Esperanza, Agusan del Sur

History

The municipality of Esperanza was founded on September 11, 1953, per Executive Order No. 611 signed by President Elpidio Quirino. It began its functions as an independent municipality on September 27, 1953, when its first town officials were appointed.

Esperanza is the oldest town in northern Agusan del Sur. It was also the largest town in the province by land area until several municipalities were created out its territory in the late 20th century: Las Nieves, San Luis, Sibagat, and Bayugan, which later became a city and has surpassed its mother town in terms of economy and population.

The Golden Tara

Main article: Agusan image

In July 1917, a flood and storm swept through Agusan del Sur. In Barangay Cubo of Esperanza, a Manobo woman named Bilay Ocampo was on the banks of the muddy Wawa River after the storm, and she found a figure washed up. The 21-karat gold statue dating to around 850 to 950 A.D. weighs 4 lb and depicts a woman sitting in the lotus position in Buddhism fashion, wearing jewellery on her body, and a headdress. This figure turned out to be a representation of the Bodhisattva Tara. Now known as the "Golden Tara", after its discovery, it was handed to the former Deputy Governor Bias Baclagon then was passed to the Agusan Coconut Company because of a debt. It was then sold and purchased for by Louise Condit Smith, wife of American Governor-General Leonard Wood, and Fay Cooper-Cole, curator of Chicago Field Museum’s Southeast Asian department. They then donated the Golden Tara to the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, United States where it is currently held in the Grainger Hall of Gems. Dr. H. Otley Beyer, known as the father of Philippine Archaeology and Anthropology, tried to encourage the Philippine government to buy the artefact, however all attempts failed due to lack of funds.

Another historical claim has it that when Bilay Ocampo found the Golden Tara, she decided to keep it as a doll. However, she was told to give it to Baclagon because they believed it was a diwata. Because of this, it was previously called Buwawan ni Baclagon or Ginto ni Baclagon (both translates to "Gold of Baclagon"). However, according to Bilay's granddaughter, Constancia, the Golden Tara was not handed over by her grandmother but stolen. The question of the validity of the purchase of the Golden Tara and whether it was acquired legally if it was in fact originally stolen from Bilay remains a subject of debate.

The Golden Tara remains exhibited in the Grainger Hall of Chicago Field Museum (now known as the Field Museum of Natural History) up to the present, and the Philippine government has plans to continue negotiations in re-acquiring the figure.

According to University of the Philippines scholar Dr. Juan Francisco, he described the golden statue as, "One of the most spectacular discoveries in the Philippine archaeological history."

Geography

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 1,355.48 km2 constituting of the 9,989.52 km2 total area of Agusan del Sur.

Climate

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Barangays

Esperanza is politically subdivided into 47 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Esperanza had a population of 59,353. The population density was {{sigfig|59,353/1,355.48|2}} PD/km2.

Economy

References

References

1. {{DILG detail
2. [https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1953/09/11/executive-order-no-611-s-1953/ Executive Order No. 611, s. 1953, ORGANIZING THE MUNICIPAL DISTRICTS OF ESPERANZA, CONCORDIA, MAYGATASAN, MAASIN, NUEVO TRABAJO, REMEDIOS, NUEVO SIBAGAT, GUADALUPE, BAKINGKING, BAYLO, BUNAGUIT, SAN LUIS, STA. INES, VERDU AND MILAGROS, ALL OF THE PROVINCE OF AGUSAN, INTO A MUNICIPALITY TO BE KNOWN AS THE MUNICIPALITY OF ESPERANZA]
3. [http://agusandelsur.gov.ph/index/using-joomla/extensions/components/content-component/article-categories/78-demo/slides/80-golden-tara Golden Tara - ''The Official Website of the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur''.]