Caraga, Philippine - The deepest waters in the country, one of the deepest in the world lies just off its shores.
The country‘s largest freshwater wetland and largest mangrove swamp nestles within its boundaries. It is regarded as the surfing capital of the Philippines. Its borders encompass Agusan del Sur, where the Philippines‘ largest gold deposit is found, welcome to Caraga.
Caraga has started to showcase its beauty with the beautiful waves and beaches of Siargao in Surigao del Norte, making it one of the top surfing destinations in the country and among the best in the world. Composed of four provinces--Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Suriago del Norte, and Surigao del Sur--and three cities--Butuan, Surigao, and Bislig--Caraga is the land of extremes and superlatives. The 13th region of the country is preparing to surprise the world with its cultural and historical riches as they gear up to play a major role in the country‘s tourism. As Caraga celebrated its 13th founding anniversary in Wow Araw ng Caraga last February 20 at the Almont Inland Resort in beautiful Butuan city, DoT secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano and Caraga‘s tourism region officials announced upcoming developments in Caraga‘s tourism program.
"Our development and progress are pieces of a complicated landscape with varied tourism potentials and highly educated human resource waiting to be discovered. As we look back on our past and see how far we have come, we must also look out beyond the horizon at the challenges and prospects ahead," regional tourism council chairperson of Caraga Hon. Leonides Theresa B. Plaza said.
Pushing the tourism envelope further is one of the Philippines‘ most important archaeological finds in Caraga‘s Butuan city. A spectacular display of historical artifacts and cultural heritage in Butuan‘s National Museum and in the Balangay Museum Shrine is a must see for history enthusiasts. Unknown to many, the oldest watercraft in the Philippines, the balangay, is found in Butuan City. Carbon dated by a Japanese archaeologist back to 320 AD, the balangay relic is even more ancient than the Vikings of Norway. This national treasure is kept preserved and enshrined on the spot where it was found. Also, wooden burials of our ancestors have been unearthed in this city.
Reliving the glory of the balangay
Archaeological findings and historians‘ accounts on the balangay only prove that Filipinos were able to travel in large numbers and were also able to set sail towards other countries. A balangay (where the word barangay came from), is a royal boat which used to house the families of datus and rajas during the early civilization in the history of the Philippines. These boats could house up to 30 people and were constructed in a way that it could pass through narrow waterways such as rivers and streams.
After almost two thousand years, Butuan City, through the combined efforts of the local tourism council and the DoT, will bring back the glory of these national treasures with the launch of the balangay river cruise. Six months from now, tourists will have the opportunity to experience history by riding any of the two 30-seater balangays which will sail through 800m of the Agusan river and will pass through 21 river barangays. These barangays will showcase Caraga‘s different historical sites and artifacts, and will also be the site for different activities. The first stop will be the ruins of Bansa, the first Catholic church in Mindanao and where the first Catholic mass was held, according to. Greg Hontiveros, a Butuan historian and author of the book "Butuan of a Thousand Years" states that "The efforts of the DoT (are) good. I‘m quite active as (part of the) private sector in their different activities. So much has to be done but there are serious efforts from the DoT," Hontiveros says.
The rebirth of the balangay
"We saw it as a great start; a river cruise is a great motivation for the people to take care of the river… what will attract foreigners and tourists is the experience of being in a balangay, one of the oldest forms of water navigation," says Sec. Durano.
Plaza adds, "We are also tourists and with our history, it has more reality than the rest…We have abundance of creativity and commitment here in our region. Let Caraga be a bulwark of change, a model of successful development for all our people,"
These efforts of Caraga will be supported by the Department of Tourism with a funding of 2.5M to jumpstart the balangay project. "Only when we link community and livelihood can we promote, protect, preserve our culture and environment, [it is a] great motivation for people to maintain their community. In a river cruise the most important component is a river, and there it was. All Butuan needed was to put in the system and necessary tourist services," DOT Sec. Joseph "Ace" Durano said during the Wow Araw ng Caraga. "We are pushing products outside of beaches- in fact, in the upcoming International Travel Bourse in Berlin next month, we are going to promote a new platform for Philippine tourism and calling it "Adventure Philippines", and the Caraga region will be one of the major highlights"
Source: www.mb.com.ph (12 Maret 2008)
