Trento is one of the Municipalities in Northern Mindanao. It is located at the Southernmost part of the Province of Agusan del Sur, between 126°00 and 126°25 east longitude and 8°05 north latitude. It is bounded on the North by the Municipality of Bunawan of Agusan del Sur, on the south by the Municipality of Monkayo in Compostela Valley Province, on the east by the Province of Surigao del Sur and on the west by the Municipality of Sta. Josefa, Agusan del Sur.
The municipality is located between two cities, that of Davao City on the South which is more or less 143 kilometers away and of Butuan City on its north which is about 141 kilometers away. These two cities serve as the nearest port of entry to Trento. Surigao City can also be a port of entry though it is quite farther than the two cities mentioned ahead.
Land Area/Major Land Use Category
Trento’s land area consist of more or less 80,982 hectares including Rajah Cabungsuan which claim is still on status quo pending the settlement of the two provinces involve, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur.
The first settlement in Trento is situated near the river and is called “Bahayan” by the famous Baganies”, warrior, Bagani Dago and Bagani Kawayan. A term Bahayan is referring to the lead sinker at the base of their fishing net “Pukot”. When this settlement is reached by the Jesuit Missionaries, Bahayan was christened “Trento” after the council of Trent in 1845.
Cultural and Ethnic Origin
The first inhabitants of Trento are Manobo Tribes, originally living along the Bahayan River. They earned their livelihood by making a Kaingin in the vast tract of forestland. That time, when the migrating tribes came, they sold their cultivated lands to the settlers and they moved to the interior part of the Municipality. They were ruled by a Chieftain or Datu. Later, Trento was inhabited by great bulk of migrants from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Trento is still scarcely populated thus making natural attraction and indeed an open invitation for enterprising from over-populated neighboring provinces and towns. The cultural minorities in the towns have shown hospitality to the settlers, thus resulted to inter-marriages among them as a result of their trust and understanding.
There was a rapid increased of population in the year 1990 due to birth and immigration. What greatly influenced the people to migrate and reside are the richness of the soil, mining and forest resources, peace and order situation, broader opportunities both in business and employment, the construction of national roads from Butuan City to Davao City and the availability of transportation facilities and many more government projects and programs that will help uplift the economic condition of the people.