Buldon

History

Establishment and territorial changes

Buldon was established through Republic Act No. 3419, approved on June 18, 1961, when twelve barrios and twenty sitios of Parang, then part of Cotabato, were separated. The seat of government was designated at Barrio Nabalawag.

In 1977, through Presidential Decree No. 1188, part of its territory was constituted into a separate municipality of Barira, with eastern parts of barangays Nabalawag and Tugaig remained part of the mother municipality.

Former Huk members mainly composed the migrants who later inhabited in present-day Buldon, as well as in Parang and other Muslim-dominated towns in Mindanao. The Economic Development Corporation, at the time of its establishment in 1951 by then-President Ramon Magsaysay, opened two resettlement areas for them, both administered first by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Gallego was turned over to the Land Authority in 1976; same as another, Barira, to the Department of Agrarian Reform in 1972, prior to becoming part of the municipality of Barira.

Buldon is among the municipalities inhabited mainly by the Iranun people, along with Matanog and Barira; much parts of these had constituted the Camp Abubakar, the main camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) since the 1980s. The local government units had held office in either Cotabato City or Parang since the Marcos presidency, with the municipal halls in Buldon and Matanog being almost vacant.

Armed conflict

Early incidents

The municipality was among the sites of hostilities since early 1970s, and even during negotiations between the national government and the MILF in the late 1990s. The first recorded encounters occurred in Barangay Garigayan, where Bangon Aratuc led the Moro separatists in clashes with the Philippine Constabulary for more than a month, displacing thousands of civilians in the municipality.

In August 1971, a battle occurred in the town between Muslim armed bands, the Blackshirts, and the constabulary. This was settled through a peace pact between a team of government negotiators and the Muslims, which also led to receiving aid for rehabilitation projects. The Christian–Moro conflict was addressed in the 1980s, during the mayorship of Macarampat Manalao.

1997 peace agreement

Buldon was the site of the first phase of ceasefire which was declared for the municipality through what would be the first agreement signed by both panels, on January 27, 1997, which was eventually elevated to a general ceasefire for Mindanao upon signing of the Buldon Ceasefire Agreement in July 27, although negotiations were left unfinished within the presidency of Fidel Ramos. However, before negotiating panels from both sides were to conduct peace talks, on January 16, the rebels fired at the military unit which escorting mayor Manalao, who attempted to visit the municipality where he had never held office since 1995, in Garigayan, as the latter reportedly entered the MILF defense perimeter at Camp Abubakar, leaving 22 people, including two soldiers, dead.

• Thereafter, clashes erupted in Barangays Kabayuan and Garigayan, and ended when a local agreement was eventually signed. At least 33 were killed from both sides.

On March 16, eleven people were killed in a shelling of an Islamic school by the Philippine Army. On June 19–20, 80 heavily armed members of the MILF launched an attack, government troops later retaliated. Among the casualties were a soldier and several guerillas. Clashes also occurred in Upper Minabay in 1998.

2000 battles

Buldon, situated less than 10 kilometers from the camp, was among those municipalities where series of battles occurred, leading to the camp's fall in 2000.

Post-battle

After a ceasefire agreement was signed by both sides in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in August 2001, on September 27, however, a hundred MILF fighters stormed a vacant military outpost; clashes with government troops followed, killing eight army soldiers and up to 36 MILF members.

Geography

Barangays

Buldon is politically subdivided into 15 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Ampuan
• Aratuc
• Cabayuan
• Calaan (Poblacion)
• Karim
• Dinganen
• Edcor (Gallego Edcor)
• Kulimpang
• Mataya
• Minabay
• Nuyo
• Oring
• Pantawan
• Piers
• Rumidas

Climate

Demographics

Economy

**Poverty Incidence of **

;Gross Domestic Product The Gross Domestic Product of the Municipality (2022) is 13,772,400,000(PHP).

References

References

1. {{DILG detail
2. (June 18, 1961). "Republic Act No. 3419". Arellano Law Foundation.
3. (October 18, 1977). "Presidential Decree No. 1188". The Corpus Juris.
4. (2009). "Land tenure stories in Central Mindanao". Local Governance Support Program in ARMM.
5. Quimpo, Nathan Gilbert. (October 2004). "Contested Democracy and the Left in the Philippines after Marcos (thesis)". [[Australian National University]].
6. Domingo, Ruben. (June 1995). "The Muslim Secessionist Movement in the Philippines: issues and prospects". [[Naval Postgraduate School]].
7. Santos, Soliman Jr.. (January 2005). "Delays in the Peace Negotiations between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front: Causes and Prescriptions". [[East-West Center Washington]].
8. Unson, John. (June 19, 2006). "Cotabato City rises from conflict". [[The Philippine Star]].
9. Dedumo, Marlon Peter. (October 28, 2017). "There's more to life in Buldon than rido". [[Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation.
10. Hermoso, Dickson. (July–October 2007). "Autonomy and Peace Review". Institute for Autonomy and Governance; [[Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung]].
11. Luga, Alan. (2002). "Muslim insurgency in Mindanao, Philippines (thesis)".
12. Wiehler, Claudia. (April 29, 2021). "Deciding on the Tit for the Tat: Decision-Making in the Wake of Ceasefire Violations". [[Taylor & Francis]].
13. (October 14, 2008). "G.R. No. 183591". [[Supreme Court of the Philippines.
14. Espejo, Edwin. (February 12, 2011). "Commentary: The MILF: Full circle again". [[MindaNews]].
15. (2004). "Policy Studies 8: The Moro Conflict: Landlessness and Misdirected State Policies". [[East-West Center Washington]].
16. "History". [[Philippine Army]].
17. (September 2010). "The Mindanao think tank: Perspectives, issues, and concerns on the Mindanao peace process; Monograph 4 of 4". [[Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue]].
18. (January 28, 1997). "MILF violates ceasefire agreement?". [[The World Tonight (Philippine TV program).
19. (January 24, 1997). "Muslim rebels ambush soldiers in south".
20. (May 22, 1997). "Students kin demand 'blood money'".
21. (June 20, 1997). "Clash leaves several rebels dead".
22. Unson, John. (May 22, 2000). "2 soldiers killed in MILF attack". [[The Philippine Star]].
23. (2019). "Restoring a fragile peace: The 2000 Battle for Central Mindanao". Operations Research Center, [[Philippine Army]].
24. Gubal, Mama. (October 2, 2001). "44 Killed in Buldon Clashes, Says Army". [[Arab News]].
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