Buenavista, Agusan del Norte

Buenavista
Municipality
Location within Agusan del Norte province
Buenavista Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 8°58′N 125°25′E / 8.97°N 125.41°E / 8.97; 125.41Coordinates: 8°58′N 125°25′E / 8.97°N 125.41°E / 8.97; 125.41
Country	Philippines
Region	Caraga (Region XIII)
Province	Agusan del Norte
District	2nd district of Agusan del Norte
Founded	January 1, 1937
Barangays	25 (see Barangays)
Government [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Norbert B. Pagaspas (Liberal)
Area[2]
• Total	475.61 km2 (183.63 sq mi)
Population (2015 census)[3]
• Total	61,614
• Density	130/km2 (340/sq mi)
• Voter (2016)[4]	39,936
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	8601
IDD : area code	+63 (0)85
Income class	1st class
PSGC	160201000

Buenavista, officially the Municipality of Buenavista (Filipino: Bayan ng Buenavista), is a municipality in the province of Agusan del Norte in the Caraga (Region XIII) of the Philippines. The population was 61,614 at the 2015 census.^[3] In the 2016 election, it had 39,936 registered voters.^[4]

History

The written history of Buenavista start in the year 1877. It was said that during this year a group of nomadic Manobo from the frontiers of Agusan found an ideal place for their tempora-fishing retreat and rendezvous.

Soon, the village of Tortosa was founded by two Christian pioneers, Innocentes Paler and Marcelo Dalaguida, who were later on joined by Luis Gupana and a handful of Manobo. Credited with a name to the village were a group of natives and Spaniards who visited the place to trade with the villagers and found the place to be abundant with the sea tortoise.

The fame of Tortosa as a good fishing was heard by the people of the neighboring Butuan. Thus a fresh wave migrants came to settle.

Later, Tortosa was renamed to Kihaw-an in memory of a white deer held sacred by the early inhabitants. It was said that this deer was found dead by the natives near the bank of the river which encircles the village. Its carcass was placed all over the village thus the village got the name Kihaw-an, a derivative of a local dialect "Baho-an", which literally mean "to smell", or "source of bad smell".

Soon the village got another new name. It was said that Adolfo Calo, a native of Butuan, together with some natives and Spaniards visited the place. They expanded their visits not only the coastal areas where flourishing because of the abundance of fish. At the top of the hill they saw the village overlooking the sea. They appreciated the beauty of nature in abundance. They exclaimed "Bien Vista", which means "Good View" thus the present name Buenavista.

Enticed by the abundance of fish and the good prospect for agriculture, a new wave migrants from the neighboring areas continued to flock to Buenavista. Between the years 1897-1907, settlers and their families were known to have settled in the place.

The only means of transportation was by banca or fishing boats, and by horseback trudging the small mountain trails. It was only sometime in the 1920s when Buenavista was connected to Butuan by means of road. It was also given power by the Marcon Electric Company of the Marcon family but later on, operation was taken over by the government-owned electric distribution facility.

Efforts of the pioneers paid off, because sometime in early 1920s, Buenavista was declared a regular barrio of the then Municipality of Butuan. As a barrio, Buenavista was able to form its own law-making body which was locally called Ang Tingug Sa Lungsod, whose members were known as podientes.

On January 1, 1937 the barrio of Buenavista, through Executive Order No. 65 issued by Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon, became the "Municipality of Buenavista"^[5] through the efforts of Assemblyman Apolonio D. Curato and Governor Jose R. Rosales, Commissioner of Mindanao and Sulu Teofisto Guingona Sr., and Secretary of Interior, Elpidio Quirino, with a set of appointed officials to serve for a period of one year.

Geography

Buenavista is located at 8°58′N 125°25′E / 8.97°N 125.41°E / 8.97; 125.41.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 475.61 square kilometres (183.63 sq mi)^[2] constituting 7001174200000000000♠17.42% of the 2,730.24-square-kilometre- (1,054.15 sq mi) total area of Agusan del Norte.

Barangays

Buenavista is politically subdivided into 25 barangays.^[6]

Demographics

In the 2015 census, Buenavista had a population of 61,614.^[3] The population density was 130 inhabitants per square kilometre (340/sq mi).

In the 2016 election, it had 39,936 registered voters.^[4]

Schools

• Don Edgar Shemacio College
• Sulhayan Community College

References

		Butuan Bay
	Carmen / Nasipit Gingoog, Misamis Oriental		Butuan
		Buenavista
	Claveria, Misamis Oriental	Las Nieves

Province of Agusan del Norte
Cabadbaran (capital)
Municipalities	Buenavista Carmen Jabonga Kitcharao Las Nieves Magallanes Nasipit Remedios T. Romualdez Santiago Tubay
Component city	Cabadbaran
Highly urbanized city	Butuan (Administratively independent from the province but grouped under Agusan del Norte by the Philippine Statistics Authority.)