History of Butuan

Butuan, during the pre-colonial times, was known as the Rajahnate of Butuan,
an Indianized kingdom known for its metallurgic industry and sophisticated naval
technology. The rajahnate flourished at the 10th and 11th centuries CE, and had an
extensive trade network with the Champa civilisation and the Srivijaya Empire.

By 1001, the rajahnate had established contact with the Song dynasty of China.
The History of Song recorded the appearance of a Butuan mission at the Chinese imperial
court, and the rajahnate was described as a small Hindu country with a Buddhist monarchy,
which had a regular trade connection with Champa. The mission, under a king named
"Kiling", asked for equal status in court protocol with the Champa envoy, but ultimately
was denied by the imperial court. However, under the reign of Sri Bata Shaja, the
diplomatic equality was eventually granted to the kingdom, and as a result the diplomatic
relations of the two nations reached its peak in the Yuan dynasty.

On March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday, Ferdinand Magellan ordered a mass to be

celebrated. This was officiated by Friar Pedro Valderrama, the Andalusian chaplain of the
fleet, the only priest then. Another priest, the French Bernard Calmette (Bernardo Calmeta)
had been marooned at Patagonia with Juan de Cartagena for being implicated in the mutiny
at Puerto San Julián. Conducted near the shores of the island, the Holy First Mass marked
the birth of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines. Rajah Colambu and Siaiu were said to
be among the first natives of the soon-to-be Spanish colony to attend the mass among
other Mazaua inhabitants, together with visitors from Butuan who came with the entourage
of Colambu, king of Butuan.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, more than half
of Butuan, if not all of it, was burned when local guerrilla forces attacked the enemy
garrison on 12 March 1943 in the Battle of Butuan. On January 17, 1945, guerrillas
attacked Japanese troops on the road between Cabadbaran and Butuan to prevent the
Japanese garrison at Butuan from being reinforced. When the guerrillas depleted their
ammunition supply, they were forced to retreat. Later in 1945, the Philippine
Commonwealth troops in Butuan together with the recognized guerrillas attacked the
Japanese forces during the Battle of Agusan. On October 20, 1948, still recovering from
the war, the entire municipality was ruined by a fire.

By the late 1940s to the 1970s, Butuan's industry specialized in timber, earning it
the nickname "Timber City of the South". The plentiful trees of the area invited many
investors to the city, and inspired then-Congressman Marcos M. Calo to file a bill elevating
Butuan for cityhood. On August 2, 1950, this was passed, converting Butuan into a city.