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Located in the sitio of Taguanao, barangay Indahag, Huluga has long been an important archaeological site for Cagayan de Oro. Ever since the area was first explored in 1970, many historic finds have been unearthed. Among these artifacts were human skeletal remains that, according to dating techniques, date back to 350 AD.

It was the highly-esteemed Dr. Jesus T. Peralta who subsequently made reports about the study, while the field anthropologist sent by the National Museum at the time, Dr. Erlinda M. Burton, stayed behind in Cagayan de Oro to continue making scholarly studies of Mindanao’s local culture.

Today, local historians and archaeologists continue to monitor the Huluga area. In the excavations of 2001, some findings were analyzed and concluded to have been used as stone tools in prehistoric times.

The Problem

In 1999, the local government that was headed by then City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano started pursuing plans of creating another bridge to span across the Cagayan River, from Taguanao to Upper Balulang. However, the problem was this proposed bridge would totally demolish the very site of the Huluga Caves. Apparently, this meant that city officials were either ignorant of the importance of Huluga or they willingly followed the plan of building a large scale infrastructure without proper consultation.

The dismay over the deliberate destruction of the archaeological site was even more heightened when on August 5, 2003, Dr. Burton, who eventually became a professor at Xavier University, discovered a depository filled with prehistoric remains at the bottom of Obsidian Hill in Huluga. And at that time, damage had already been caused by the Emano administration’s road project

For this reason, archaeologists representing the Archaeological Studies Program of the University of the Philippines and the National Museum appeared at the site to examine the damage brought by the mayor’s road project. The arrival of these archaeologists, however, grabbed the attention of Dr. Burton. So she decided to write to the National Museum, asking for permission to dig at the newly found depository. She explained that her students would help in the excavation, so the project would not cost the government even a single cent.

Strangely enough, it wasn’t until three months later that Dr. Burton received a reply when government service rule clearly stated that letters shall be answered in 15 days. Plus, the lot owner Wilson Cabaluna, a city Tourism Office employee, refused to cooperate with Dr. Burton in preserving the archaeological find. Thus, to Burton’s dismay, the destruction of the depository continued and no one could do anything about it.

Rigged Findings

In late 2004, a team from the Archaeological Studies Program led by Dr. Victor Paz conducted an excavation at the Huluga area without informing Dr. Burton. Later on, this said team held a press conference where they announced that the Huluga Open Site is a “habitation, but unlikely a settlement.” This seemed an unlikely conclusion because they formed the press conference even before their colleagues in Manila and local scientists could check their findings.

A few months later, the Archaeological Studies Program team published a report of the dig and reportedly said that there was no depository filled with prehistoric remains found in Huluga. The team apparently ignored the fossils and artifacts found by the Heritage Conservation Advocates (HCA) in 2003. Among these relics is a whale harpoon that had counterparts found in Siquijor, Bohol and Cebu.

There were several other artifacts found way before the Archaeological Studies Program dug up the site. Everything smelled, but some things were certain, one of which was that the leader of this archaeology team had a family member who worked for the City Planning Office, which happened to be under the administration of Emano.

Significance of Huluga

Huluga is believed to have been prehistoric Cagayan de Oro, and according to written historical documents, was called “Himologan.” When the Augustinian Recollect friars came to the city during the Spanish era, they persuaded the natives of Himologan to move to the area where Cagayan de Oro stands today. So, in 1626, these natives moved to the town site, which is now the area around St. Augustine Cathedral.

Therefore, Huluga is the hallowed grounds that once used to be the dwelling place of the first Cagayan de Oro inhabitants.

-by Gillian Abonitalla-
(Photo taken from elson.elizaga.net)

It may seem like Koreans have made their presence significantly felt here in Cagayan de Oro. Commercial establishments, schools, restaurants, dormitories, apartments and even a Church are owned and operated by Koreans here. They stay here in the city to establish businesses, learn English, teach the word of God or settle down.

Many Cagayan de Oro residents have strongly felt the presence of these Asian foreigners in the city. Some students here, for example, have Korean kids as classmates. Others also see Koreans shopping at the mall, hanging out at party places and eating at local restaurants.

Although it may seem that they started coming here just recently, Koreans have been around in Cagayan de Oro for a long time. In fact, the trend of South Korean students coming to the Philippines to achieve university education started in the 1960s.

History of Korean Migration

Historical records have shown that Koreans migrated to the Philippines since before the Spanish era. However, it wasn’t till the 1980s that the migration began to take on a more economic character. With the growth of the South Korean economy, manufacturing companies that depended on manual labor responded to increasing wages by relocating their operations to other countries like the Philippines. Consequently, managers of enterprises – big or small – along with their families, began to move out of their country. And by the 1990s, the Philippines saw a significant increase in its South Korean businesspeople, all of whom operated in various industries, and not just in manufacturing. These industries include trade, construction, dining and other service-oriented sectors.

Then, around the start of the 2000s, Filipinos once again saw a massive arrival of Koreans as more students wanted to study here and more Korean associations became influenced by mainstream Philippine society. Many Koreans were also encouraged to stay here because of the attractive costs of English language learning and housing, both considerably cheaper than those offered in their home country.

Korean Invasion

It may seem that all things Korean have invaded Cagayan de Oro. Even Korean television programs are being widely aired in the city. And whose attention would not be grabbed by the increasingly popular K-pop (Korean pop music) revolution?

Some have said that Korean invasion is currently underway in the country. More South Koreans are showing their faces in the Philippine entertainment industry, and more are studying in local schools and universities. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time till they become the heads of local companies and even surpass the success of Chinese businesspeople in the country.

Cagayan de Oro has witnessed an influx of people from different countries all over the world, from Koreans to Americans to Europeans. This migration has translated to further growth and development in the city. With more establishments operated by these foreigners, the city’s range of services and facilities has expanded. With more Koreans coming here to study English, take a vacation or settle down, more jobs are created. Welcoming them with arms wide open will surely improve our urban landscape.

-by Gillian Abonitalla-

Several anthropomorphic secondary burial jars were discovered by archaeologists in the Ayub Cave of Piñol Maitum in the Sarangani Province of Mindanao. These significant historical artifacts were unearthed way back in 1991. Since then, more archeological excavations were conducted in the site with hopes to recover more of these important artifacts. Additionally, the excavation projects that followed the initial project that retrieved these sensational findings were either funded by the private or public sector.

The excavated Maitum burial jars appeared to be created from earthenware. These pots were also characterized by their forms and designs, which suggests human figures that were crafted with either partial or complete facial characteristics. Apart from this, these earthenware potteries also featured several incisions and cut-out foot rings. The forms that the anthropomorphic jars possessed were compared to several metal implements such as bracelets. On the other hand, some of these jars were also adorned with pendants, shell scoop, spoons and glass beads. Although majority of the recovered artifacts were anthropomorphic vessels, a few plain non-anthropomorphic potteries were also discovered.

After studying the artifacts, the scientists came to a conclusion that the secondary burial jars they discovered were pieces of important artifacts that have survived since the Metal Age. The experts dated the acquired artifacts to 830+/-60 B.P. by using a calibrated date of AD 70 to 370, and 1920+/-50 BP by basing on a calibrated date of 5 BC to 225 AD. In order to determine the age of the extracted Maitum Potteries, the scientists ran a series of radiocarbon date tests on the collected soot samples obtained from the small earthenware vessel that was taken from one of the large burial jars.

Basically, radiocarbon dating (also known as carbon dating) is a type of radiometric dating method that employs radioisotope carbon-14 in order to identify the age of the carbonaceous materials that are found in the artifacts. By using these naturally occurring substances in various artifacts, scientists can actually determine the age of a specific artifact that dates up to about 62,000 years.

As of today, a few of the famous Maitum jars are displayed at the National Museum. According to one of the people from the museum, Dr. Eusebio Dizon, the famous anthropomorphic secondary burial jars will be declared as “National Cultural Heritage” soon. This simply means, according to his speech at the “Symposium on Maitum Archaeological Finds” last November 26, that the Maitum burial jars are not for sale and are prohibited from being taken out of the country. Although he did mention this, Dr. Eusebio Dizon did not elaborate on the specific details as to when and where the declaration would take place.

Dr. Eusebio Dizon currently serves as one of the curators for the Archaeology Division; he likewise serves as the head of the Underwater Archaeology Section of the National Museum. According to him, the Piñol Cave, the place where the jars were found, are the most significant caves in Mindanao. He also finds the Piñol caves as “Unparalleled in Southeast Asia.”

-by Mara Tismo-
(Photo taken from i75.photobucket.com)

Cagayan de Oro, as a city of progress, has developed more and more establishments where people can go to and enjoy a drink or two. And one of its latest is Chaibodia Bistro and Café.

Situated along the streets of Tiano and Montalban, and settled right across Steve’s Grill and KTV, Chaibodia is a mini-restaurant that has grown to have frequent customers since it first opened.

What makes Chaibodia so special and unique among other bistros and cafes, you say? The first thing you will notice is the venue’s interior; almost every corner is filled with paintings and other displayed works from various local talents. The bar’s interiors, according to a patron, is said to be a resemblance of the Kilimanjaro in Timog.

What compliments the artworks is music. At Chaibodia, a self-service café, it never runs out of playlists comprised of great tunes from local to international artists, ranging from pop to alternative, to folk, to OPM and the like. Occasionally, Chai invites a few musician friends to jam at the bar, acoustic-style, making the venue a great place to appreciate both fields of art.

The second factor you will notice is its ambiance, which is the kind that lets you want to just sit back and sip on your favorite beverage – be it an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink – or munch on some of the finest cooking prepared by the owner itself, Michelle Veloso, otherwise known to her acquaintances as “Chai-Chai.” Apart from being a good place to chill, Chaibodia is one of the safest venues out there, with a 2 o’clock curfew and a “no deadly weapons/firearms allowed” policy. And since it is a small place, almost all people who hang out there are already acquainted with each other, which is an assurance that there will not be any trouble or any fights that usually happen in a bar, especially at night.

The entrance to the place may be a bit crowded, but it has a second floor that is even wider, providing more room for the customers. All in all, it seats about 50 people.

The third and probably the most promising element about Chaibodia Bistro and Café is the food. They serve the perfect variety of chow that suits every customer’s chill trip and dining experience. One of the must-try foods made available by the café is the nachos, which is supplemented by the best and freshest salsa prepared by Chai. Another set of must-try foods are the silog meals (longsilog, tapsilog, etc.), pasta and calamares, which are likewise delectable and mouth-watering. Cooked with the best ingredients, Chai’s menu never runs out of food trippers ordering more of her specialties. What adds appeal to the selection of foods at Chaibodia is that they are sold at affordable prices.

Truly, Chaibodia Bistro and Café is one of the hippest bars that cater to the budget backpacker. Unlike other bars and cafes that have strict dress codes, Chaibodia welcomes all customers regardless of age and/or attire.

-by Rose Anne Quirante-
(Photo taken from explorecdo.com)