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PROVINCIAL PROFILE OF SOUTH COTABATO
FAST FACTS
Capital : Koronadal
Area : 4,488 sq. km.
Population : 789,817
Cities : General Santos City
No. of Towns : 11
Click Here To View The List Of
Towns.
LOCATION
South Cotabato is in southern Mindanao. It is bounded on the
north and west
by Sultan Kudarat, on the east by Davao del Sur and Sarangani,
and on the
south by Sarangani. General Santos City is a highly urbanized
city. It is at the
head of Sarangani Bay, with an area of 401 sq - km and a
population of
250,389.
THE LAND
The province is subdivided into three areas: Allah Valley,
Koronadal Valley,
and the Coastal Plain. It is crisscrossed by two mountain ranges:
the Apo
range which forms the boundary between South Cotabato and Davao
del Sur,
and the Roxas range which separates the Allah and Koronadal
valleys. Mt.
Matutum, a 2,292-m-high extinct volcano, dominates the southern
landscape.
The terrain is generally flat with scattered hills and isolated
mountains. The
province has the driest climate in the country. The hottest
months are from
March to June, the coldest months, December to January.
A BRIEF HISTORY
The province came into existence through Republic Act No. 4840,
approved
on June 18, 1966, which divided the old Cotabato province into
two, North
Cotabato and South Cotabato. The early natives settled where the
Buayan
River flows into Sarangani Bay. When Shariff Kabungawan
introduced Islam
to the settlers in the 15 th century, the T'boli tribesmen were
driven into the
interior. The Muslim village was called "Buayan"
because the river nearby
was infested with crocodiles.
In 1939, the central government encouraged migration to the
area.. General
Paulino Santos led the new settlers, who arrived at Alunan Beach
in Glan on
February 27th of the same year. They called their community
"Dadiangas"
after the thorny shruk which abounds in the area. Later,
newcomers moved
inland. When Gen. Santos died, Republic ActNo.1107, approved on
June 15,
1954, changed the name of the town in his honor. Republic A,ct
No.5412,
dated June 15, 1968, made the town a chartered city.
The present capital, Koronadal, used to be known as Marbel and
many people
still call it that. Seven of the province's southern towns were
separated from
the provinces in 1992 to form the new province of Sarangani.
THE PEOPLE
The migrants from Luzon and the Visayas brought their dialects.
llonggo and
llocano are still widely spoken. South Cotabato has a tribal
population that
include the T'boli, Ubo, B'laan, Tagabili, and Tasaday. The
T'bolis live
around Lake Sebu, a lake in the mountains surrounded by rolling
hills. They
are famous for their colorful costumes with intricate beadwork,
ornamental
combs, earnings, belts, and bracelets. They wear anklets of brass
bells that
jingle when they move. They also make the renowned
"tinalak" cloth from
dyed abaca. They love ridinghorses and often stage horsefights.
The Ubus, who live a few hour's hike from Lake Sebu, have much in
common with the T'boli. They have a fine tradition of weaving
cloth and
baskets but are better known for the ornate brass swords they
craft. The
Tasadays are cave-dwelling people who live in isolation in the
dense
rainforest. They came to the attention of the world in 1971 as a
newly
discovered tribe with stone-age practices.
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
South Cotabato is an agricultural province. The fertile Koronadal
and Allah
valleys contain farmlands that produce rice and corn. There is a
vast
pineapple plantation at Polomolok and a banana plantation near
General
Santos City. Rich fishing grounds, particularly Sarangani Bay,
support a
substantial fishing industry. Tuna and other fish caught in Davao
Gulf, the
Moro Gulf, and the Sulu Sea, are landed in General Santos City by
commercial vessels. Brackish-water ponds produce prawns processed
by Dole
and marketed frozen to Japan and the U.S. General Santos City is
an
important producer of livestock, particularly cattle and hogs,
because of its
large tracts of grazing land and abundant supply of corn.
Information gathered from:
League of
Provinces
by:Roberto C. Arellano
This page last revised:February 02, 1999.
