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Butuan City - History Haven Of Caraga

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Welcome to a city that has seen over 1,683 years of recorded history. It was the original site of the first Easter mass in Philippine soil. It was the site of the first formal hoisting of the Philippine flag in Mindanao. And it was the home of the “Balanghais“ or Butuan Boats, famous pre-historic native boats in Southeast Asia.

Butuan is situated in the northwestern part of the Caraga Region (Region 13). It is the seat of government of the region and serves as its trading center as well. The city’s strategic location makes it a natural gateway to the different prime destinations in the region.

Geography
Butuan City lies on the northeastern part of Agusan Valley sprawling across the Agusan River. With a land area of 70, 800 hectares, it lies flat along the banks of Agusan River following a long course within the province of Davao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Agusan del Norte. The national highways from Misamis Oriental, Surigao, and Davao traverse the city and meet at the junction of Barangay Ampayon, effectively linking the Northern Mindanao provinces together.

Political Subdivision
The city is made up of 27 Urban Barangays and 59 Rural Barangays.

Population
In 2000, Butuan City placed its total population at 267,279, which is expected to double by 2015.

Language/Dialect
The people are multi-lingual, speaking predominantly Butuanon, Cebuano, and English.

Climate
The Dry Season is from March to September while the Wet Season is from October to February. Temperature falls between the minimum of 66° F and maximum of 85° F.

Industries
Banana, wood, prawn, furniture, handicrafts, and coconut.

Agusan Del Sur - Treasures Of Old

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Located in Southern Philippines, Agusan del Sur is the fourth largest province in the country. It is endowed with rich natural resources contained in its vast agricultural, forest, and marsh lands. Its vision is to become an agro-processing center and an eco-tourism destination.

Agusan del Sur is a promising paradise found in the northeastern part of Mindanao. It is the land of the proud and brave Agusanons, a land of multi-ethnic and cultural diversity. It is hidden in the vastness of 896,550 hectares of endless green carpets and undulating forest cover which envelope its half a million people with fresh mountain air. The long winding Agusan River passes through the middle valley of Agusan del Sur.

Geography
Agusan del Sur lies along the Maharlika Highway that links the three major island groups of the country. It has a land area of 896,550 hectares, with a flat and rolling topography suitable for agriculture, industry, and forestry. It takes the shape of an elongated basin with mountain ranges in the eastern and western sides, which form a valley occupying the central longitudinal section of the land. The Agusan River, which is among the many rivers that crisscross the province, cuts it into two along a north-south direction, fertilizing the land all year round. The southern part teems with swamps and lakes, forming one of the largest wetlands in Southern Asia.

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 province has one congressional district, which is composed of 14 municipalities and 314 barangays. Its capital town is Prosperidad, also the seat of the provincial government.

Language/Dialect
Cebuano, Boholano, Ilonggo, English, Filipino, and Visayan.

Climate
The climate is pleasant, with no dry season but a very pronounced rainy period usually occuring in December to January. Monthly rainfall is 302 mm. while the average temperature is 27 degrees Celsius.

Industries
An industrial estate in Talacogon, the Agusan del Sur Provincial Industrial Center forms the nucleus of the Agusan del Sur growth diamond. It is expected to boost agro-industrial production and aid in the further growth of the economy. The Economic Zone will be hosting light to medium scale industries engaged mostly in agro-industrial processing.

Agusan Del Norte - Land Of Antiquated Finds

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Agusan del Norte is the smallest province in the Caraga Region, classified as a second-class province. It is mountainous along its northeastern and western parts. In between are flat, rolling lands, particularly where the Agusan River cuts through as it empties into Butuan Bay. The highest peak, Mt. Hilong-hilong, at 2,012 meters above sea level, is located in the Diwata Mountain Ranges near the eastern boundary of Surigao del Sur. Indigenous peoples of the Mamanwa, Manobo, and Higaonon/Tala-andig tribes populate its many mountains.

Geography
Located in the northeastern part of Mindanao, it is bounded on the north by Butuan Bay and Surigao del Norte; east by Surigao del Sur; west by Misamis Oriental; and south and southwest by Agusan del Sur. Agusan del Norte occupies a total land area of 2, 503.9 sq. kilometers.

Political Subdivision
Agusan del Norte is composed of 11 municipalities. Capital is Cabadbaran, which also serves as the administrative center. The commercial center is Butuan City.

Population
Agusan del Norte had a population of 299,313 as of 2003, growing at an annual rate of 1.89%.

Language/Dialect
Pilipino, English, Spanish, Fukienese, Cebuano, Butuanon, Ilonggo, Manobo, Mamanwa, Higa-onon, Maranao.

Climate
The province is located outside of the typhoon belt and has no definite dry season. Rainfall is pronounced throughout the year, occurring heavily from November to January.

Industries
Primarily an agricultural province, Agusan del Norte is the region’s leading rice producer. Other major products are coconut, corn, mango, bananas, palm oil, vegetables, and prawns.

The province continues to be a major timber producer despite its extensive deforested areas. There are 23 lumber producers and plywood plants, most of them operating in Butuan City. Minor licensees concentrate on gathering rattan, considered the best in the country.

The emerging industry mix is on agri-business, where its two special economic zones will play a vital role in transforming the place from a timber-dependent industry to a balanced agri-forestry-tourism industry.

JULY 9
THE MARTYRS OF ORANGE

The martyrs of Orange lived in the eighteenth century, They were thirty-two nuns. During the French Revolution, these sisters, from different religious orders, were jailed in Orange, France. There were sixteen Ursuline sisters, thirteen Sisters Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament, two Bernardine sisters and one Benedictine sister.

While the French Revolution raged, these nuns were told that they had to take an oath of loyalty to the leaders of the Revolution. The sisters believed that the oath was against God and the Church. Each refused to sign it and were taken to the Orange jail. Some of the sisters had lived in the same convents before they came to jail. Others did not know any of the sisters until they met in prison. The nuns formed a community in that dark, damp room. They prayed together at particular times during the day. They cheered up and consoled each other and bonded as the early persecuted Christian Church had. On July 6, the first sister was taken to trial and condemned to the guillotine. She never returned. Every day another sister, some days two sisters, were taken. No one knew who would be next. The group diminished in size, but the remaining sisters prayed especially for those who would die that day. Then they would sing a hymn of praise to God called the Te Deum.

By the end of July, 1794, thirty-two sisters had been condemned by the people's court at Orange, France. Thirty-two sisters were martyrs. When the French Revolution was over, the judges of Orange were convicted for what they had done. The thirty-two sisters called the martyrs of Orange were declared "blessed" by Pope Pius XI in 1925.

Daily Reading & Meditation

Sunday (7/9): "Jesus marveled because of their unbelief"

Scripture: Mark 6:1-6

1 He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.

Meditation: Are you critical towards others, especially those close to you? The most severe critics are often people very familiar to us, a member of our family, a relative, or neighbor we rub shoulders with on a regular basis. Jesus faced a severe testing when he returned to his home town, not simply as the carpenter's son, but now as a rabbi with disciples. It would have been customary for Jesus to go to the synagogue each week during the Sabbath, and when his turn came, to read from the scriptures during the Sabbath service. His hometown folks listened with rapt attention on this occasion because they had heard about the miracles he had performed in other towns. What sign would he do in his hometown? Jesus startled them with a seeming rebuke that no prophet or servant of God can receive honor among his own people. The people of Nazareth took offense at him and refused to listen to what he had to say. They despised his preaching because he was a workingman, a carpenter, a mere layman and they despised him because of his family. How familiarity can breed mistaken contempt. Jesus could do no mighty works in their midst because they were closed and disbelieving towards him. If people have come together to hate and to refuse to understand, then they will see no other point of view than their own and they will refuse to love and accept others. Do you easily take offense at others?

The word "gospel" literally means "good news". Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would come in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring freedom to those oppressed by sin and evil (see Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus came to set people free from the worst tyranny possible -- the tyranny of slavery to sin and the fear of death, and the destruction of both body and soul. God's power alone can save us from emptiness and poverty of spirit, from confusion and error, and from the fear of death and hopelessness. The gospel of salvation is "good news" for us today. Do you know the joy and freedom of the gospel?

"Lord Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and desires. Your Spirit brings us grace, truth, life, and freedom. Fill me with the joy of the gospel and inflame my heart with love and zeal for you and for your will."

Optimism

Talk happiness. The world is sad enough
Without your woes. No path is wholly rough;
Look for the places that are smooth and clear,
And speak of those, to rest the weary ear
Of Earth, so hurt by one continuous strain
Of human discontent and grief and pain.

Talk faith. The world is better off without
Your uttered ignorance and morbid doubt.
If you have faith in God, or man, or self,
Say so. If not, push back upon the shelf
Of silence all your thoughts, till faith shall come;
No one will grieve because your lips are dumb.

Talk health. The dreary, never-changing tale
Of mortal maladies is worn and stale.
You cannot charm, or interest, or please
By harping on that minor chord, disease.
Say you are well, or all is well with you,
And God shall hear your words and make them true.

Funny Picture

Make Over

Funny Picture

Sleeping on the Job

Funny Picture

Dog and Cat Lovers

Koronadal City - Trade Center Of Mindanao

Description
Koronadal is in the southwestern part of the island of Mindanao. A triangle shaped city, it occupies the northwestern part of the province of South Cotabato. As the provincial capital, Koronadal is the center of social, economic, and political activities in South Cotabato, such as government administration, commerce, trade, transportation, communication, and education.

Geography
Koronadal is in the southwestern part of the island of Mindanao. A triangle-shaped city, it occupies the northwestern part of the province of South Cotabato as the provincial capital. Koronadal is the center of social, economic, and political activities in South Cotabato.

Political Subdivision
Koronodal City is a component city of South Cotabato. It has 27 barangays and one representative in the House of Congress.

Population
Koronadal has contributed 19.03% to the population of South Cotqabato, which is 690,728.

Dialect/Languages
Koronadal is dominated by the Ilonggo (Hiligaynon) dialect, spoken by 69.58% of the population, followed by the Cebuano and Ilocano dialects.

Climate
The annual temperature of Koronadal for the past five years has been 27.07° centigrade. Warmest temperature occurs during the months of April and October while the coolest from December to January. Rainfall distribution is more or less throughout the year. Due to the presence of the mountain ranges, tropical depressions rarely affect the city.

Industries
As the administration center of the new Region XII. Koronadal has become an important hub of commercial, industrial, and other socio-economic activities.

Koronadal enjoys the distinction of having been identified as the Agri-Industrial

Center of the Province of South Cotabato, which made it a lead center for industrialization, acting as a catalyst for development particularly in the second district of South Cotabato.

Koronadal, primarily an agri-production area, boasts of agri-based resources. The stable peace and order condition provides a favorable climate for more investment.

Kidapawan City - A Spring In The Highland

Brief Description
Kidapawan was derived from the Manobo words ""tida,"" meaning spring, and ""pawan,"" meaning highland. Hence, the provincial title, ""Spring in the Highland."" Its first settlers were predominantly Manobos. The influx of Christian settlers from Luzon and the Visayas has resulted in the evolution of the word Tidapawan to Kidapawan.

Strategically located at the foot of Mount Apo, the Philippines' tallest peak at 10,311 feet above sea level, Kidapawan City bustles with renewed energy as it opens its doors to the world. Mount Apo and its other scenic attractions make the province of Cotabato a potential world-class tourist destination.

Geography
Kidapawan City is located at the southeastern portion of Cotabato province, located almost midway between the cities of Davao and Cotabato at a distance of 110 and 120 km., respectively.

Political Subdivision
The city belongs to the second district of Cotabato province, with 40 barangays. It is the capital town of Cotabato.

Population
The population as of 2000 is 958,643, including Cotabato province.

Language/Dialect
Hiligaynon/Ilonggo, Cebuano, Tagalog, Ilocano, Boholano, and Manobo are spoken.

Climate
Located outside the typhoon belt, the city is blessed with a favorable climate characterized by wet and dry seasons. The coldest time of the year is between

December and January, and the hottest months are during the months of April and May.

Industries
Cutflower has become a good source of livelihood among Cotabateños, especially those residing in Kidapawan City, who have organized a cooperative on cutflower marketing and production. Roses, anthuriums, and orchids which are conveniently grown locally are highly promising and profitable businesses and sources of livelihood. Even at large scale production, ornamentals and forest tree seedlings have become a high-selling business.

Ramie plantation in Kidapawan can be a future boom to the local textile industry.

Cotabato is primarily an agricultural area (50% of total land area devoted to agri-production) with major crops that include rubber, grains, sugarcane, and exotic fruits like durian, rambutan, mango, banana, lanzones and mangosteen.

Sultan Kudarat - Tuna Country Of Mindanao

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Named after the Muslim leader Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat, Sultan Kudarat became a separate province on November 22, 1973.

Sultan Kudarat is located on the southwestern part of Mindanao Island. It is composed of 12 municipalities with a total land area of 478,318.98 hectares.

Geography
The province is located on the southwestern part of the island of Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by the provinces of Maguindanao and Cotabato, on the south by South Cotabato, on the east by Davao del Sur, and on the west by the Celebes Sea.

Political Subdivision
Sultan Kudarat consists of twelve municipalities: the coastal towns of Kalamansig, Lebak, and Palimbang, and the inland municipalities of Bagumbayanm Columbio, Esperanza, Isulan, Lutayan, Lambayong, President Quirino, Tacurong, and the newly created municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino. In terms of land area, Bagumbayan is the largest municipality while Tacurong is the smallest. Growth centers are Lebak, Isulan, and Tacurong which is highly urbanized and is considered to be the commercial center of the province.

Population
The province has a total population of 586,505 as of 2000 census.

Language/Dialects
The 2000 census of population showed a total of 84 dialects spoken in the province. The major dialects are Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), Maguindanao, Ilocano, Cebuano, and Manobo.

Climate
Sultan Kudarat falls under the type B climate characterized by a short dry season of one to three months and with an average of 92.78 millimeters of rainfall every month. The province has an advantage over other provinces since it is free from typhoons and the rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year.

Industries
Sultan Kudarat is predominantly and extensively agricultural. Endowed with a rich and vast agriculture potential, the province raises practically all kinds of crops grown in the country. It has a marketable surplus of rice, corn, beef, coffee, and vegetables. It is self-sufficient in poultry, swine, and root crops. It has the widest compact area and is included in the yellow corn export zone.

Fishing, whether marine, brackish water, or fresh water, is a fast growing industry. High-quality tuna catch in the so-called Sultan Kudarat tuna sanctuary along the shores of Kalamansig, Lebak, and Palimbang are exported to Japan and Europe. There are 482 hectares of existing brackish water and fresh water fishponds which supply more than sufficiently the local needs of the populace.

Other important economic activities are cottage industries such as rattan and woodcrafts. Industrial establishments include logging, grains complex, african oil palm extraction plant, feedmill, rice bran oil extraction plant and refinery.

JULY 8
BLESSED EUGENE III

Blessed Eugene III was born near Pisa, Italy, in the twelfth century. He was baptized Peter. St. Antoninus, whose feast day is May 10, called Pope Eugene "a great pope with great sufferings."

Pope Eugene had been Father Peter, a priest in Pisa, when he felt the call to become a Cistercian monk. He went to Clairvaux, France, and joined the monks there. St. Bernard of Clairvaux was the superior. His feast day is August 20. Peter chose "Bernard" for his religious name. He did this because of his great esteem for St. Bernard.

St. Bernard sent his namesake, Bernard, to become the superior of a monastery in Rome. Pope Lucius II died in 1145. That is when a most unusual thing happened. The cardinals elected Abbot Bernard to be pope. The abbot was not at the meeting because he was not a cardinal. He was shocked. St. Bernard of Clairvaux was surprised too. He felt sorry for Bernard. He wrote an open letter to the cardinals: "May God forgive you for what you have done," he said. "You have involved in responsibilities and placed among many people a man who fled them both."

Bernard chose to be called Eugene III. His time as pope brought him many difficulties. The Roman senate threatened to oppose him if he did not let them keep stolen property. A man who had been previously excommunicated went to Pope Eugene and asked forgiveness. Soon after, he fell back into his old ways. He even joined a faction that was directly against the pope. Pope Eugene had to leave Rome a few times because of the dangers surrounding him. When this happened, he would find peace and strength at a monastery. Then he would have the courage to go back and face his difficult task again. He wore his Cistercian habit and lived simply. No matter how hectic his life was, he always had the heart of a monk. One of his fellow monks wrote to St. Bernard of Clairvaux about Pope Eugene: "There is no arrogance or domineering way in him."

Pope Eugene died on July 8, 1153.

Daily Reading & Meditation

Saturday (7/8): "The day will come when they will fast"

Scripture: Matthew 9:14-17

14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" 15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 And no one puts a piece of unsprung cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."

Meditation: Which comes first, fasting or feasting? The disciples of John the Baptist were upset with Jesus’ disciples because they did not fast. Fasting was one of the three most important religious duties, along with prayer and almsgiving. Jesus gave a simple explanation. There’s a time for fasting and a time for feasting (or celebrating). To walk as a disciple with Jesus is to experience a whole new joy of relationship akin to the joy of the wedding party in celebrating with the groom and bride their wedding bliss. But there also comes a time when the Lord's disciples must bear the cross of affliction and purification. For the disciple there is both a time for rejoicing in the Lord's presence and celebrating his goodness and a time for seeking the Lord with humility and fasting and for mourning over sin. Do you take joy in the Lord’s presence with you and do you express sorrow and contrition for your sins?

Jesus goes on to warn his disciples about the problem of the “closed mind” that refuses to learn new things. Jesus used an image familiar to his audience — new and old wineskins. In Jesus’ times, wine was stored in wineskins, not bottles. New wine poured into skins was still fermenting. The gases exerted gave pressure. New wine skins were elastic enough to take the pressure, but old wine skins easily burst because they were hard. What did Jesus mean by this comparison? Are we to reject the old in place of the new? Just as there is a right place and a right time for fasting and for feasting, so there is a right place for the old as well as the new. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old (Matthew 13:52). How impoverished we would be if we only had the Old Testament or the New Testament, rather than both. The Lord gives us wisdom so we can make the best use of both the old and the new. He doesn't want us to hold rigidly to the past and to be resistant to the new work of his Holy Spirit in our lives. He wants our minds and hearts to be like new wine skins — open and ready to receive the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Are you eager to grow in the knowledge and understanding of God’s word and plan for your life?

"Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I may grow in the knowledge of your great love and truth. Help me to seek you earnestly in prayer and fasting that I may turn away from sin and wilfulness and conform my life more fully to your will. May I always find joy in knowing, loving, and serving you.”