fishing ground of Butuan is the Butuan Bay of which two coastal barangays are located. It extends some two kilometers to the sea and joins the Bohol Sea. These are the barangays of Lumbocan and Masao.
Economy
Butuan City is the commercial, industrial, and administrative center of Caraga region. It is a strategic trading hub in Northern Mindanao with major roads connecting it to other main cities in the island such as Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Malaybalay, Surigao, and soon, Tandag. It hosts one of the busiest airports in the country, the Bancasi Domestic Airport, serving around 525,000 passengers in 2012. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines are flying to and from Butuan City. Meanwhile, the nearby Nasipit International Port and in-city Masao Port are providing for its shipping and cargo needs.
The total number of businesses registered in 2013 was 9,619 - reflecting a growth of 9.86% and almost 3 times that of the next major Caraga city. New businesses registered numbered 2,032 with a combined capitalization of P504,598,667, an expansion of 75.63 from 2012.
As further proof of its dynamic economy, Butuan City's local income reached P330,510,000 in 2013 besting other major cities in the country. By 2014, its local income is expected to reach P513,870,000.00 or register a growth of 55%; and total income (including IRA) will be P1,515,970,000. Butuan City was ranked 4th and 16th Most Competitive City for the years 2012 and 2014 by the National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines.
More than 260 financial institutions are operating in the city such as Metrobank, BDO, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Landbank, Philippine National Bank, China Bank, EastWest Bank, RCBC, Unionbank, Security Bank, and Maybank. Rural banks are also expanding aggressively. Based on a report from PDIC (as of December 2013), total savings deposit in Butuan City amounted to P18,944,854,000, comprising 45% of the total deposits in Caraga Region. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas opened its regional office here to take advantage of the vibrant gold trading industry in the region. Insurance companies, led by Philam Life, are also present in the city.
The city's major agricultural produce are rice, bananas, coconuts, poultry, shrimp, and milkfish. Its key industries include rice milling, food processing, wood processing, furniture, fuel distribution, shipbuilding, and construction. The manufacturing sector will soon get a boost as an industrial park is currently being developed. Butuan has also proven to be a haven for renewable energy with investments in solar and hydroelectric power generation pouring in the city.
Butuan is also fast-becoming a cosmopolitan city. Currently, there are three (3) major commercial centers catering its populace. These are Robinsons Place Butuan, Puregold Price Club, and Gaisano Mall. Leading mall developer, SM, is expected to break ground in early 2015. High-end real estate developers, such as Filinvest and Vista Land, have started their residential projects in the city.The A. Brown Group is also developing another exclusive community with a 9-hole golf course. More low- and medium-cost housing projects are sprouting in the outskirts of the city evident of the city's strong market for shelter. Famous food brands have also opened shops in the city such as Jollibee, McDonalds, Chowking, Greenwich, Mang Inasal, Red Ribbon, Goldilocks, Gerry's Grill, Max's, and Bo's Coffee.
As for the telecommunications infrastructure of the city, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, and Bayantel are able to serve its ever-growing needs.
Precolonial economy
Butuan City is becoming one of the highlights of the tourism programs in the Philippines, as more and more people, both local and foreign, are discovering the wonders and secrets of this ancient and beautiful city. It is customary for any traveler to learn a little bit of history concerning the place that will be visited, and the history of Butuan City is one of the most fascinating. Unlike other lands whose development only began during the Spanish colonization, Butuan was already a progressive and full fledge city centuries before the arrival of the Spaniards. Historical records show that as early as the 10th century, the local people were already engaged in trade and commerce with other nations and cultures, like the Champa (now Vietnam) and the Srivijaya peoples of Java, Indonesia. This is confirmed by the unearthing of several artifacts such as boats used for plying their trade. During the Spanish and American occupation, Butuan continued to make progress and the number of people who were settling increased steadily. A large number of its inhabitants were converted to Christianity, and in fact one of the issues is whether the first mass was actually held in the city.
Wood industry
World War II caused an almost complete destruction of the city. Devastated by bombings, the place was totally scorched in 1943 following the uprising by Filipino rebels against the occupying forces. By 1945, the city was liberated. The economic growth of Butuan City began during the early 1960s, mainly due to the production and shipping of wood to neighboring cities. This spurned on economic activity that today the city is recognized as one of the most urbanized places in Mindanao. As with other emerging cities in Mindanao, tourism plays an important role in the evolution and progress of Butuan City. One of the sights not to be missed is the Balangay Shrine Museum. The top attraction here are the nine wooden boats that have been recovered by archaeologists. These boats are said to be over a thousand years old. They are more than 30 ft in length and some 7 feet wide.
