Sarangani

This article is about the province. For other uses, see Sarangani (disambiguation).

Sarangani
Province
Province of Sarangani
Official seal of Sarangani Seal
Location in the Philippines
Coordinates: 5°52′N 125°17′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Soccsksargen
Founded	March 16, 1992
Capital	Alabel
Government
• Type	Sangguniang Panlalawigan
• Governor	Steve C. Solon (UNA/PCM)
• Vice Governor	Elmer de Peralta
• Congressman	Ruel Pacquiao
• Sangguniang Panlalawigan	Members Cyril John Yap Hermie Galzote Vir Tobias Arman Guili Beboy Nallos Abdulracman Pangolima Annalie Edday
Area
• Total	3,601.25 km2 (1,390.45 sq mi)
• Rank	37th out of 81
Highest elevation (Mount Busa)	2,064 m (6,772 ft)
Population  (2020 census)
• Total	558,946
• Rank	55th out of 81
• Density	160/km2 (400/sq mi)
• Rank	58th out of 81
Divisions
• Independent cities	0
• Component cities	0
• Municipalities	7 Alabel Glan Kiamba Maasim Maitum Malapatan Malungon
• Barangays	141
• Districts	Lone district of Sarangani
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	9501–9503, 9514–9517
IDD : area code	+63 (0)83
ISO 3166 code	PH-SAR
Spoken languages	Hiligaynon Cebuano B'laan Maguindanaon Filipino English
Income classification	2nd class
Website	www.sarangani.gov.ph

Sarangani, or Saraŋgani (Cebuano: Lalawigan sa Sarangani), is a province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region. Its capital is Alabel. With a 230-kilometre (140 mi) coastline along the Sarangani Bay and Celebes Sea, the province is at the southernmost tip of Mindanao island, and borders South Cotabato and Davao del Sur to the north, Davao Occidental to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south.

Sarangani is part of the South Cotabato-Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-General Santos City (SOCCSKSARGEN) development cluster, and is linked by paved roads to the international airport and harbor of General Santos City.

The province is divided into two sections, separated by the Sarangani Bay and General Santos City, and it used to be part of South Cotabato until it was made an independent province in 1992.

History

The earliest civilization in the province can be found in Maitum, Sarangani, where the Maitum Anthropomorphic Pottery or Maitum Jars were found. The jars have been dated to approximately 5 BC to 370 AD, one of the oldest in the entire Southeast Asian region and the Philippines. The discovery testified to the long history of cultural exchanges in Sarangani and its people.

The island of Sarangani (now part of Davao Occidental) was named by Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos in 1543 as Antonia, in honor of Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco who commissioned the Villalobos expedition to the Philippines. The early inhabitants who first inhabited Sarangani were the indigenous natives, called MunaTo, a native term for "first people."

An old map showing the present territories of Sarangani as part of the Province of Cotabato in 1918

In 1942, the Japanese troops occupied Southern Cotabato. In 1945, Filipino troops of the 6th, 10th, 101st and 102nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 10th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary entered in and liberated Southern Cotabato and fought against the Japanese Imperial Army forces during the Battle of Cotabato at the end of World War II under the Japanese Occupation.

Before its inception in 1992, Sarangani was part of South Cotabato as the Third District of South Cotabato. The province was created by Republic Act No. 7228 on March 16, 1992, penned by Congressman James L. Chiongbian. His wife, Priscilla L. Chiongbian, was the first Governor of Sarangani.

Geography

Sarangani covers a total area of 3,601.25 square kilometres (1,390.45 sq mi) occupying the southern tip of the SOCCSKSARGEN in central Mindanao. The province is bordered on the central-north by South Cotabato, northeast by Davao del Sur, east by Davao Occidental, south by the Sarangani Bay and Celebes Sea, and northwest by Sultan Kudarat.

Western coast of the province at Maitum

Sarangani is divided into two (eastern and western) sections, separated by the Sarangani Bay and General Santos City in the middle. The western portion comprises the towns of Maitum, Kiamba, and Maasim, and is bounded on the north by South Cotabato and on the northwest by Sultan Kudarat. The eastern section consists of Alabel, Glan, Malapatan, and Malungon.

Administrative divisions

Sarangani comprises 7 municipalities. A single legislative district encompasses all towns.

	Municipality		Population			±% p.a.	Area		Density (2015)		Brgy.
			(2015)		(2010)		km2	sq mi	/km2	/sq mi
	Alabel	†	14.8%	80,359	75,477	+1.20%	510.98	197.29	160	410	13
	Glan		21.7%	118,263	106,518	+2.01%	610.30	235.64	190	490	31
	Kiamba		11.2%	61,058	54,871	+2.06%	328.68	126.90	190	490	19
	Maasim		10.9%	59,468	52,933	+2.24%	500.43	193.22	120	310	16
	Maitum		8.2%	44,595	41,675	+1.30%	290.66	112.22	150	390	19
	Malapatan		14.1%	76,914	72,386	+1.16%	609.28	235.24	130	340	12
	Malungon		19.0%	103,604	95,044	+1.66%	750.92	289.93	140	360	31
	Total			544,261	498,904	+1.67%	3,601.25	1,390.45	150	390	141
		†  Provincial capital					Municipality

Demographics

Population census of Sarangani

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1990 283,141 —     1995 367,006 +4.98% 2000 410,622 +2.44%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2007 475,514 +2.04% 2010 498,904 +1.76% 2015 544,261 +1.67%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

The population of Sarangani in the 2020 census was 558,946 people, with a density of 160 inhabitants per square kilometre or 410 inhabitants per square mile.

Religion

Religion in Sarangani
Religion			percentage
Roman Catholic			48%
Protestant			25%
Islam			16%
Iglesia Ni Cristo			2%
Others			10%

Christianity in the form of Roman Catholicism is the majority religion in the province comprising 48% of the population. However, there is a strong presence of evangelicals (25%). Other religious minorities are Islam (16%) and Iglesia Ni Cristo (2%). The remainder is usually divided among other Christian churches.

Economy

Coconut, corn, rice, banana, mango, durian, rubber, and sugarcane are major crops now being planted by the inhabitants. The province has plantations (mango, banana, pineapple, asparagus), cattle ranches, and commercial fishponds that have been operating in the area, some of which having existed as far back as 40 years.

Electricity comes from the National Power Corporation, and augmented by a 50 MW power plant in Alabel, the province’s capital. Water is provided for by sustainable spring development projects.

Government

Sarangani Provincial Capitol

Elected Officials (2016-2019)

• Rep. Rogelio D. Pacquiao
• Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon
• Vice Gov. Elmer T. de Peralta

Elected Officials (2013-2016)

• Rep. Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao
• Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon
• Vice Gov. Jinkee J. Pacquiao

Elected Officials (2010-2013)

• Rep. Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao
• Gov. Miguel Rene A. Dominguez
• Vice Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon

Elected Officials (2007-2010)

• Rep. Erwin Chiongbian
• Gov. Miguel Dominguez
• Vice Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon

Elected Officials (2004-2007)

• Rep. Erwin Chiongbian
• Gov. Miguel Dominguez
• Vice Gov. Bridget Chiongbian-Huang

Tourism

Sarangani celebrates its foundation anniversary every November, named as MunaTo Festival.

Sarangani has ancient burial jars, discovered by archaeologists from the National Museum in Ayub Cave in Maitum, in 1991 and in 2008, and at Sagel Cave in Maitum (now declared by National Historical Institute as a national historical site). Amid Mindanao's armed conflicts, artifacts found thereat prove settlements of pre-historic civilization in Maitum.

External links

• Media related to Sarangani at Wikimedia Commons
• Geographic data related to Sarangani at OpenStreetMap
• Official Website of the Provincial Government of Sarangani
• Local Governance Performance Management System