Region 13: CARAGA |1

Region 13: CARAGA

Profile

Caraga is the newest region of the Philippines, also designated as

Region XIII. It is comprises five provinces, Agusan del Norte, Agusan
del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands.

History

The history of Caraga can be traced back to the 15th century when
explorers discovered the existence of “Kalagans”, believed to be of
Visayan Origin in one of the three districts in Mindanao. The word
Caraga originated from the Visayan word “Kalagan”: “Kalag” means
soul or people and “An” meaning is land.

Geography

Caraga Region, situated in the

northeast section of Mindanao, is between 8 00' to 10 30'
North latitude and 125 15' to 126 30' East longitude. It is
bounded on the north by the Bohol Sea; on the south by the
provinces of Davao, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental
of Region XI; on the west by Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental
of Region X; and on the east by the Philippine Sea and the
Pacific Ocean. Caraga has a total land area of 1,902,980
hectares or 18,847.2 sq. km. Major land uses include
forestland comprising 31.36% and 23.98% of agricultural and
open spaces.

 Agusan del Norte is located in northern

Mindanao. Its center, Butuan City contains
an airport, and the neighboring town of
Nasipit contains an international seaport.
Agusan del Norte is dominated by the lower
valley of the Agusan River, which arises in
Davao and flows northward until, broad and
strong, it empties into Butuan Bay. The
province contains several different types of
soil, growing a wide variety of food

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products, and has inland waters yielding several more commercial products. Most of the
land is forested, rich in wood products such as plywood, veneer, furniture, rattan,
matches, and prefabricated trusses go out to the rest of the world. There are a number of
such factories in Butuan City, and others up the
Agusan River and along several other rivers in
the province.
 Known as Home of the Centennial Tree
where the Bitaug Centennial Tree is
located. It is more than 100 years old
now. It was declared by the Philippine
Centennial Commission on June 3,
1998.

 Agusan del Sur occupies the upper
valley of the Agusan River on the island
of Mindanao. The land is mostly
forested, and the economy is mostly
agricultural, the chief crops being maize,
rice, coconuts, and bananas. Lumbering
is a distant second. Industry is limited to
wood-working and food-processing.
Famous in mining.

 Known as Land of Golden

Opportunities. One is the discovery of
the Golden Tara in 1960, in one of its
towns, which is Maasam, Esperanza.
The 8-inches gold image, that was
retrieved along the river of Esperanza,
originated from the Madjapahit Empire.
In fact, Agusan Del Sur is one of the
country’s richest gold deposits, it is
called the GOLDEN COUNTRY of the
Philippines. It contributes to the
estimated 5.5 billion metric tons of metallic and non-metallic ore reserves Caraga
region possesses.

 Surigao del Norte occupies the

northernmost part of Mindanao and well over

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a hundred offshore islands. North of the Surigao Peninsula is Surigao Strait, where
Japanese naval forces steaming to Leyte Gulf on the night of October 24-25, 1944, to
oppose the allied landing on Leyte, ran into several lines of resistance from torpedo boats,
destroyers, and cruisers commanded by Admiral Oldendorf, USN. The Japanese suffered
serious losses before emerging into Leyte
Gulf, where their further losses were even
more serious. The land descends from the
rugged mountains of the west to an irregular
coastline on the east.
 Known as The Surfing capital in the
Philippine. The province is blessed
with long stretches of white sand
beaches, enchanting rock formations, mysterious caves, and vast mangrove
forests.

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 Surigao del Sur (Shangri-la by the Pacific)

was created by the division of the Province
of Surigao in 1960. The land slopes from
the Diwata Range in the west down to a
deeply indented coast, and then further
down to the Mindanao Deep. Forty-five
percent of the land is agricultural. The
remainder is largely forest, and industry is
largely limited to logging and wood-
processing, including paper-making,
although Surigao del Sur reportedly sits on
enormous reserves of iron ore.

 Dinagat Islands (Mystical Island, Province

of Love) bounded on the North, starting from
the desolation point is Surigao Strait; on the
East by the Philippine Sea; on the South. East by
Dinagat sound; on the South by Gahoc
Channel and Nonoc Island; on the South-
West by Awasan Bay, Hanigad Island and
Hikdop Island; and on the West by Surigao
Strait the province.

Climate

Caraga Region has Type II climate, with no

pronounced wet and dry season. During the months of November to February, heavy rains are
usually experienced in the region.

Resources

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Caraga is considered as the richest region in terms of natural resources. Its jewel lies in the
regional’s vast forest, fertile mountains and valleys, seas, rivers, lakes, mineral deposits, people
and other natural endowments. R.A. 7901 made this northeastern region as the new economic
hub in Southern Philippines considering its vast potentials for ecotourism, industrial, mining,
agri-industrial, and agricultural development.

Problems & Issues

Dr. Alma A. Eleazar said that the Caraga Region in Northeastern Mindanao is a region of
contrast. She said in her study of decentralization that it is a contrast seen in the face of poverty
amid plenty of natural bounty and rich cultural diversity, yet with a high incidence of poor

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families. The said study shows results on the economic, social, and environmental development
of the region and its people.

In a news article of Mike Crismundo in Manila Bulletin News states that the combined forces of
the Philippine Army, PNP, including CIDG, NBI and DENR on April 14, 2018 made a final
push to flush out timber poachers, log smuggling operators, and financiers of illegal mining
operations in northeastern Mindanao or Caraga region.

Maybe because of illegal logging and illegal mining, the rich natural resources of Caraga region
contrast towards social and economic status showing high incidence of poor families.

As a result of this illegal activities on the environment and some military attacks, indigenous
people are displaced. In connection, a Caraga school focused on agriculture that can help sustain
Lumad communities.

Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (Alcadev), a non-
formal secondary tribal school in the Caraga region, responds to the need of these indigenous
people in Mindanao by offering an agriculture-focused education.

Alcadev operates as an alternative school. Students stay in dorms and practice farming through
their two farms: demo farm and community farm. Academic subjects are integrated in their
lessons. Still, academic competency is the primary basis for Alternative Learning
System students who want to pursue higher levels of education, so they are assessed through
accreditation and equivalency tests.

Online Resources (References)

https://www.slideshare.net/miajoycemartin3/region-xiii-caraga-39152805

https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ph-xiii.html

https://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/15CARAGA.pdf

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/04/15/all-out-war-against-illegal-logging-mining-in-caraga-region/

https://www.rappler.com/nation/247706-caraga-school-focused-agriculture-help-sustain-lumad-
communities

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