Sultan Kudarat (province)
Encyclopedia
Sultan Kudarat is a province
of the Philippines
located in the SOCCSKSARGEN
region
in Mindanao
. Its capital is Isulan
and borders Maguindanao
and Cotabato to the north, South Cotabato
and Sarangani
to the south, and Davao del Sur
to the east, and the Celebes Sea
to the west.
The purpose of dividing Cotabato into three (3) smaller provinces is clearly stated in Presidential Decree No. 341, which pertinently provided, to wit: “Whereas, the province of Cotabato is one of the largest and richest provinces of the Philippines;
Whereas, the potentials of the province have not been fully developed due to the magnitude of the task of provincial development and troubles that have long plagued the area;
Whereas, the many conflicting political, social and economic interests that have limited the progress of the province must be resolved in order to promote the stability and accelerate the development of Cotabato; and
Whereas, there is a need for dividing the present province into smaller units which can be more effectively administered and developed”.
The name Sultan Kudarat given to the province was derived from a Muslim ruler, the late Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat who begun to assert his leadership in the year 1619 and reigned the Sultanate of Maguindanao from January 1625 to 1671 A.D.
He was a virtuous leader who embodied the idea of basic unity, oneness and freedom among the diverse people scattered throughout its Sultanate. For this reason, he was considered as one of the National heroes of our country and for his honour this province was named after him.
majority, but Christian
migrants now outnumber Muslims and highlanders.
Maguindanaons
live in the coastal towns of the province. Tribal groups with settlements in the province include the Blaan
, Iranons, Tirurays and Manobo.
The most dominant language is Hiligaynon
(Ilonggo), but Ilocano
and Cebuano
are spoken in some municipalities. Maguindanao
is the local language of the Muslim population.
Fishing is a fast growing industry. Tuna caught along the coasts along the Celebes Sea
are of high quality, and are exported to Japan
and Europe
.
Another significant economic activities include the cottage industry, which includes crafts made of rattan
and other types of wood.
. Three of the municipalities (Kalamansig, Lebak
, and Palimbang
) are coastal towns, while the rest of the province are located inland.
Tacurong City
is the smallest unit in the province in terms of land area, but it is the most urbanized, and is considered to be the province's commercial center. Other growth centers are Lebak
and Isulan
, the latter being the provincial capital. Bagumbayan
is the largest town in terms of land area.
The 11 municipalities and Tacurong City are further subdivided into 249 barangay
s.
. It is bounded on the north by the provinces of Maguindanao
and Cotabato; on the south by South Cotabato
; on the east by Davao del Sur
; and on the west by the Celebes Sea
. The province's total land area is 4783.1898 square kilometres.
The three coastal towns on the province's western side are lined with mountain ranges that wall the central part of the province from the sea. There are also mountains on the eastern side, leaving flat land in between.
The climate is characterized by a short dry season
lasting from one to three months. Unlike most other provinces in the country, Sultan Kudarat is generally free from typhoons and rainfall is more evenly distributed throughout the year.
music, a specific type of gong music, found among both Muslim and non-Muslim groups of the Southern Philippines.
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Elected Officials 2007-2010
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Elected Officials 2004-2007
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Elected Officials 1998-2000; 2000-2004
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Elected Officials 1995-1998
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Elected Officials 1992-1995
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
located in the SOCCSKSARGEN
SOCCSKSARGEN
SOCCSKSARGEN is a region of the Philippines, located in central Mindanao, and is officially designated as Region XII. The name is an acronym that stands for the region's four provinces and one of its cities: South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City...
region
Regions of the Philippines
In the Philippines, regions are administrative divisions that serve primarily to organize the provinces of the country for administrative convenience. Currently, the archipelagic republic of the Philippines is divided into 17 regions...
in Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
. Its capital is Isulan
Isulan, Sultan Kudarat
Isulan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. It is the provincial capital of the Province of Sultan Kudarat...
and borders Maguindanao
Maguindanao
Maguindanao is a province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Its capital is Shariff Aguak. It borders Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, and Sultan Kudarat to the south....
and Cotabato to the north, South Cotabato
South Cotabato
South Cotabato is a province of the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. Its capital is Koronadal City, and it borders Sultan Kudarat to the north and west, Sarangani to the south and east, and Davao del Sur to the east...
and Sarangani
Sarangani
In 1945, Filipino troops of the 6th, 10th, 101st and 102nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 10th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary entered and liberated in Southern Cotabato In 1945, Filipino troops of the 6th, 10th, 101st and 102nd Infantry Division of the...
to the south, and Davao del Sur
Davao del Sur
Davao del Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is Digos City. The province is bordered by Davao City to the north, and Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Sarangani to the west. To the east lies the Davao Gulf...
to the east, and the Celebes Sea
Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia...
to the west.
HISTORY
Sultan Kudarat was once a part of the former empire province of Cotabato. It was created as a separate province along with Maguindanao and North Cotabato on November 22, l973 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 341 signed by former Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos.The purpose of dividing Cotabato into three (3) smaller provinces is clearly stated in Presidential Decree No. 341, which pertinently provided, to wit: “Whereas, the province of Cotabato is one of the largest and richest provinces of the Philippines;
Whereas, the potentials of the province have not been fully developed due to the magnitude of the task of provincial development and troubles that have long plagued the area;
Whereas, the many conflicting political, social and economic interests that have limited the progress of the province must be resolved in order to promote the stability and accelerate the development of Cotabato; and
Whereas, there is a need for dividing the present province into smaller units which can be more effectively administered and developed”.
The name Sultan Kudarat given to the province was derived from a Muslim ruler, the late Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat who begun to assert his leadership in the year 1619 and reigned the Sultanate of Maguindanao from January 1625 to 1671 A.D.
He was a virtuous leader who embodied the idea of basic unity, oneness and freedom among the diverse people scattered throughout its Sultanate. For this reason, he was considered as one of the National heroes of our country and for his honour this province was named after him.
People
As of the 2000 census, Sultan Kudarat has a total population of 586,505. The province formerly had a MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
majority, but Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
migrants now outnumber Muslims and highlanders.
Maguindanaons
Maguindanao people
The Maguindanao are part of the wider Moro ethnic group, who constitute the sixth largest Filipino ethnic group. Their name means “people of the plains”.-Pre-Spanish:...
live in the coastal towns of the province. Tribal groups with settlements in the province include the Blaan
Blaan
Blaan may refer to:*Saint Blane, Irish saint*B'laan, Philippine tribe...
, Iranons, Tirurays and Manobo.
The most dominant language is Hiligaynon
Hiligaynon language
Hiligaynon, often referred to as Ilonggo, is an Austronesian language spoken in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.Hiligaynon is concentrated in the provinces of Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Capiz but is also spoken in the other provinces of the Panay Island group, including Antique,...
(Ilonggo), but Ilocano
Ilokano language
Ilokano or Ilocano is the third most-spoken language of the Republic of the Philippines....
and Cebuano
Cebuano language
Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
are spoken in some municipalities. Maguindanao
Maguindanao language
Maguindanaon is an Austronesian language spoken by majority of the population of Maguindanao Province in the Philippines. It is also spoken by sizable minorities in different parts of Mindanao such as the cities of Zamboanga, Davao, and General Santos, and the provinces of North Cotabato, Sultan...
is the local language of the Muslim population.
Economy
The economy of Sultan Kudarat is predominantly agricultural. With vast agricultural potential, the output consists of practically all types of crops grown in the country, including rice, corn, beef, coffee, and vegetables. The province is self-sufficient in poultry, swine, and root crops. The province is one of the few producers of Irish potatoes in the Philippines. The southern Philippines Grain Complex in Tacurong is the largest grains-processing complex in the country. There are more than 200 ricemills in the province.Fishing is a fast growing industry. Tuna caught along the coasts along the Celebes Sea
Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia...
are of high quality, and are exported to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Another significant economic activities include the cottage industry, which includes crafts made of rattan
Rattan
Rattan is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.- Structure :...
and other types of wood.
Political
Sultan Kudarat is subdivided into 11 municipalities and 1 cityCities of the Philippines
A city is a tier of local government in the Philippines. All Philippine cities are chartered cities, whose existence as corporate and administrative entities is governed by their own specific charters in addition to the Local Government Code of 1991, which specifies the administrative structure...
. Three of the municipalities (Kalamansig, Lebak
Lebak, Sultan Kudarat
The Municipality of Lebak is a coastal town of the Province of Sultan Kudarat. A 1st class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines.The municipality of Lebak lies in the northern most part of the coastal area of Sultan Kudarat...
, and Palimbang
Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat
Palimbang is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 43,742 people in 8,191 households.-Barangays:Palimbang is politically subdivided into 40 barangays.* Akol...
) are coastal towns, while the rest of the province are located inland.
Tacurong City
Tacurong City
Tacurong City is a 4th class city in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 82,546. Tacurong now has a total land area of 15,340 hectares, the smallest in land area among the 12 municipalities that compose the new province of Sultan...
is the smallest unit in the province in terms of land area, but it is the most urbanized, and is considered to be the province's commercial center. Other growth centers are Lebak
Lebak, Sultan Kudarat
The Municipality of Lebak is a coastal town of the Province of Sultan Kudarat. A 1st class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines.The municipality of Lebak lies in the northern most part of the coastal area of Sultan Kudarat...
and Isulan
Isulan, Sultan Kudarat
Isulan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. It is the provincial capital of the Province of Sultan Kudarat...
, the latter being the provincial capital. Bagumbayan
Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat
Bagumbayan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 57,133 people in 10,368 households.-Banana and Pineapple plantation:...
is the largest town in terms of land area.
The 11 municipalities and Tacurong City are further subdivided into 249 barangay
Barangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
Municipalities
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Lebak, Sultan Kudarat The Municipality of Lebak is a coastal town of the Province of Sultan Kudarat. A 1st class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines.The municipality of Lebak lies in the northern most part of the coastal area of Sultan Kudarat... Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat Lutayan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 40,881 people in 7,110 households.... Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat Palimbang is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 43,742 people in 8,191 households.-Barangays:Palimbang is politically subdivided into 40 barangays.* Akol... President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat President Quirino is a 4th class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 32,721 people in 6,522 households.-Barangays:President Quirino is politically subdivided into 19 barangays.... Sen. Ninoy Aquino, Sultan Kudarat Senator Ninoy Aquino or Benigno Aquino Jr. is a 4th class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 30,222 people in 6,172 households... |
Physical
Sultan Kudarat is located on the southwestern part of the island of MindanaoMindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
. It is bounded on the north by the provinces of Maguindanao
Maguindanao
Maguindanao is a province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Its capital is Shariff Aguak. It borders Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, and Sultan Kudarat to the south....
and Cotabato; on the south by South Cotabato
South Cotabato
South Cotabato is a province of the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. Its capital is Koronadal City, and it borders Sultan Kudarat to the north and west, Sarangani to the south and east, and Davao del Sur to the east...
; on the east by Davao del Sur
Davao del Sur
Davao del Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is Digos City. The province is bordered by Davao City to the north, and Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Sarangani to the west. To the east lies the Davao Gulf...
; and on the west by the Celebes Sea
Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia...
. The province's total land area is 4783.1898 square kilometres.
The three coastal towns on the province's western side are lined with mountain ranges that wall the central part of the province from the sea. There are also mountains on the eastern side, leaving flat land in between.
The climate is characterized by a short dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
lasting from one to three months. Unlike most other provinces in the country, Sultan Kudarat is generally free from typhoons and rainfall is more evenly distributed throughout the year.
Musical Heritage
The native Maguindanaon have a fascinating culture that revolves around kulintangKulintang
Kulintang is a modern term for an ancient instrumental form of music composed on a row of small, horizontally-laid gongs that function melodically, accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and drums...
music, a specific type of gong music, found among both Muslim and non-Muslim groups of the Southern Philippines.
Government officials
The elected provincial officials for 2010-2013 are:- Governor: Gov. Suharto T. Mangudadatu
- Vice Governor: Ernesto F. Matias, MD
- 1st District w/ Tacurong City: Rep. Raden C. Sakalauran
- 2nd District: Rep. Arnulfo F. Go
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Elected Officials 2007-2010
- Governor: Gov. Suharto T. Mangudadatu
- Vice Governor: Donato A. Ligo
- 1st District w/ Tacurong City: Rep. Pax S. Mangudadatu
- 2nd District: Rep. Arnulfo F. Go
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Elected Officials 2004-2007
- Rep. Suharto T. Mangudadatu
- Gov. Pax S. Mangudadatu
- Vice Gov. Donato A. Ligo
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Elected Officials 1998-2000; 2000-2004
- Rep. Angelo O. Montilla
- Gov. Pax S. Mangudadatu
- Vice Gov. Miguel Domingo T. Jacalan III
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Elected Officials 1995-1998
- Rep. Angelo O. Montilla
- Gov. Nesthur R. Gumana
- Vice Gov. Rose P. Jamison
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Elected Officials 1992-1995
- Rep. Estanislao Valdez
- Gov. Nesthur R. Gumana
- Vice Gov. Sinsuat A. Andang, Sr.