Esperanza, Agusan del Sur

Esperanza
Municipality
Seal
{{#property:P242}} Map of {{#property:P131}} with Esperanza highlighted
Location within the {{#property:P17}}
Coordinates:
Country	[[{{#property:P17}}]]
Region	Caraga (Region XIII)
Province	[[{{#property:P131}}]]
District	1st district of Agusan del Sur
Founded	1921
Barangays	47
Government
• Mayor	Deo S. Manpatilan
Area
• Total	1,355.48 km2 (523.35 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	51,897
• Density	38/km2 (99/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	{{#property:P281}}
Dialing code	{{#property:P473}}
Income class	1st

Esperanza is a first class municipality in the province of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,897 people.

It renowned as the "Tilapia Capital of the Province" and has an official moniker of "The Home of Cultural Diversity".

Barangays

Esperanza is politically subdivided into 47 barangays.

3

Demographics

Population census of Esperanza
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	36,139	—
1995	42,118	+2.91%
2000	44,151	+1.02%
2007	47,659	+1.06%
2010	51,897	+3.15%
Source: National Statistics Office

The Golden Tara

In July 1917, a flood and storm swept through Agusan del Sur in Barangay Cubo of Esperanza. After the storm, a Manobo woman named Bilay Ocampo was on the banks of the muddy Wawa River where she eventually found a figure where it washed up from the river. The 21-karat gold figure dating to around 850 to 950 C.E. weighs 4 lbs and depicts a woman sitting in the lotus position in Buddhism, is ornamented with jewelry on her body, and wears 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 it was passed to the Agusan Coconut Company, because of a debt. It was then being sold and was purchased for 4,000 pesos by the wife of American Governor-General Leonard Wood, Faye Cooper-Cole, who was the curator of Chicago Field Museum’s Southeast Asian department. They then donated the Golden Tara to the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, USA 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 government to buy the artifact 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 over 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 wasn’t handed over but it was stolen from her grandmother. 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 debate of history.

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 time and reports has it that the Philippine government has plans to continue its negotiations in re-acquiring the figure.

According to UP scholar Dr. Juan Francisco, he described the golden statue as, “One of the most spectacular discoveries in the Philippine archaeological history.”

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2007 Agusan del Sur Census Information