Golden Tara of Agusan
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ne of the main reasons why I am always drawn to museums when I travel is that I would want to see, in real life, the fascinating things that I've only read in books or have seen in the films, such as archaeological artifacts or the paintings of Van Gogh and Dali. Museums give you access to all that. I majored in History when I was an undergraduate in the University of the Philippines. As such, I am always excited to see artifacts and historical curiosities that I encounter during my travels. But sometimes, they also make me sad, like when I saw the Golden Tara of Agusan in the Field Museumin Chicago. The reverse of the Golden Tara The Golden Tara is a gold statue
of a Hindu-Malayan deity discovered in 1917 in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, in southern Philippines. Weighing about four pounds, the 21-karat gold statue depicts a woman deity sitting crosslegged, ornamented with a headdress and various accruements in the arms and legs. It was dated to early 13th century, and is proof that ancient Filipinos have extensive contact with the Hindu culture way back, and that gold mining was already an industry then [1,2]. The information card of the Golden Tara Discovered by a Manobo woman, the statue passed from one owner to another, until it was brought to the Field Museum in 1922. The Tara was studied extensively by Henry Otley Beyer, a noted anthro-
pologist and a name familiar to students of Philippine history. Beyer, in fact, founded the Anthropology Department of my university, and he is considered to be the Father of Philippine anthropology [3]. He said to have developed an interest with the Philippines when he visited the 1904 World's Fair, which was held in St. Louis, in the present day Forest Park. Close-up of the Golden Tara The Golden Tara is now part of the Grainger Halls of Gems exhibit of the Field Museum. It is described as "one of the most important discoveries in the history of Philippine archaeology," but it is sad to know that one important part of the country's rich history and heritage is in a foreign land. How to Get There The Field Museum is located in the Museum Campus, on Lake Shore Drive and just a short distance from Lake Michigan. You can take a CTA Bus 146 from Michigan Avenue to get to the museum. If you're coming from elsewhere you may check this link for directions. Useful Info The museum is open from 8am to 5pm. Basic admission is $15 for adults, $10 for children. Paying $23 would get you a Discovery Pass which gives you access to one of the special featured exhibits, such as the Titans of the Ice Age 3D film exhibition or the feature on the Cave Paintings of Lascaux.
BACKGROUND OF BUTUAN
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utuan, chartered city, southern Philippines, capital of Agusan del Norte Province, near the mouth of the Agusan River, on the northern coast of Mindanao. The city is a trade center for the Agusan river valley, where lumber, gold, abaca, and copra are produced. Butuan is reputed 2
to be the site at which the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan proclaimed Spanish sovereignty over the Philippine Archipelago in 1521. Population (1999 estimate) 247,074. Butuan is believed to have originated from the sour fruit “Batuan”. Others said, it came from a certain “Datu Buntuan “ a chieftain who once ruled Bu-
tuan. Scholars believed it came from the word “But-an, which literally means a person who has a sound and discerning disposition. Land Area 758 sq km P o p u l a t i o n 2 6 5 , 8 0 6 Dialects Spoken Butuanon, Others Include Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Majority can speak and understand Tagalog and English
Brief History of Butuan
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utuan City was originally located in Pinamangculan by the banks of the Masao River, about a kilometer from the barrio of Libertad. Finding the place less ideal because of the flood, the people moved to Maug, now the municipality of Magallanes, at the mouth of Agusan river, they again transferred to Lapaca, now known as Linungsuran in barrio Banza about five kilometer inland Agusan River. Still troubled by floods, the people once more settled, some eighty years ago, this time permanently, in a higher place called Agao, which is the present site of the City proper. A description of Butuan is not complete without infusing it with the significance of the Agusan River and its tributar-
ies that provide the valley with rich soil from periodic floods. Its serpentine route through the city and the two Agusan provinces provide the people with easy means of transportation for trade and commerce and encourage settlement
along its banks. The Agusan River greatly helped the booming of the “Logging Industry” which earned
Butuan the name “ Timber City of the South”. Butuan sprawls across the Agusan River nine kilometers from its mouth. Towards this, to the north and seaward, run fertile rice lands. Halfway round the city to the southwest, roll the gently sloping hills over there Mount Mayapay looms. To the east, the majestic Hilong-hilong and Diwata mountain ranges protect the entire valley from fierce Pacific storms. Its very difficult to pinpoint the exact time when the name Butuan first emerged. Certainly, the name Agusan came into being upon the creation of the province in 1914. Before this, the entire area had been known as such, as can be born out by old historical records.
People and Culture
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utuan, the prehistoric city by the river, is reportedly the site of the oldest settlement in the Philippines, and where the first catholic mass is said to have taken place. The Butuanons are warm and kind-hearted, just like its name, Butuan, from the word “But-an” meaning “good”.
Commerce and Industry
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utuan, like the Caraga Provinces, is primarily an agricultural province. It is also one of the leading rice producer after Bukidnon. Butuan is also a major timber producer in the region. There are 23 lumber producers and plywood plants in the city. Butuan’s rattan
is one of the best in the country. Other products include corn, vegetable, coconuts and bananas. utuan, the provincial capital, is located at the central part of Agusan del Norte province. It lies flat along the banks of Agusan River following along course within the province of Davao del Norte, Agusan del Sur,
Agusan del Norte and drains into Butuan Bay. Butuan serves a strategic center of the Northern Mindanao region. 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.
Amenities
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utuan has hotels with convention facilities which can accommodate 500 people and can provide audio-visual equipment upon request. Butuan caters to every filipino taste. There are a lot of inexpensive restaurants that serve both local and international dishes. One can enjoy the most tasty dishes with the abundant supply of seafood, pao ( the native rootcrop), kayam, and onao from the sorroundings. How to get There By Air, Butuan is, 1 hour and 30 minutes away by plane from the national capital, Manila and 50 minutes from Cebu City. Philippine Airlines flies from Manila three times a week (Monday, Wednesday & Friday) for Cagayan de Oro and Cebu flies daily.
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By Boat, Butuan is easily accessible by boat from Manila, Cebu and Bohol. Gothong Lines sails from Cebu to Butuan every Tuesday. By Land, Buses leave from capital cities of Mindanao to Butuan several times a day. DID YOU KNOW? id you know that the tallest tree is found in Butuan? This tree which was recognized on December 7, 1980 is a giant Toog which has a towering height of 65 meters, a diameter of 360 centimeters and is over 200 years old. The tree is located along Butuan-Barobo Highway in Barangay Alegria, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur. Butuan, the provincial capital, is located at the central part of Agusan del Norte province. It lies flat along
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the banks of Agusan River following along course within the province of Davao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte and drains into Butuan Bay. Butuan serves a strategic center of the Northern Mindanao region. 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. Butuan, like the Caraga Provinces, is primarily an agricultural province. It is also one of the leading rice producer after Bukidnon. Butuan is also a major timber producer in the region. There are 23 lumber producers and plywood plants in the city. Butuan’s rattan is one of the best in the country. Other products include corn, vegetable, coconuts and bananas.
In The Beginning there was no Philippines but there was BUTUAN! It is of record that Cebu was “discovered” by Magellan on April 07,1521 while Manila was seen by Western eyes only in 1572. Butuan was mentioned twelve (12) times in ANTONIO PIGAFETTA’S CHRONICLE of exploration of MAGELLAN who come asshore on March 28,1521 and celebrated the First Easter Mass in the Philippines on March 31,1521. Located at the Northeastern part of Agusan Valley sprawling across Agusan River in the Island of Mindanao here in the Philippines it is strategically located at the center of the CARAGA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION XIII. This makes the City the natural growth center of the area and affirms its role as an Industrial center in agri-aquaforestry processing of the Agusan
River Basin by the year 2000. With this vision, officials of the Butuan City Government are encouraging preferred investments Into this fast-growing center of the Northeastern Mindanao. Investors who decide to do business in Butuan City, by either putting-up a new enterprise, expanding or diversifying existing businesses can now expect to enjoy Local Tax Holiday Incentives or Tax Exemption Privileges, under SP Ordinance 2075-96. Butuan City is known for its colorful History and culture. BUTUAN is believed to have originated from sour fruit “Batuan”. Others opined, it came from a certain “Datu Buntuan”, a chieftain who once ruled Butuan. Scholars believed, it came from the word “But-an”, which
literally means a person who has a sound and discerning disposition. Whichever theories appear credible depends on the kind of people residing in Butuan, for whatever is said about them, Butuan continues to live on. Butuan’s History, culture, arts, and people date back to the 4th Century as showcased in museums and festivals, makes Butuan as exciting source of cultural artifacts in Mindanao. As early as the 10th century, according to the Chinese Soong Shi (history), people from Butuan had already established trading relations with the kingdom of Champa in what is now South Vietnam. Later the Butuanons came to China contrary to long-held belief it was the Chinese who came to the Phi.
Couples, the Internet, and Social Media
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7% of online couples say that the internet has had an impact on their relationship, and most of them say the impact is positive. Still, one in four cell owners in serious relationships say the phone distracts their spouse or partner when they are together. Technology plays a more prominent role in the committed relationships of young adults. WASHINGTON—As technology becomes more deeply integrated into people’s lives, couples are feeling both the positive and negative effects of digital communications tools in their relationships. Fully 27% of online adults who are married or in committed relationships say that the internet has had an impact on their relationships; and a majority of them say that impact has been positive. However, technology is also seen as a negative source of distraction in some relationships; 25% of cell owners in serious relationships say the phone distracts their spouse or partner when they are alone together. Technology makes itself felt in many ways in relationships – in how couples communicate, grow closer, plan, fight and make up. A new report from the Pew Research Center looks at how technology matters in the lives of married or partnered adults. Some of the main findings from the report explore the both the 6
good and the bad: Tech as a source of support 21% of married or partnered adults have felt closer to their spouse or partner because of exchanges they had online or via text message. 9% have resolved an argument with their partner online or by text message that they were having difficulty resolving in person. 25% of cell phone owners in a marriage or partnership have felt their spouse or partner was distracted by their cell phone when they were together. 8% of couples who use the internet have had an argument with their spouse or partner about the amount of time one of them was spending online. Tech as a source of tension Young adults in serious relationships are more likely than older couples to report that the internet has had an impact on their relationship, but this impact can cut both ways. Many young couples view technology as a way to bring greater intimacy to their relationship, even as it introduces new sources of tension. 45% of online 18-29 year olds in serious relationships say the internet has had an impact on their relationship – 21% say a major impact. 42% of 18-29 year olds with cell phones in serious relationships say their partner has been
distracted by their mobile phone while they were together. 41% of online 18-29 year olds in serious relationships felt closer to their partner because of online or text conversations. “Technology is everywhere and our relationships are no exception,” said Amanda Lenhart, lead author of the report and Senior Researcher at the Pew Research Center. “And for younger adults and those in newer relationships, tools such as cell phones and social media were there at the beginning and play a greater role today for good and for ill.” Digital tool sharing While most people in serious relationships use various tech tools independently, a subset of couples use email, social media and online calendars together, or share their passwords with each other. 67% of married or partnered internet users share their online passwords with their spouse or partner. 27% of online couples share an email account. 11% of social-media using couples share a social media profile. 11% of couples who use the internet share an online calendar. “Long partnered couples are more likely to say they share email accounts and social media profiles,” noted Lenhart. “It’s about timing – in many cases these couples were
Credibility of 2016 elections in PNoy’s
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here is no question that the use of Smartmatic’s PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) and Consolidation and Canvassing System (CCS) in the 2016 elections will again cast doubts on the integrity of the results. Consider the following: 1. In the 2010 and 2013 elections, the Election Returns data (ERs show the results of precinctcounting) were not shown in the Comelec public website. The Statements of Votes (SOVs show the votes garnered by each candidate on a precinct-by-precinct basis), generated at the Municipal Boards of Canvassers (MBOCs), were not made public either. This means that there was no way the candidates’ watchers could have verified the accuracy of the transmissions. Had they been made available, then watchers would have been able to compare the data received at the MBOCs with the data in their copies of the ERs. 2. This unavailability of data was also true at the Provincial Boards of Canvassers (PBOC) level. 3. Worse, even the Certificates of Canvass (COCs show the total votes garnered by each candidate per municipality, or in the next level, per province), generated at the MBOCs and PBOCs, were incomplete, which led to the speculation that Comelec was, in fact, not able to complete the canvassing at all. What data then did they use to proclaim the winners of the senatorial contest? 4. This lack of data and control figures is totally unacceptable even in a half-decent automated system. Banks, for instance, will never use
this kind of half-baked system! Experienced Filipino IT practitioners will never design systems without proper controls. 5. In light of the above, the 60:30:10 phenomenon becomes very believable, because in a system which is non-transparent and lacking controls, it would be easy to hide programmed results. 6. Could this be the reason why Comelec did not want to use the CCS that was developed by its own staff at almost 1/100th of the cost of Smartmatic’s CCS? 7. In 2013, 23 percent of the PCOS units failed to electronically transmit the results to the MBOCs, which means the PCOS units and/ or their corresponding CF cards had to be transported physically for canvassing. Those small CF cards could easily have been substituted with pre-loaded cards. (The CF cards are the equivalent of the ballot boxes.) 8. Smartmatic, Comelec, and some Congressmen say that in all the protest cases, the PCOS counts and the manual counts always matched, thus proving that PCOS counted accurately. This is not true. 9. In Nueva Ecija, the protestants proved that the difference between the two counts were significant. This revelation led former Comelec Chairman Brillantes to accuse the protestants from Nueva Ecija that they must have tampered with the contents of the ballot boxes. Brillantes therefore unwittingly admitted that tampering with the contents of the boxes can be done. It is therefore possible that the reason the counts matched in the other protest cases, is that the contents
of the ballot boxes were replaced with matching ballots. The boxes were opened more than one year after the elections! Enough time to execute this dirty operation. 10. There are photographs of a roomful of ballots that were presumably printed AFTER the 2013 elections. Two reporters of tabloid newspapers wrote about it. Unfortunately, they were both shot to death soon after, while they were drinking beer in a small sari-sari store. Could those be the matching ballots for the other protest cases? 11. Sure wins were being peddled as early as Jan 2013, by election operators presumably with the assistance of former Smartmatic technicians. With all of these serious system infirmities, it follows that we should never use Smartmatic’s PCOS and CCS ever again. And before somebody says that there are no other alternatives, let me say right away that that definitely is a big lie! We have recommended a more appropriate and more transparent system, which we are passing on to the Comelec free of charge, but which system, unfortunately, has been demonized by Smartmatic, Comelec, and some Congressmen, perhaps because it is a real threat to the PCOS system that they so love. But there’s a little problem. The Brillantes Commission decided to use the Smartmatic PCOS and CCS in the 2016 elections again. Only the next Comelec Chairman, with the concurrence of majority of the other Commissioners, can undo that. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the key issue today: if the President
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