Magallanes, Agusan del Norte, Philippines

By James Barcelona

Tourist Attractions

Philippine Centennial Tree

Philippine Centennial Tree. The Departnment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) awarded Magallanes as the place that host the Oldest Tree (more than 500 years old) in the Philippines called Bitaug.

Lisagan Festival

Lisagan Festival. Magallanes celebrates its annual fiesta every third Saturday of October in honor of patroness Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Our Lady of the Rosary, which includes thanksgiving mass, parades and more.

The 'Lisagan Festival' held on Sunday after the fiesta includes street dancing similar to Sinulog Festival and fluvial procession at the Agusan River and Baug River.

The town parish doesn't allow major public gathering like disco, live bands and other similar events the night before the fiesta.

Magellan Shrine

Magellan Shrine. Located at Poblacion near the Municipal Hall, the shrine was the site of the 'first' Catholic mass in Mindanao on April 8, 1521. It was believed that the Magellan's Cross in Cebu was also erected here by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his men before they sail North. Evidence showed church ruins near the Agusan River.

Magellan Marker

Magellan Marker. Erected in the time of Spanish District Gov. Jose Maria Carvallo in 1872, this edifce located at the mouth of Agusan river  in present day Magallanes, is the site of the first catholic mass in Mindanao  on April 8,1521. Magallanes, in the olden days was called Baug, formerly the site of Butuan.

Magallanes is a fourth class municipality in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 21,481 people.

The municipality was named after the Portuguese surname of the maritime explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

Geography

Its land is mostly flat and rolling, surrounded by mountains. Swamps characterize much of the landscape of this place that is situated at the mouth of the two major rivers in the province, the Agusan and Baug Rivers.

The elevation of most of lands is two (2) feet below sea level. The town center is in the river delta and has to be kept protected by dikes. The land gradually rises in the northwest to the 99 metres (325 ft) high Mt. Taod-oy at barangay Taod-oy and the 162 metres (531 ft) high Mount Panaytayon.

Around 2,834.89 hectares of Magallanes lands have slope of 0 to 3 percent, 399.28 hectares have 8 to 18 percent, 1,497.30 18 to 30 percent and 250.53 hectares 30 to 50 percent.

Hydrosol, San Miguel Loam, San Miguel Clay Loam, Malalag Silt Loam and Butuan Loam are its soil types. Upper Miocene, Cretaceous-Paleogene and recent sedimentary materials are the rock elements that make up Magallanes lands.