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REGION XII
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POLITICAL
HISTORY |
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 The most significant development in the
political history of Mindanao was the organization of six
politico-military districts in the island in 1860. The central district
embracing Cotabato included Polloc, Illana Bay as far as the western
coast of Zamboanga at point Murcielagos and the southern extremity of
Mindanao down to point Glan. The capital of the government was Cotabato
City until 1872 when the city was destroyed by a strong earthquake,
after which the capital was moved to Zamboanga City.
Central Mindanao region (Region XII) was created on July 7, 1975 through
Presidential Decree No. 742. The region was composed of the provinces of
Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao
and the cities of Iligan, Cotabato and Marawi. The extent of
regionalization was further seen in the establishment of Autonomous
Regions in Central and Western Mindanao (Regions XII and IX) by virtue
of Presidential Decree No. 1618.
On August 1, 1989, Republic Act No. 6734 was signed into law, which
provided for the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM),
the composition of which included Lanao del Sur and |
Maguindanao provinces. The former Regional
Autonomous Government of Central Mindanao was therefore reverted to an
administrative region. Executive Order 429 was issued on October 12,
1990 defining the new composition of Central Mindanao with Koronadal
City as its Regional Administrative Center. However, a restraining order
was issued by the Supreme Court and the said EO was not implemented.
Thus, the composition of Region XII prior to the issuance of EO 429
(i.e., Cotabato Province, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Cotabato
City, Iligan City and Marawi City) was maintained and Cotabato City
remained as Regional Administrative Center of Region XII. The latter had
likewise been designated as the temporary regional center of the ARMM
per RA 6734.
On February 23, 1995, Republic Act 7901 “An Act Creating Region XIII
also known as the Caraga Administrative Region” was enacted. Section 3
of the said law provided for the transfer of Sultan Kudarat to Region XI
following Surigao del Sur’s transfer from Region XI to the Caraga
Region. However, in 1998, RA 8744 was passed transferring back to Region
XII the province of Sultan Kudarat.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Final Peace Agreement signed between
the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) on September 2, 1996, Executive Order No. 371
was issued by His Excellency Fidel V. Ramos on October 2, 1996. EO 371
established a Special Zone of Peace and Development (SZOPAD) in Southern
Philippines, which encompassed five regions, including Region XII.
On August 14, 2001, a plebiscite was conducted in the SZOPAD to
determine the areas that shall comprise the expanded ARMM, pursuant to
RA 9054. Marawi City in Region XII and Basilan Province in Region IX
joined the ARMM. As a resultant administrative measure following the
reconfiguration of ARMM, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued
Executive Order No. 36 on September 19, 2001, which realigned the
administrative regions in Mindanao. The province of Lanao del Norte and
Iligan City of the old Region XII were transferred to Region X. The
provinces of South Cotabato, Saranggani, and the cities of Koronadal and
Gen. Santos of Region XI became part of the new Region XII. Thus, the
new composition of Region XII per EO 36 now includes the provinces of
Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato, and the cities
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LAND AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES |
Land Area
Region XII has a total land area of 22,612.01 sq. kms. representing 22
percent of Mindanao’s total land area. Among the four provinces in the
region, Cotabato has the biggest land area at 8,650.43 sq. kms., which
is about 38 percent of the region’s land resources. South Cotabato
province has the smallest area among the provinces, with a land area of
3,658.95 sq. kms.
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Location
Region XII is situated in the central and southwestern parts of Mindanao,
bounded on the north by the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Bukidnon; on the
northwest, by Maguindanao; on the southwest, by Mindanao Sea; and on the
east, by Davao del Sur and Davao City. It lies 6o 32’ to 7 o 33’ of the
north latitude and 124 o 01’ to 125 o 17’ of the east longitude.
Topography
Region XII has many distinct physiographic features, varying from flat,
fertile plains to irregular landscape to wide valleys, scattered hills and
intensive mountain ranges. About half of the region’s land resources fall
within the 0-500m in elevation. The region has an extensive and long
coastline which stretches to 320 kilometers.
Climate
Region XII falls under the 4th Climatic Type having an evenly distributed
rainfall throughout the year with no pronounced rain periods. The region
experiences high annual rainfall which ranges from 1,871mm/year to
2,876mm/year (considered moist). Rainfall patterns of the region contribute
to the high production levels in agriculture.
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Population Size |
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The total population of Region XII in 2000 was 3.222 million, which was
approximately 18 percent of Mindanao’s and 4.2 percent of the country’s
total population. Around 26.6 percent of the region’s population reside in
Cotabato province, 17.3 percent in South Cotabato, 15.8 percent in Sultan
Kudarat, 12.8 percent in General Santos City, 12.7 percent in Sarangani
province, 5.1 percent in Cotabato City, 4.1 percent in Koronadal City, 3.1
percent in Kidapawan City, and remaining 2.4 percent in Tacurong City.
Population Growth
The population of Region XII registered an average annual growth rate of
2.68 percent, which was about 0.32 percentage point higher than the national
growth of 2.36 percent in the same period. Roughly speaking, about 75,000
persons are added to the region every year. Assuming that the average annual
growth rate over the next years would remain constant, the population of the
region would double in only about 26 years.
Population Density
The population density of Region XII in 2000 was 142 persons per square
kilometer. Cotabato City and General Santos City were the most densely
populated areas in the region at 931 and 835 persons per square kilometer,
respectively. The most thinly populated province was Cotabato registering a
population density of 99 persons per square kilometer.
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REGIONAL ECONOMY |
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Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP)
The regional economy, as measured by GRDP, in constant prices, grew by 3.38
percent, from P34.2 Billion in 2000 to P35.3 Billion in 2001. The increase
was due to the positive performance of all sectors, with the services sector
topping the list at 5.2 percent. The growth in the services sector could be
attributed to the increase in activities in trade, dwellings and real estate
and government services sub-sectors. Agriculture, fishery and forestry
sector grew at 2.85 percent and industry sector at 2.05 percent.
Prices
Inflation rate was maintained at single digit level in all areas of Region
XII in 2002. South Cotabato province had the highest inflation rate of 4.9
percent, and the lowest was in Cotabato City with an estimated inflation
rate of 1.9 percent.
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For Cotabato City, higher
prices were noted for water, educational services, and meat. However, eggs,
fish, fruits & vegetables, ready made apparel, housing minor repairs, and
fuel recorded some decline in prices ranging from 0.2 to 2.9 percent.
General Santos City also recorded declines in
the prices of the following commodities: rice (-0.6%), clothing (-1.5%), and
housing minor repairs (-0.9%). However, the city recorded price increases in
medical services (12.4%), light (7.3%) and corn (7.8%).
Sultan Kudarat province recorded price increases in the following
commodities: educational services (10.4%), house rentals (9.6%), clothing
(8.0%), fuel (6.8%), and dairy products (6.3%).
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Cotabato Province, on the other hand,
experienced increased prices during the period for following commodities:
water (32.4%), house rentals (15.7%), light (10.9%), and educational
services (8.3%). A slight decline of 0.2 percent was recorded for fuel.
For South Cotabato province, increase in the prices of the following
commodities were noted: medical services (15.7%), light (10.3%), personal
services (9.7%), fish (5.7%), educational services (5.4%), and dairy
products (5.3%).
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Labor
and Employment
The Labor Force Survey of October 2002 estimated the region’s employment
rate at 90.7 percent, with total employed persons of 1.347 million. The
region’s labor force continued to be dominated by workers in the agriculture
sector.
of 2002, about 54 percent were
agricultural workers, 36 percent were employed in the services sector while
the rest were absorbed by the industry sector. Of the total number of
employed persons, 63.6 percent were males and 36.4 percent were females.
Visible underemployment rate was estimated at 15.5 percent.
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Poverty
The provincial annual poverty thresholds across the region range from P
10,338.00 to P11,368.00 in 2000. The regional poverty incidence was
estimated at 45 percent. The incidence is higher if viewed by province,
i.e., 54 percent in Sarangani; 50 percent in Cotabato and 49 percent in
Sultan Kudarat. The poverty incidence in South Cotabato is around 36
percent.
Most of the poor families are located in rural areas and have low access to
basic social and economic services, employment opportunities, productive
assets, and modern technology. These communities also lack infrastructure
support and capital resources; technical capability to start or sustain
income generating activities; and use inefficient/ineffective/inappropriate
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AGRICULTURE AND FISHERY |
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Crop Production
The region's economy is largely agriculture-based, being a major producer of
rice, corn and high value crops. In 2002, total rice production was
1,037,854 metric tons while corn production stood at 1,034,142 metric tons.
In addition to rice and corn, the region also produced the following crops:
coconut at 498,690,585 metric tons; pineapple, 283,716,372 metric tons;
banana, 266,522,539 metric tons; sugarcane, 65,697,964 metric tons; mango,
30,258,021 metric tons; rubber, 9,383,086 metric tons and asparagus,
6,596,655 metric tons.
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Fishery Production
Three types of fishery production areas can be found in Region XII, namely:
commercial, municipal and aquaculture. In 2002, South Cotabato with the
inclusion of General Santos City recorded the highest total fishery
production at 146,144 metric tons followed by Sarangani with 24,214 metric
tons and Sultan Kudarat with 19,427 metric tons. Cotabato being a landlocked
province, recorded the least fishery production at 808 metric tons.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
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The
development of trade and industry sectors of the region depends to a large
extent on the investments poured in by private business groups or
individuals in order to pursue economic activities. As a consequence, such
investments are expected to provide ample employment opportunities for the
region’s labor force.
Value of Investments
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CY 2002, the value of investments generated in trade and industry-related
activities in the region amounted to P2.42 billion. Most of the recorded
investments were of the micro and small-scale ventures. General Santos City
yielded the highest investment level of P897.33 million in 2002, followed by
Sarangani Province with P338 million, South Cotabato posted P223.8 million;
Sultan Kudarat had P213 million (including Tacurong City) and Cotabato
Province with 83.8 million (including Kidapawan City).
Kolin Philippines Intl., Inc. in General Santos City made the biggest
investment registered in the region with a capitalization of P240 million,
followed by RNF Summit Wood Processing Plant at Makilala, Cotabato with an
estimated capital of P110 million. TCK Music World with P100 million
capital, located in General Santos City was the region’s third largest
investor in the same year.
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Value
of Exports
The region’s export earnings in 2002 was recorded at US $342.26 million. The
bulk of the region’s exports were tuna chunks in oil, brine or water which
accounts for about 39% of the total. This was followed by various canned
pineapple products and crude coconut oil. (See table)
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TOURISM |
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Natural Tourist Attractions
 Region
XII is endowed with rich natural beauty that beckons to foreign and domestic
tourists alike. In the province of Cotabato alone, there are eleven (11)
natural attractions that include four beautiful falls; two caves; two lakes;
one natural spring; one wild park and the towering Mt. Apo.
Mt. Apo, being the highest mountain in the country with its towering peak at
10,311 ft. high, attracts tourists worldwide and draws them into Kidapawan
City. Tourists are pouring into the place during the summer or the Holy Week
for the celebration of the Mt. Apo Summer Festival.
The rest of the region offers pristine beaches, spring resorts, caves and
waterfalls, among others.
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Tourist
Facilities
The region has a vast array of tourist facilities to offer comfort and
luxury to visitors which include hotels, resorts, pension houses, inns
and others. Augmenting these facilities are designated home-stays or
homes that are equally equipped and capable of providing comfortable
accommodations for visitors in their areas. Other facilities include
restaurants and souvenir shops.
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Festivals
 About 30 festivals
are celebrated annually in the different parts of the region. These
festivals typify the life and culture of the people of Region XII, their
religious beliefs and aspirations in life. Some of these festivals are
political in nature, (i.e., foundation anniversary of a city or province),
some are religious in nature (e.g., feast in honor of a Saint or religious
personage) or a festival for good harvest (thanksgiving ritual).
These festivals usually draw people from other places and the celebration of
such are spearheaded by the local government units and the private sector,
especially the religious festivals. The Department of Tourism promotes and
provides coordinative assistance in the conduct of the festivities. Among
the festivals celebrated in the region are the following; Shariff Kabunsuan
Festival, Tinalak Festival, Kalibongan Festival, Kalilang Festival,
Kalilangan Festival, Halad, and Tuna Festival. |
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Tourist Arrivals
Region XII recorded a total of 331,225 domestic and 3,946 foreign visitors
in the first three quarters of 2002. General Santos City and South Cotabato
Province registered the highest number of visitor arrivals, both foreign and
domestic. |
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EDUCATION AND MANPOWER
DEVELOPMENT |
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Basic
Education
 For School Year (SY)
2001-2002, majority of children were in school in the reconstituted Region
XII as indicated by a participation rate of 94.51 percent for elementary
level, and 64.7 percent for the secondary level.
Of the total number of children enrolled five years ago in elementary, only
63.77 percent survived to graduate during the school year. For secondary
education, only 70.78 percent have reached their fourth year level.
During the same period, enrolment in public elementary schools was slightly
lower at about 1 percent, than the previous period, while in the public
secondary school level, an increase of about seven (7) percent was observed.
Drop out rate in the secondary level was observed to be higher at 11.15
percent, than in the elementary which is only 5.01 percent. This is due to
the fact that most of these students are tapped as farm help or workers by
their parents to augment the income for the family.
In the same academic year, the new region had a total of 13,378 public
school teachers in 1,542 elementary schools and 4,742 teachers in 183 public
secondary schools. A total of 689 teachers teach in 175 private elementary
institutions, while 961 high school teachers were in 128 private secondary
schools.
Higher Education and Middle-Level Skills Development
In the tertiary level, monitoring of programs offered in Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) and Technical-Vocational Institutions (TVIs) is
continually undertaken by CHED and TESDA to ensure that these programs are
certified and approved for implementation. In the reconstituted region,
there are two (2) TESDA-Administered Schools; 67 private TVIs; 5 SUCs; and,
66 Private HEIs.
For SY 2001-2002, enrolment in private higher education was 56,122 while the
SUCs registered a total enrolment of 36,517. Among the private TVIs, a total
enrolment of 5,752 was recorded. Graduates from HEIs totaled to 11,323 while
that from the TVIs was 2,432.
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HEALTH AND NUTRITION |
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In year 2001, the people of Region XII were
relatively in good health condition. The estimated regional figure for crude
birth rate (CBR) at 18.04 per 1,000 population was at an acceptable level.
This could be attributed to an improved delivery and wider acceptance by the
people of reproductive age of the family planning-related programs, as well
as, on the responsible parenthood practices of families in the region.
Relatedly, the recorded crude death, infant and maternal death rates were
also at non-alarming levels. The crude death rate or the total deaths from
all ages was only about 3 persons per 1,000 population. The average infant
deaths in the region was recorded at 10.57 per 1,000 livebirths. In
addition, perhaps due to greater awareness on the part of pregnant women on
the need for and importance of pre-natal and post-natal cares, the average
maternal deaths in the region or the number of women who die as a result of
child bearing, was only 1 for every 1,000 livebirths.
In terms of sanitation, of the region's total household population in 2001,
72.67 percent had access to sanitary toilets while an average of 82.79
percent had access to safe water supply.
The malnutrition rate or the percentage of moderately and severely
malnourished children among the eligible pre-school population in the region
in 2001 was at a desirable level of 7.26 percent. Across provinces and
cities, Sultan Kudarat had the highest incidence of malnutrition among
pre-school children at 9.49 percent, followed by Cotabato Province at 8.33
percent. On the other hand, Koronadal City had the lowest incidence of
malnutrition at 3.26% followed by Cotabato City at 3.40 percent.
For the health facilities available in the region, as of December 2001,
government and private hospitals were placed at 27 and 85, respectively or a
total of 112 hospitals regionwide. Of these numbers, only a total of 9
hospitals are classified as tertiary, one of which is the Cotabato Regional
and Medical Center based in Cotabato City; 32 are classified as secondary
hospitals; and, the rest are primary totaling to 71 hospitals. As of the
period, only Sarangani Province has no Provincial Hospital.
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SOCIAL WELFARE AND
OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES |
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Clientele Served
The Social Welfare Sub-sector contributed significantly to the improvement
in the quality of life of the people in the region. The sector focused its
social interventions in responding to the needs of the marginalized and
distressed communities through relief and rehabilitation. The disadvantaged
and vulnerable groups such as women, children, youth, persons with
disabilities, older persons and those victims of disaster are among the
major clientele served by the sub sector.
In 2001, a total of 159,422 vulnerable individuals were served, of which 727
were children, 897 were youth, 236 were women in especially difficult
circumstances, 850 were older persons, 267 were persons with disabilities,
153,932 families were victims of disaster and 2, 513 were disadvantaged
women served under the Productivity Skills Capability Building Program.
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Institutional Centers
Presently, there are four (4) centers to cater to various vulnerable groups
in the region. Among the functional centers maintained are the Reception and
Study Center for Children (RSCC), Substitute Home Care for Women, Center for
the Handicapped, and Lingap Center. All these centers are located in
Cotabato City.
Day Care Center Facilities
Statistics show that out of 1,219 barangays in the region, about 15 percent
(187 barangays) were without day care centers in 2001.
Moreover, there were 52,727 children all over Region XII that were
recipients of day care service program and around 1,764 day care centers
were constructed in 1,219 barangays in Region XII. It is also significant to
note that all municipalities of the provinces and cities of Region XII
already have functional day care centers.
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TRANSPORTATION |
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Land Transportation
 The total length
of road network in the region as of December 2001 was 15,434.69 kilometers.
Of the total, sixty-four percent (64%) were barangay roads, sixteen percent
(16%) provincial roads, eleven percent (11%) city and municipal roads, and
nine percent (9%) national roads.
Among provinces in the region, Cotabato Province recorded the longest road
network at 4,263.20 kilometers; while among cities, Koronadal had the
longest road network at 565.79 kilometers.
In terms of road density (length in kilometer over land area in square
kilometers) among provinces, South Cotabato had the highest at 0.89 km./sq.km..
All five cities in the region registered road densities of over one
kilometer per square kilometer with Koronadal having the highest at 2.22
km./sq.km.
Of the 1,357.19 kms. existing national roads as of 2002, 459.33 kms. were
paved with concrete and 254.77 kms. were paved with asphalt. The remaining
643.10 kms. were gravel and/or earth road.
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Bridges
As of 2002, there were a total of 258 bridges along national roads. Most of
these bridges are permanent structures made of concrete and steel. Cotabato
Province had the most number of bridges along its national roads at 105,
while Cotabato City has the least with only three bridges along national
roads.
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 Airports
Cotabato Region has one existing international airport, the General Santos
City International Airport, a Municipal Airport located in Lebak, Sultan
Kudarat and two private airports located in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat and
Tacurong City.
Seaports
The Port of General Santos is the major seaport of the region. It is
categorized as a port of entry, and caters to large inter-island vessels for
passengers and cargo. It serves domestic routes to Manila, Zamboanga, Iloilo
and Cebu. It also accommodates international vessels from Singapore, Japan,
Malaysia and Indonesia.
 The Cotabato City Port
serves as a subport of entry for vessels from Pagadian City, and Kalamansig,
Sultan Kudarat. The municipal ports in the region are located in the
municipalities of Kalamansig and Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat Province.
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WATER RESOURCES |
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Water Supply
The total number of households served with potable water in 2002 was
estimated at 519,902 or about 82.35 percent of the total number of
households in the region. Among the provinces, South Cotabato had the
highest access to potable water with 92.52 percent of its household already
served with potable water. Level I system is still the main source of
potable water in the region.
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Irrigation
As of 2001, there were thirteen (13) national irrigation systems in the
region with a total service area of 57,749.49 hectares, and 124 communal
irrigation systems with combined service area of 24,096.44 hectares.
As of December 2001, the region recorded a
39.06 percent irrigation development. Around 27.56 percent of this
irrigation development are areas covered by the national irrigation systems
and the remaining 11.50 percent are those covered by the communal irrigation
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COMMUNICATION
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Telecommunication
As of December 2001, the Telecommunications Office (TelOf) XII has
established a total of 41 stations in the different provinces and cities of
the region. Among the services offered by TelOf XII are ordinary telegram,
social telegram, national telegraphic transfer service, public calling
offices, telephone service and national datacom network.
Major private telephone carriers, such as PLDT, Globe, and Piltel, among
others are also serving the region. Cellular sites, as well as, Internet
service providers, are generally present in the region.
As of December 2001, a total of 226,058 telephone lines were available for
connection from nine companies granted with franchise to operate in the
region including the Telecommunications Office. However, only 46,480 lines
or 20.56 percent of the total capacity were subscribed. This showed that the
region had enough telephone lines available still for subscription and
connection.
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Radio and Television
There are 37 radio stations in the region. About 21 of these are operating
in the FM Band while 16 are AM Stations. The bulk of these stations are
found in Gen. Santos City with 17 stations. On the other hand, there are
five television stations in the region. These are located in the cities of
Cotabato, Gen. Santos and Tacurong. These stations are affiliates of GMA and
ABS-CBN in Metro Manila and show direct live telecast via their respective
satellite systems. Municipalities surrounding these cities can also access
TV reception using high elevation TV antennas. Some areas in the region are
also capable of getting TV reception from television stations based in
nearby cities of other regions.
Cable television system has been gaining more subscribers in the region.
Subscribers of these networks have a number of channels to view from
domestic and international telecast shows. These are available mostly in key
cities of the region, such as Cotabato City, Gen. Santos City, Kidapawan
City and Koronadal City. The municipality of Glan in Sarangani Province has
its own cable TV station.
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Local Newspaper
Publications
There are twenty-five (25) local newspaper publications in circulation in
various parts of the region. These were mostly based in the cities of
Cotabato, Gen. Santos, Kidapawan, Tacurong and Koronadal. Publications are
mostly circulated once a week with about 27,000 copies. The local newspaper
publications complement the national dailies coming from Metro Manila and
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POWER AND
ELECTRIFICATION |
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Power Generation
As of September 2002, there were six (6) existing power-generating plants
operating in the region with total installed capacity of 169 megawatts (MW).
Of these, 108.48 MW are generated by the geothermal plant in Mt. Apo while
the rest were generated by diesel power plants.
The capacity of these existing power plants however, is not enough to supply
the power requirements of the region. Hence, the region is still dependent
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Electrification
Of the total 1,208 barangays in the region, 70.03 percent (846 barangays)
have already been provided with electricity. Almost all barangays in -the
five (5) cities of the region have already been energized. Among the
provinces, Sultan Kudarat had the least number of barangays energized while
South Cotabato had the highest number of barangays with electricity.
In terms of households served with electricity, as of December 2001, 48.44
percent (284,463 households) of the total number of households have already
been provided with the services of the different electric cooperatives and
private electric companies in the region.
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Power Transmission
As of September 2002, there were seven (7) major transmission lines with
capacity of 138 KV installed in the region. These were the main power lines
connected to the Mindanao Grid, which supply electricity to the different
substations in the region. From the substations there were nine (9)
transmission lines with capacity of 69 KV, which supply electricity to the
different electric cooperatives in the region.
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