Esperanza, officially the Municipality of Esperanza (; ), is a municipality in the province of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 59,353 people.

History

The municipality of Esperanza was founded on September 11, 1953, per Executive Order No. 611 signed by President Elpidio Quirino. It began its functions as an independent municipality on September 27, 1953, when its first town officials were appointed.

Esperanza is the oldest town in northern Agusan del Sur. It was also the largest town in the province by land area until several municipalities were created out its territory in the late 20th century: Las Nieves, San Luis, Sibagat, and Bayugan, which later became a city and has surpassed its mother town in terms of economy and population.

The Golden Tara

thumb|left|upright|The Golden Tara that had been found in Esperanza, is now housed in [[Field Museum of Natural History|a museum in Chicago, United States.]]

In July 1917, a flood and storm swept through Agusan del Sur. In Barangay Cubo of Esperanza, a Manobo woman named Bilay Ocampo was on the banks of the muddy Wawa River after the storm, and she found a figure washed up. The 21-karat gold statue dating to around 850 to 950 A.D. weighs and depicts a woman sitting in the lotus position in Buddhism fashion, wearing jewellery on her body, and 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 was passed to the Agusan Coconut Company because of a debt. It was then sold and purchased for by Louise Condit Smith, wife of American Governor-General Leonard Wood, and Fay Cooper-Cole, curator of Chicago Field Museum’s Southeast Asian department. They then donated the Golden Tara to the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, United States 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 Philippine government to buy the artefact, 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 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 was not handed over by her grandmother but stolen. 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 subject of debate.

| date = 29 April 2020

Barangays

Esperanza is politically subdivided into 47 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

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Demographics

In the 2020 census, Esperanza had a population of 59,353. The population density was .

Economy

thumb|right|Deo Manpatilan, Sr. Events and Cultural Center

References

  • [ Philippine Standard Geographic Code]