It is a common knowledge of Filipinos that the barangay, the smallest unit of government in the Philippines was named after the balangay (or balanghai), the ancient boat their forefathers used to travel across the seas and got in touch with other Asian civilizations.

It's the thrill of actually seeing the sites where the ancient balangay specimens were excavated, rather than being a part of the exhibit of archeology at the National Museum in Manila.

True to his being a history buff, right after checking in at Dottie's Place Hotel, hurried for quick lunch of chicken inato at Lutong Bahay ni Aling Cora, finished his work errand for the day and hied off, via a jeepney, to Butuan Regional Museum near the Butuan City Hall where he saw with his own eyes the things that he's been reading all these years.

picture of balangay on the Butuan tourism brochure. Picture taking is not allowed inside the museum that Tutubi followed even if others blatantly disregarded the rule-- Tutubi is not pasaway!

The balangay is a plank-built, edge-pegged wooden boats of yore that used to sail across the seas of the Philippines that enabled Butuanons (how people living in Butuan call themselves) to reach China where official historical accounts tell of Butuan Trade Mission in the year 1001.

bas relief outside the regional museum showing the balanghai paddled by ancient mariners.

Inside Butuan Regional Museum are two sections, Archeology that showcases Butuan's archeological finds unique and rare in the Philippines including the Golden Tara of Butuan and Butuan Paleograph. There are also skulls of aristocratic people recognized by the deformities in skull shape introduced during infancy to signify aristocracy as mentioned by the museum curator.



Sample items on display are tribal costumes of the Manobo people, a replica of a laksoy (nipa palm wine) distillery and various farming and hunting implements.

photo of the golden tara on the brochure. note the wrong information printed on the brochure regarding the year of Sailendra. Sailenda (or Sailandra/Cailandra) period was also the time when the Buddhist temples of Borobudur in Indonesia were built. The golden tara is thus proof of Butuan's link with the Sri Vijaya and other Asian people. The original golden tara, sadly, is now kept at Chicago Field Museum, USA

Besides the Golden Tara, other notable exhibits in the museum are the 14-15th century Butuan silver strip (or Butuan Paleograph), and the 10th century Butuan ivory seal, boring ancient writing/scripts still undeciphered up to this day.

Two other artifacts that give clues to pre-hispanic Philippines include the 15th century Calatagan jar that's still undeciphered and the Laguna copperplate (now known as LCI for Laguna Copperplate inscription), found in Lumban, Laguna, now displayed at the National Museum in Manila, has been deciphered in 1994 by a Dutch named Antoon Postma. The LCI is a debt pardon executed in 900 AD and is the oldest surviving document in the Philippines using an ancient script (Kavi).

The following day when Tutubi's peers arrived, he again visited the Regional Museum (where the curator recognized him) and shortly after went to the Balangay Shrine in Brgy. Libertad, which is the site of the excavations of ancient balangays the oldest dated in 320 AD according to carbon dating. Some of the balangay are still in their original excavation pit drenched in water years after their found due to the perennial lack of funds.





Tutubi will again visit Butuan this year to complete his unfinished business and also slated to visit the alleged true anchorage of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 plus the place where the first mass in the Philippines was held, reported by chronicler Pigafetta as Mazaua, long claimed to be Limasawa in Leyte, but alleged by Butuanons to be their Masao.

If you still think Philippine History began with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, better read again about Butuan and other documents that pushed the frontiers of history to earlier times. It is sad, however, that when civilization was blooming in these islands, the white men came and changed the course of history, a process that bore both good and bad fruits.

Butuan is a historic City that claims “In the beginning, there was no Philippines but there was BUTUAN.”

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How to get to Butuan Regional Museum:

from Montilla Avenue or Gaisano Mall, board a jeepney with signboard R-4 to take you there or flag a tricycle (minimum fare only)

The Balangay Shrine can be reached by public jeepneys with signboard Libertad followed by a tricycle ride. Taxis, though present, are rare in the city of Butuan. There's also minimal entrance fee at Butuan museum

Related Post:
List of Museums in the Philippines

Labels: Agusan Del Norte, Butuan City, Caraga, Museums, National Cultural Treasures

The landing of Philippine Airlines plane at Bancasi Airport in Butuan was the roughest Tutubi has had possibly due to the short runway of the airport. The plane feltlike it slammed on the runway as if it skidded before taxying to the terminal. This flight was due to Tutubi's "exile" for a few days in the historic city of Butuan in Agusan del Norte, Mindanao for a work errand and seminar. He was booked for few nights stay at Dottie's Place.

Traveled alone in this city ahead of all his officemates, checked in at Dottie's Place along Butuan's main artery,Jose C. Aquino Avenue, which would be his home for a few days loaded with official things to do but managed to squeeze sometime to wander around.

Tutubi's twin sharing room for he's expecting a companion the following night.

Dottie's Place's swimming pool is said to be the largest in Butuan according to his officemate who surveyed tghe area

Review and Comments: Dottie's Place is a nice, cheap hotel in the city with nice facilities for the price though there are cheaper accommodations available. The only problem he's had in this hotel was that on his first night, he received a call apparently from the hotel staff asking him if he ordered a massage. He later found out what the girl meant was if he wanted some "company" for the night. The security guard, unknown to the hotel management, is letting the pimp to do her job under his watch.

In later posts, Tutubi will take you on another journey in history as he explores the city of the balangay, the boat of ancient Butuanons and from where the barangay, the smallest unit of government in the Philippines, was named after.

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Where to Stay in Butuan (hotels/inns/pensions/motels):

Almont Inland and Convention Center
ALmont Hotel
Dottie's Place Hotel
Hotel Karaga
Balanghai Hotel
Butuan Royal Plaza Hotel
Luxury Hotel
Embassy Hotel
Emerald Villa Hotel
Jet's Inn
Luciana Convention Center
Lucianna Inn
FortuneInn 1
Fortune Inn 2
Hensonly Plaza Lodge
Lucky Inn
Imperial Lodge
Mavel's Lodge
Maxcer Lodge
Donia Lodge
Country View Lodge
Mitz Lodge 1
Mitz Lodge 2
Adlin Lodge
Orient Lodge
Julian's Pension
Beverly Pension
Majestic Pension
White House
Beehive
Wendells' Place
Caraga Ultimate

Source: Butuan Tourism Brochure

Can't recommend the best one nor the cheapest one, not much information available on the brochure.
Tutubi will update this page later for the contact number, details, room rates, official websites... :P

Labels: Agusan Del Norte, Butuan City, Caraga, Hotels and Resorts