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PROVINCIAL PROFILE OF BUKIDNON
FAST FACTS
Capital : Malaybalay
Area : 8,923 sq. km
Population : 843,959
Cities : none
No. of Towns : 22
Click Here To View The
List Of Towns.
LOCATION
Bukidnon is a landlocked province in northern Mindanao. It is
bounded on the
north by Misamis Oriental, on the east by Agusan del Sur and
Davao, on the
west by the Lanao provinces, and on the south by North Cotabato.
THE LAND
The greater part of Bukidnon is a gently-rolling plateau cut by
deep and wide
canyons of the Cagayan, Polangui, and Tagoloan rivers and their
tributaries.
At Mailag, south of the capital, the plateau begins to descend
and gradually
merges with the lowlands of Cotabato. The southwestern and
eastern
boarders are lofty and densely-forested mountains, including Mt.
Kitanglad
(2,350 m), a dormant volcano, Mt. Kalatungan (2,187 m), and Mt.
Tankulan
(1,678 m). The province's average elevation of more than 1,000 m
gives it a
pleasantly cool climate. The mountains shield it from the eastern
monsoon.
A BRIEF HISTORY
Before the Spaniards colonized Misamis, settlers from the Visayas
had already
established themselves there. As the migrants kept coming, the
tribes who
originally inhabited the area were driven inland toward the
rugged and
mountainous territory. They were eventually called Bukidnons,
meaning
"people of the mountains," from which the place derived
its name.
Bukidnon became municipality of Misamis in 1850 and remained as
such until
1907 when it was made a sub-province of the newly created Agusan
province.
When the Department of Mindanao and Sulu was created in 1914,
Bukidnon
itself became a separate province. After World War II, the area
was opened
up to settlers from the Visayas and Luzon. Those who came
primarily were
from Cebu, Panay Island, and the Ilocos Region.
THE PEOPLE
The province is an ethnic melting pot with Visayan, Tagalog, and
Ilocano
migrants. Despite a diversity of cultures, the people have
adopted Cebuano as
their language, supplemented by the native dialect called
Binukid. The natives
are mainly Bukidnons who occupy the lowlands of the plateau while
the
Manobos are in the highlands. Bukidnon settlements are clusters
of
households under their own datu. They engage. in kaingin farming,
basket-weaving, and pottery. The women wear colorful blouses
cloth sewn
together, and shawls embroidered in red.
Some of the numerous indigenous tribes derive their name from
their place of
origin: the Tigwahanon after the Tigwa watershed , the Umayamnon
after the
Umayan River, the Pulangaiyon after the Pulangi River, and the
Matigsalug
after the Salug River. The Iliano and Langilaon were named after
the border
areas they occupy. The tala-anding, named after a myth, are
distinguished by
the elaborate fan-like headgear their women wear during
festivals.
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Bukidnon has very fertile soil; main crops are corn, rice,
coffee, and bananas.
It is the number one producer of corn and second top producer of
palay in the
region. Del Monte has a vast pineapple plantation in the north.
In the south, a
sugar mill is in Paitan, Quezon town and abaca is growth for
export. The
extensive forests yield timber, rattan, and some medicinal trees,
like the
cinchona which is a source of quinine for treating malaria.
Information gathered from:
League of
Provinces
by:Roberto C. Arellano
This page last revised:February 02, 1999.
