Cotabato

Cotabato
Province
Flag Seal
Map of the Philippines with Cotabato highlighted
Coordinates: 07°12′N 124°51′E / 7.200°N 124.850°E / 7.200; 124.850Coordinates: 07°12′N 124°51′E / 7.200°N 124.850°E / 7.200; 124.850
Country	Philippines
Region	SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII)
Founded	September 1, 1914
Capital	Kidapawan City (present) Former: Cotabato City* (1920-1967) Pagalungan**(1967-1973) *Today part of Maguindanao but also considered as part of Cotabato province. **Today an integral part of Maguindanao.
Government
• Governor	Emmylou J. Taliño-Mendoza (Liberal)
• Vice Governor	Gregorio T. Ipong (Independent)
Area[1]
• Total	9,008.90 km2 (3,478.36 sq mi)
Area rank	76th out of 81
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	1,226,508
• Rank	21st out of 81
• Density	140/km2 (350/sq mi)
• Density rank	58th out of 81
Divisions
• Independent cities	0
• Component cities	1
• Municipalities	17
• Barangays	543
• Districts	3 legislative districts
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP code	9400 to 9417
Dialing code	64
ISO 3166 code	PH-NCO
Spoken languages	Hiligaynon, Cebuano, Maguindanao, Chavacano, Tagalog, Manobo
Website	cotabatoprov.gov.ph

Cotabato (formerly known as North Cotabato; Filipino: Hilagang Kotabato) is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. Its capital is Kidapawan City.

Geography

Cotabato lies on the eastern part of Region XII and is centrally located in Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Bukidnon, on the east by Davao City and Davao del Norte, on the west by Maguindanao and on the southeast by Sultan Kudarat and Davao del Sur.

Cotabato is strategically linked to the major "Arterial Road System" that traverses and connects the province to Davao City - SOCCSKSARGEN - Cotabato Corridor. The Cotabato via Kabacan - Maramag - Kibawe, Bukidnon Sayre Highway meanwhile serves as its link to the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan City Corridor.

Cotabato stretches west from Mount Apo, which separates it from Davao, to the Piapayungan Range on its boundary with Lanao. In the midst of these uplands is the basin of the Pulangi River or Rio Grande de Mindanao, the second longest in the Philippines at 373 km, which rises in Bukidnon and flows south to Maguindanao and Illana Bay. The province’s fertile plains are traversed by tributaries of this great river.

Typhoons do not pass through Cotabato and rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year.

Subdivisions

Cotabato is subdivided into 17 municipalities and one city.^[3]

History

Early history

Cotabato derives its name from the Maguindanao kuta wato (from Malay - "Kota Batu"), meaning "stone fort", referring to the stone fort which served as the seat of Sultan Muhammad Kudarat in what is now Cotabato City.

Islam was introduced in this part of the country in the later part of 15th century by Sharif Mohammed Kabungsuwan, a Arabo-Malay Muslim warrior-missionary. Sharif Kabungsuwan invaded Malabang in 1475, facing armed resistance from the non-Muslim natives, nevertheless successfully vanquishing and subjugating them to his (Islamic) rule through the might of his Samal warriors.^[5]

Christianity was introduced in 1596, but the Spaniards were unable to penetrate into the region until the second half of the 19th century. The district of Cotabato was formed in 1860.

Modern historians have pointed to the Cotabato delta as the Medieval location of Toupo, the successor of the Maguindanao/Cotabato Sultanate.^[6]

American occupation

The coming of the Americans ushered in the creation of the Moro Province on July 15, 1903, through Act No. 787 of the Philippine Commission. Cotabato, covering what are now the provinces of Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani, became a district of the huge Moro province. During the American period, large companies were established in Cotabato to exploit the vast timber resources of the region. By the 1930s, settlers from Luzon and Visayas established homesteads in Cotabato.

World War II

In December 1941, Japanese planes bombed and invaded in Cotabato. In 1942, Cotabato was occupied by the Japanese Imperial forces. The establishment of the military general headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was active on 1942 to 1946 and the Philippine Constabulary 10th Infantry Regiment was active again on 1944 to 1946 and military stationed on Cotabato. Moro guerrilla fighters invaded around the province of Cotabato and help them of all local force of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and pre-war Philippine Constabulary 10th Infantry Regiments by fought against the Imperial Japanese Army until 1944, the Moro guerrillas was retreating Japanese troops before liberated. In 1945, Cotabato was recaptured from the Japanese Imperial forces by the combined Filipino and American troops together with the recognized Moro guerrilla units. The guerrillas used the traditional Moro Kampilan, Barong and Kris swords. Also see Battle of Maguindanao and Battle of Cotabato.

Division

The pace of settlement accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s. The former province of Cotabato was once the largest in the Philippines. In 1966, South Cotabato was created as a separate province. On November 22, 1973, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 341, what remained of the old Cotabato was further divided into the provinces of North Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Sultan Kudarat.^[7] North Cotabato was later renamed Cotabato through Batas Pambansa Blg. 660 approved on March 7, 1984.^[8]

Cotabato is now composed of the capital city of Kidapawan, 17 municipalities, and 543 barangays. The province has three congressional districts.

Demographics

Cotabato genesis is a melting pot of people. The first Visayan settlers reached the town of Pikit in 1913, and since then, Christian migrants have moved and lived in Cotabato, cohabitating the province with the local indigenous groups. 71% of Cotabato’s population are migrants from Luzon and the Visayas, while the remaining 18% belong to the indigenous communities Manobo, T'boli, and Maguindanao. The major languages spoken are Hiligaynon (43%), Cebuano (31%), Maguindanao (16%), and Ilocano (10%).

The main religions are mostly Roman Catholicism with small amounts of Muslims.

Based on the National Statistics Office, Cotabato has an overall population of 918,992 (2000 Official Census). The average population growth rate is 1.36%, which is under the national average of 2.12%.

Assets and Resources

Cotabato is considered as Mindanao’s food basket. It is a major producer of cereals, tropical fruits, vegetables, sugarcane, coconut, coffee, freshwater fish and livestock.

It is also one of the country’s leading producers of raw and semi-processed rubber and industrial trees, with markets in Asia and Europe.

Among its major natural assets are Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak at 10,311 feet above sea level, the Pulangi River which is a major contributor to Mindanao’s irrigation system and hydro-electric energy, and the vast Liguasan Marsh which not only supplies a bounty of freshwater fish and organic fertilizer but considered as a possible source as well of natural gas.

Cotabato has a skilled and easily trainable labor force of 260,000, which includes highly-competent professionals in agriculture, sciences, engineering, and business among others.

Power utility in the province comes from two energy sources - the NAPOCOR Agus Grid in Iligan transmitted through its Tacurong Substations and the Mindanao 1 Geothermal Power Plant at the foot of Mt. Apo in Ilomavis, Kidapawan City which produces 97 megawatts of electricity. Power distribution is handled by Cotabato Electric Cooperative, Inc. (COTELCO).

The province has a 4, 131.32 km road network connecting the major centers to each other and the outlying barangays, and communication linkage through NDD-IDD, fax, cellular phone and the internet is available.

Government

President Benigno Aquino III signed the law dividing to new 3 legislative district of Cotabato on September 14, 2012. The representative shall continue to serve until next national election.^[9]

Elected provincial officials:

• House of Representatives

1. 1st District- Rep. Susing Sacdalan
2. 2nd District- Rep. Nancy Catamco
3. 3rd District- Rep. Jose Pingping I. Tejada

• Governor: Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza
• Vice Governor: Dodong Ipong

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cotabato.

• Province of Cotabato
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information

	Lanao del Sur	Bukidnon	Davao del Norte
	Maguindanao		Davao del Sur
	Cotabato
		Maguindanao / Sultan Kudarat

Province of Cotabato Municipalities Alamada Aleosan Antipas Arakan Banisilan Carmen Kabacan Libungan M'lang Magpet Makilala Matalam Midsayap Pigcawayan Pikit President Roxas Tulunan Component city Kidapawan Independent component city Cotabato City (Administratively independent from the province, but grouped under Cotabato by the National Statistics Office)

SOCCSKSARGEN / Cotabato region (Region XII) SOuth Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, SARangani, GENeral Santos Regional Center Koronadal Provinces North Cotabato Sarangani South Cotabato Sultan Kudarat Highly Urbanized City General Santos Component Cities Kidapawan Koronadal Tacurong Independent Component City Cotabato City Provincial Capitals Alabel Isulan Kidapawan Koronadal Component Municipalities Alabel Alamada Aleosan Antipas Arakan Bagumbayan Banga Banisilan Carmen Columbio Esperanza Glan Isulan Kabacan Kalamansig Kiamba Lake Sebu Lambayong Lebak Libungan Lutayan M'lang Maasim Magpet Maitum Makilala Malapatan Malungon Matalam Midsayap Norala Palimbang Pigcawayan Pikit Polomolok President Quirino President Roxas Santo Niño Senator Ninoy Aquino Surallah T'boli Tampakan Tantangan Tulunan Tupi Mindanao, Republic of the Philippines

Administrative divisions of the Philippines Capital Manila (National Capital Region) Island groups Luzon Visayas Mindanao Regions Administrative I – Ilocos region II – Cagayan Valley III – Central Luzon IV-A – CALABARZON IV-B – MIMAROPA V – Bicol region VI – Western Visayas VII – Central Visayas VIII – Eastern Visayas IX – Zamboanga Peninsula X – Northern Mindanao XI – Davao region XII – SOCCSKSARGEN XIII – Caraga CAR – Cordillera Administrative Region NCR – National Capital Region Autonomous Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Provinces Abra Agusan del Norte Agusan del Sur Aklan Albay Antique Apayao Aurora Basilan Bataan Batanes Batangas Benguet Biliran Bohol Bukidnon Bulacan Cagayan Camarines Norte Camarines Sur Camiguin Capiz Catanduanes Cavite Cebu Compostela Valley Cotabato Davao del Norte Davao del Sur Davao Occidental Davao Oriental Dinagat Islands Eastern Samar Guimaras Ifugao Ilocos Norte Ilocos Sur Iloilo Isabela Kalinga La Union Laguna Lanao del Norte Lanao del Sur Leyte Maguindanao Marinduque Masbate Misamis Occidental Misamis Oriental Mountain Province Negros Occidental Negros Oriental Northern Samar Nueva Ecija Nueva Vizcaya Occidental Mindoro Oriental Mindoro Palawan Pampanga Pangasinan Quezon Quirino Rizal Romblon Samar Sarangani Siquijor Sorsogon South Cotabato Southern Leyte Sultan Kudarat Sulu Surigao del Norte Surigao del Sur Tarlac Tawi-Tawi Zambales Zamboanga del Norte Zamboanga del Sur Zamboanga Sibugay Other subdivisions List of primary LGUs Legislative districts Cities Municipalities Barangays (by province) Poblacion Puroks Sitios Historical Former provinces Formally proposed provinces Formally proposed regions

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