Shariff Kabunsuan

Province of Shariff Kabunsuan
Former province of Philippines
← 2006–2008 →
Coat of arms
Capital		Datu Odin Sinsuat 7°08′N 124°18′E / 7.133°N 124.300°E / 7.133; 124.300Coordinates: 7°08′N 124°18′E / 7.133°N 124.300°E / 7.133; 124.300
Governor		None declared officially nor took office
History
-	Established	29 October 2006
-	Disestablished	17 July 2008
Area
-	2007	7,142 km2 (2,758 sq mi)
Population
-	2007	1,273,715
	Density	178.3 /km2  (461.9 /sq mi)
Today part of		Maguindanao

Shariff Kabunsuan was a province of the Philippines within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that existed from 2006 to 2008. The law establishing the province was nullified by the Supreme Court of the Philippines in 2008.

History

Shariff Kabunsuan was established under Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 201 which provided for the creation of the new province comprising the municipalities of Barira, Buldon, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Parang, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura, and Upi, all of the first legislative district of the mother province of Maguindanao. On 29 October 2006, the creation of the new province of Shariff Kabunsuan was ratified by the affirmative majority (285,372) votes cast in a plebiscite. Only 8,802 voted for its rejection. A new municipality within the province, Northern Kabuntalan, was subsequently established after its creation was ratified by the affirmative majority votes cast in a plebiscite.

The law establishing Shariff Kabunsuan was enacted by the Regional Assembly for the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, the first such province established by that local body, which had been so empowered under Republic Act No. 9054 or the Expanded ARMM law. Shariff Kabunsuan was the first province since Philippine independence that was not established through an Act of Congress.

At the time of its creation, Shariff Kabunsuan was the Philippines' 80th province and the sixth in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The province was named after Shariff Mohammed Kabungsuwan, an Arab-Malay Islamic preacher who introduced Islam to central Mindanao in the 16th century.

Cotabato City, which is independently governed and does not vote for provincial officials, belongs to neither Maguindanao nor Shariff Kabunsuan. However, for the purposes of congressional representation the said city was grouped with Shariff Kabunsuan, as per Section 5 of MMA Act No. 201.

Supreme Court

On 17 July 2008, the Supreme Court, in Sema v. Comelec declared the creation of the province of Shariff Kabunsuan void and ruled that the power of ARMM's legislature to create provinces and cities is unconstitutional.^[1] The Supreme Court in particular held that only the national Congress was empowered to create provinces and cities because the creation of such necessarily included the power to create legislative districts, which explicitly under the Philippine Constitution was within the sole prerogative of Congress to establish. Consequently, the Court also declared unconstitutional the power of the Regional Assembly to create provinces and cities within the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.^[2]

Despite a motion for reconsideration filed by ARMM officials, the Supreme Court reaffirmed its ruling in January 2009, thereby rendering its decision as final.^[3]

Administrative divisions

Shariff Kabunsuan was composed of 11 municipalities in two Sanggunian districts:

First District

Second District

See also

• Sema v. COMELEC

References

External links

• COMELEC Resolution No. 7727, Plebiscite to ratify the creation of the Province of Shariff Kabunsuan
• ABS-CBN News – Maguindanao votes to create new province
• ‘Mr shut up’ Dilangalen is back in the race
• Inquirer.net, Sultan Kudarat town aims for nat’l recognition