Cotabato

Etymology

The name Kuta Watu in Maguindanaon (or Kota Batu in Malay) means "stone fortress".

History

Maguindanao Sultanate

According to Maguindanao royal records, Islam was introduced to the Maguindanaos in the late 15th century by Sharif Muhammad Kabungsuan, a Johorean Malay Muslim noble and missionary of Arab descent. Sharif Kabungsuan invaded Malabang in 1475, facing armed resistance from the principality, nevertheless successfully vanquishing and subjugating it to his Islamic rule through the employment of Samal forces.

Cotabato became the capital of the Maguindanao Sultanate. The city became the seat of power of Sultan Muhammad Kudarat in 1619.

Spanish invasion

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, covering the areas of what is now Cotabato, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, and Sultan Kudarat provinces with its capital at Tamontaka. Fort Pikit was established by the Spaniards in 1893 as they continued their conquest of the remnants of Maguindanao Sultanate, which would soon be the site of one of the province's oldest towns, Pikit.

American rule

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 del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, 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.

Japanese invasion

In December 1941, Japanese planes bombed and invaded Cotabato. In 1942, Cotabato was occupied by the Japanese Imperial forces. A military headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Army existed in Cotabato from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and the Philippine Constabulary 10th Constabulary Regiment was stationed in Cotobato from October 28, 1944, to June 30, 1946. Moro guerrilla fighters operating in the province of Cotabato helped local forces of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the Philippine Constabulary 10th Constabulary Regiment fight against the Imperial Japanese Army until 1944. The Moro guerrillas fought the Japanese troops until liberation. 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 as their weapons.

Postwar Era

The pace of settlement in the region 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.

Mindanao, including Cotabato, was relatively peaceful in the 1950s and the mid-1960s. While there were some ethnic tensions, there was essentially no presence of secessionist groups in Mindanao yet.

During the Marcos dictatorship

Main article: Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos, Moro conflict, Manili massacre, Human rights abuses of the Marcos dictatorship

The relative peace of the postwar era began to change in the last years of President Ferdinand Marcos' first term, when news about the Jabidah massacre ignited a furor in the Moro community, and ethnic tensions encouraged with the formation of secessionist movements. None of these groups had enough followers to form a viable opposition until Marcos declared Martial Law, but when political parties were dissolved upon the proclamation of Martial Law in September 1972, it became easy for the armed secessionist group known as the Moro National Liberation Front to consolidate power, and the decades-long Moro conflict began in earnest.

One major event of Martial law which took place in Cotabato was the Manili massacre, which saw the mass murder of 70 to 79 Moros, including women and children, committed in a mosque in Manili, Carmen on June 19, 1971. The Muslim residents of the town had gathered in their mosque to participate in a supposed peace talk with Christian groups when a group of armed men suspected to be part of the Ilaga militant group opened fire on them.

On November 22, 1973, through Presidential Decree No. 341, what remained of the old Cotabato was further divided into the provinces of North Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Sultan Kudarat. North Cotabato was later renamed Cotabato through Batas Pambansa Blg. 660 approved on March 7, 1984.

Post-1986

By the aftermath of the plebiscite to form the autonomous administrative region of Bangsamoro in February 2019, 63 barangays from Cotabato's western municipalities, all of which inhabited mostly by Muslim natives, opted to join the newly formed region. This will result in the reduction of the number of barangays the province currently administers after the national midterm elections on May 13, 2019. Cotabato now comprises the capital city of Kidapawan and 25 municipalities.

Geography

Cotabato covers a total area of 9,008.90 km2 occupying the northeastern tip 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 del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur, on the south by Sultan Kudarat, and on the southeast by 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 from the east at Mount Apo, which separates it from Davao, to the Piapayungan Range on its boundary with Lanao in the west. Between these highlands 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 westward to Maguindanao del Norte 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.

Administrative divisions

Cotabato comprises 25 municipalities and one city. However, 8 municipalities are under the jurisdiction of Bangsamoro as part of its special geographic area.

|
|
|

Reduction due to the establishment of the Bangsamoro

During the 2001 Referendum for inclusion to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, 2 out of 28 barangays of Carmen, Cotabato chose to be part of ARMM, but were excluded because they were not connected to the main region of ARMM. During 2010-2016 Administration, the Bangsamoro ideal sprouted and a newly proposed region was in the making. According to the agreements signed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Administration of Noynoy Aquino, Carmen will be included in Bangsamoro because of the two out of twenty-eight barangays that voted in favor of joining the Muslim region back in 2001. Unfortunately, Bangsamoro was not implemented before the term of Aquino ended. Despite this, the current administration aims to establish a Federal Government, where Bangamoro will be realized into a State of the Philippines wherein Carmen will be included in Bangsamoro.

Plans to establish a new municipality in the south of Carmen so that the indigenous and Christian central and northern part of Carmen will be retained in Cotabato have yet to be confirmed. The idea arose because once the entire municipality of Carmen is included in Bangsamoro, the province of Cotabato will be cut into half, leaving three towns (Banisilan, Alamada, and Libungan) at its west without connection to the center of Cotabato, isolating these towns in the process.

The issue was partially resolved when the second part of the plebiscite was conducted on February 6, 2019, when 63 barangay from the towns of Pigkawayan, Libungan, Midsayap, Aleosan, Carmen, Banisilan and Pikit opted to join the new administrative autonomous region of Bangsamoro after the results of the region's formation plebiscite were confirmed three days later on February 9. These barangays are to join either the adjacent province of Maguindanao as parts of the said province's nearby and respective municipalities or to cluster on their own as new municipalities within the said province after the national midterm elections on May 13, 2019. The size and population of Cotabato province had officially diminished on November 20, 2019, as the barangays which voted to join the Bangsamoro made their exit from the province and their respective mother municipalities and were officially turned over to the Bangsamoro government as an interim province within the autonomous region divided into several clusters.

Demographics

2020 Census count was revised as per PSA Board Resolution No. 13 Series of 2021 adopted on November 9, 2021.

Based on the 2020 census, Cotabato has an overall population of 1,275,185. The average population growth rate was 2.27% in the period 2010–2015, which is higher than the national average of 1.72%. The province had a density of {{sigfig|1,275,185/9,008.90|2}} PD/km2.

Cotabato is an ethnolinguistically diverse province. The first Visayan settlers reached the town of Pikit in 1913, and since then, Christian migrants have moved and lived in Cotabato, cohabitating in the province with the local indigenous groups. 71% of Cotabato's population descended from settlers who migrated from the Visayas and Luzon, while the remaining 18% belong to the communities of Magindanaons, Iranuns, Ilianens, Dulangan Manobo, Obo, Tagabawa, and Tboli. The major languages spoken are Hiligaynon (46%), Maguindanao (38%), Cebuano (8%), and Ilocano (4%).

Religion

Main article: Religion in the Philippines}}{{Bar box

Catholicism

Cotabato's population is predominantly Catholic. According to the 2020 census, 52.77% of the population are Roman Catholic.

Islam

As of 2020, Muslims represent close to 20% of the population.

Others

The other significant minorities are Evangelical Christians at 8.4% of the population, Southern Baptist Church with 3.7% of the population, and Iglesia Ni Cristo which forms 2.2% of the Province population.

Economy

Cotabato is considered a major food basket in Mindanao. It is a top 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 2954 m 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.

Power utility in the province comes from two energy sources - the NAPOCOR Agus Grid in Iligan transmitted through its Tacurong Substations and the Mount Apo 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 districts of Cotabato on September 14, 2012. The representative shall continue to serve until the next national election.

Elected provincial officials

• House of Representatives

1. 1st District — Rep. Joselito S. Sacdalan
2. 2nd District — Rep. Rudy Caodagan
3. 3rd District — Rep. Maria Alana Samantha Talino Santos

• Governor: Emmylou "Lala" Talino-Mendoza
• Vice Governor: Efren Pinol

Notable people

• Emmanuel Piñol – Chairman of Mindanao Development Authority, 2019–2021; Secretary of Agriculture, 2016–2019; Governor of Cotabato, 1998–2007
• Super Tekla – Actor, comedian and television Host
• Mary Jean Lastimosa – Actress, model, and Miss Universe Philippines 2014, reaching the Top 10 in Miss Universe 2014

Notes

References

References

1. "List of Provinces". National Statistical Coordination Board.
2. www.wisdomlib.org. (2025-10-26). "Cotabato (city information)".
3. (2004). "Philippine History". Rex Book Store.
4. "Our Province".
5. (July 18, 1966). "Republic Act No. 4849 - An Act Creating the Province of South Cotabato".
6. Miclat, Gus. (2002). "Turning rage into courage: Mindanao under martial law". MindaNews Publications, Mindanao News and Information Cooperative Center.
7. George, T. J. S.. (1980). "Revolt in Mindanao: the rise of Islam in Philippine politics".
8. George, T. J. S.. (1980). "Revolt in Mindanao: The Rise of Islam in Philippine Politics". Oxford University Press.
9. Yegar, Moshe. (2002). "Between Integration and Secession: The Muslim Communities of the Southern Philippines, Southern Thailand and Western Burma/Myanmar". Lexington Books.
10. Mariveles, Julius D.. (February 13, 2015). "Mindanao: A memory of massacres". The PCIJ Blog.
11. Arguillas, Carolyn O.. (January 28, 2010). "De Lima: "Oooops, sorry, it's Ampatuan Massacre not Maguindanao Massacre". MindaNews.
12. Larousse, William. (2001). "A Local Church Living for Dialogue: Muslim-Christian Relations in Mindanao-Sulu, Philippines 1965–2000". Gregorian Biblical BookShop.
13. (November 22, 1973). "Presidential Decree No. 341: Creating the Provinces of North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library.
14. (November 22, 1973). "Batas Pambansa Blg. 660 - An Act Changing the Name of the Province of North Cotabato to Cotabato". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library.
15. "63 North Cotabato villages complete new Bangsamoro region". [[CNN Philippines]].
16. Carolyn O. Arguillas. (February 8, 2019). "Pikit's fate: 20 barangays remain with North Cotabato, 22 joining BARMM". MindaNews.
17. (1995). "Fast Facts about Philippine Provinces". Tahanan Books.
18. "Weather forecast for North Cotabato, Philippines". [[StormGeo.
19. "BARMM approves creation of 8 new towns". Manila Bulletin.
20. (20 August 2023). "Bills creating 8 municipalities in SGA-BARMM approved by BTA Parliament". Luwaran.
21. (November 13, 2019). "BARMM to assume official supervision over 63 NorCot villages on Nov. 20". Manila Bulletin.
22. (March 23, 2022). "Total Population, Household Population, Number of Households, and Average Household Size by Region, Province, and City/Municipality: Philippines, 2020". [[Philippine Statistics Authority.
23. (2021). "PSA Board Resolution No. 13, Series of 2021: Approving and Adopting the Third Quarter 2021 Philippine Standard Geographic Code Updates to Include the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) and Correct the Names of 37 Barangays". Philippine Statistics Authority.
24. "Religious Affiliation in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing) {{!}} Philippine Statistics Authority {{!}} Republic of the Philippines".
25. "2010 Census of Population and Housing: North Cotabato".
26. Bueza, Michael. (January 18, 2015). "MAP: Catholicism in the Philippines".
27. Bueza, Michael. (July 26, 2014). "MAP: Iglesia ni Cristo in the Philippines".
28. (August 22, 2013). "NorthCot pushes rubber industry dev't". Mindanao News and Information Cooperative Center (MNICC).
29. (September 15, 2012). "Aquino signs law reapportioning Cotabato into 3 districts". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].