Where to Stay in Butuan

Wayfarer Pension House Ribbs Diner T.calo Ext.,. Butuan City 342-8827-28 / 0946-. 9711243

Single Deluxe Php 560.00 Double Deluxe Php 800.00 Standard Matrimonial Php 950.00 Family Room Php 1,350.00 Superior Room Php 1,700.00 Dormitory Type (Good for 4-Aircon) Php 1,200.00 Dormitory Type (Good for 4) Php 600.00 Extra Person Php 200.00 Extra Matress Php 100.00

VCDU Prince Hotel www.vcduprincehotel.com Almont Inland Hotel and Resort / Dotties Place Hotel / Balnghai Hotel / Almont City Hotel / Hotel Karaga / Gloretto House & Pension / Goat 2 Geder Hotel & Restaurant

Think Global, Drink Local

Butuan offers the best drinks produced by communities making advantage of the local ingredients thereby supporting local agriculture. In Butuan, more traditional wine-producing women organizations and cooperatives have developed their own local taste. Most of these local varieties are export quality.

Whether you’re looking to discover the beauty of Caraga and historical sites of Butuan City, never to be missed is the tasting of local wines like, mango wine, guyabano wine, macopa wine, jackfruit wine, tambis wine to name a few and pair it with local foods.

People who travel typically want to immerse themselves in as many different aspects of that area as possible, and wine is one way to do that,” says Travel + Leisure wine editor, Bruce Schoenfeld. So, when it comes to wine, choosing a locally produced bottle not only satisfy your taste of world class wine but you're helping developed its local culture

Bendita "Lukay"

April 1 is the first day of the Holy Week and Christendom traditionally celebrate the Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion.


Elders weaving lukay (young coconut leaf) shaped into a cross, people brings palaspas or 'lukay' to be blessed by the priests.

Pan de Lechon

LECHON is the popular choice for any large gathering, it's the main attraction featured during fiesta's, Christmas holidays, Birthday,baptism, wedding, graduation, victory party. Now, people visiting Butuan made a dash not to a lechonero to order lechon but to a bakery to buy 'Pan de Lechon'

It's a best seller!

Homemade Bottled Fish in Corn Oil

Cooking is Butuanon's passion. Fish is abundant in Butuan and those in food business have ventured into producing quality homemade bottled fish that offers health benefits as people nowadays wants to live a healthy lifestyle. These products is rich in Omega 3 with no preservatives and available in Pasalubong Center

Coconut Sugar, Healthy Option

Proudly made in Butuan,The benefits of Coconut Sugar keep rolling in! Not only is it easy to substitute normal sugar for, it is quickly becoming considered one of the safest, healthiest, and easy to use natural sugars.

Coconut sugar is becoming well-known as a low-GI alternative to normal table sugar. This means that it releases energy more slowly into the body, resulting in less of a "sugar rush" and helping to keep the appetite under control.

2012 Kahimunan Champion

The Kahimunan Grand Parade kicked off Sunday at exactly 1PM along JC Aquino avenue with a total of 5 contingents within barangay Libertad competing for the top prize in the amount of P50,000.

Contingent No. 4, the Libertad National High School is this year's Grand Kahimunan Champion and got all minor awards namely, Best in Street Dancing, Best in Costume and Best in Musicality


2nd place - #2 Purok 3 and 3A of Libertad


3rd place - #3 Libertad Central Elementary School

consolation prize: #5 Dumalagan
#1 Purok 4



Higante Competition
1st prize - #2 Purok 2
2nd prize - #1 Libertad Pedicab Operator-Drivers Association
3rd prize - #3

It's More Fun in Butuan for Kahimunan Festival 2012

Due to budget cuts from 1M to 500k, Barangay Libertad decided to limit contingents from within the barangay in this year's Kahimunan Festival.

Barangay Captain Vincent Rizal Rosario announced, all has been set for January 15 street dancing parade and showdown to be held at the City Sports Complex to begin at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

Five (5) dance contingents have signed up this year to compete for P50k prize for Jan 15 Grand Kahimunan Festival namely: Libertad Central Elem School, Libertad National High Scool, Dumalagan, Women's Federation of Libertad and joint team of Purok 3 & 3A.

Meanwhile,FSUU, BCSAT, ANHS & AMA as previous winners will also participate during the street dancing parade to add color and festivities.

PICCOLO still being sold

Piccolo & KWITIS may be small, cheap and colorful, but they are regarded by health authorities as the most dangerous firecrackers in the country.It has been banned by the DOH and the Philippine National Police (PNP) since 2007, yet for the past 3 years DOH recorded a number of firecracker-related injuries caused by the Piccolo.

St. Joseph Cathedral

The church interior of St Joseph Cathedral was renovated several times, keeping up with the modern design. It is the first church established in Mindanao. History says, that the Mission was founded by the Jesuits in 1596, the Blessing of the First church in Mindanao was in 1597, St. Joseph became the Titular Patron in 1622, St. Francis de Sales became the Second patron in 1792, the Blessing of the old parish church was in 1883, the consecration of the present church was in 1954, it was elevated to a cathedral by Pope Paul VI in 1967, it was appointed as church for the great jubilee in year 2000 and it became a dedicated cathedral as declared by Ricardo Cardinal Vidal in 2007 & declared a Diocesan Shrine as approved by His Excellency Juan de Dios Mataflorida Pueblos.

SUKA Made in Butuan

proudly made in Butuan, it has its distinct sourness, comes from pure NIPA sap naturally fermented

Crispy Crust Butuan

the original pizza maker in Butuan, revived and much tasty. located in Ochoa Avenue

Kahimunan Festival

The Kahimunan Festival is an annual event on the occasion of the fiesta celebration of the Sto Niño in Barangay Libertad founded in 1987 by Father Juanito "Nito" Belino, first Parish Priest of Sto Niño Parish.

The Kahimunan is a traditional ritual performed by the natives before the start of the planting season, characterized by chanting, singing and playing accompanied by indigenous musical instruments such as the gimbor (drum), gong and bamboo instruments called Kalatong and Kotik.



A group of high school students from Agusan National High School as contingent number #6 bagged the top prize of this year’s 24th Kahimunan Festival who wowed the huge crowd with their rhythmic motion at the City Sports Complex in Barangay Libertad, Butuan City.

Spectators are in awe with their colorful costume dominated by metallic green and yellow colors donning a headdress that caught everyone's attention which is made of plastic garbage bag crumpled and secured.



Angel Aleta also from ANHS was chosen as the Festival Queen with a P5,000 cash prize and a round trip ticket to Manila courtesy from Philippine Airlines.

Living Legends

The Knights of Columbos honors 10 members who were able to serve the order for 30-40 years.

KofC Butuan and Agusan Council Chair Ponciano Joven lead in giving the plaques to the 2010 Living Legends with Monsignor Ruel Lasco

Sama Tawi-Tawi: Supply & Support Vessel Of Balangays

Another historical milestone for Butuan happened on July 16, 2010 when the 3rd Balangay boat was launched at Luna Compound, in Barangay Bading, Butuan City.
Christened Sama Tawi-Tawi, the boat functions as a supply and support vessel for the Balangay Diwata ng Lahi and Balangay Masawao Hong Butuan in their journey to the waters of Southeast Asia.

The design was patterned to the "kumpit", a trading and commercial boat of the Sulu Seas, made of wood with only a steel underbelly, having a dimension of 75 feet long, 15 feet wide and about 9 feet tall.

It also has an 85 horsepower diesel marine engine, kitchen, a bridge, sleeping quarters, enlarge storage bunks and two toilets.

The only similarity with the two other Balangays, Sama Tawi-Tawi has a mast near the bow to unfurl the colorful vinta-like sails, a famous symbol of the seafaring people of Mindanao.

Sama Tawi-Tawi, was named for the Sama people of Tawi-Tawi in Sibutu, who according to history is the last true bastion of the Badjao boat-builders.(photos by Sato Rayon, Butuan Balangay crew)

3 Balangays Off to Conquer Southeast Asia Seas

The pride of Butuan and Filipino people, credits to Fung Yu


Balangay Sama Tawi-Tawi credits to Ivy Amante


Balangay Diwata ng Lahi credits to Minda Ponce


Balangay Masawa Hong Butuan credits to Dr. Ted Esguerra

What was only a dream to recreate 1 Balangay to relive Philippine history turned out as an inspiration that 2 more were built and sailed towards international waters, hoping to reach China to become part of the World Expo 2010.

The 3-Balangays namely: Diwata ng Lahi, Masawa Hong Butuan and the latest is the Sama Tawi-Tawi have started their journey from Zamboanga port taking the 14,000 kilometer voyage to Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and China before going back to the Philippines.

"We want the balangays to not only be the source of unity for the country but also as a source of unity for the whole of Asia," said Art Valdez, team leader for The Voyage of the Balangay.

The Voyage of the Balangay started in Manila on September 1, 2009 and arrived in Zamboanga City on May 1 after 70 multi-port stopovers, covering 2,500 kilometers which lasted for 8 months.

The 3 boat flotillas are expected to reach Vietnam in time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in September 2010.

The Balangays are also expected to dock in mainland China by mid-October for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

The World EXPO has provided an unparalleled opportunity for the tourism industry and an opportunity for Butuanons and the Filipino nation to feel with pride the message of Art Valdez who said: “We want the Balangays to not only be the source of unity for the country, but also as a source of unity for the whole of Asia.”

The theme of the exposition is "Better City – Better Life" and what it does to China hopefully will be trickled down to the Philippines....and perhaps to Butuan?

Masao Beach

El Rio de Butuan, now called Masao is the only beach in Butuan City known by its history as Magellan's Landing Site.

Every year on March 31, Butuan City celebrates MAZAUA DISCOVERY DAY to commemorate a historic milestone.

In 1995 a bill was filed by then Congresswoman Charito B. Plaza of Agusan del Norte claiming the Easter mass on March 31, 1521 was held at Butuan not Limasawa. The bill's contention was that the wooden boat called "balanghai" dug up at Butuan proved it was Mazaua.

The National Historical Institute officials "adopted" the finding of the Gancayco Panel which dismissed the Ginés de Mafra account as fake and forthwith unilaterally reverted the discussion to pre-de Mafra context which was back to whether the "site of the first mass" was Limasawa, the isle without anchorage, or Butuan, which is not an isle.

The NHI re-affairmed its previous pronouncements that Limasawa is Magellan's port.

Despite NHI's decision, Butuan Historians believes otherwise based on documents.

Magsaysay Bridge under-going Repairs

Constructed during late 50's and now the DPWH implemented a major repair of the old Magsaysay Bridge, another big development for Butuan