Sarangani

Sarangani
Province
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	سرڠان
(from top: left to right) Sarangani Provincial Capitol, Tuka Beach in Kiamba, Alabel Municipal Hall and Maitum coastal.
Flag Seal
Anthem: Sarangani, Land of Beauty
Location in the Philippines
OpenStreetMap
Coordinates: 5°52′N 125°17′E / 5.87°N 125.28°E / 5.87; 125.28
Country	Philippines
Region	Soccsksargen
Founded	November 28, 1992
Capital	Alabel
Largest Municipality	Glan
Government
• Type	Sangguniang Panlalawigan
• Governor	Rogelio D. Pacquiao (PCM)
• Vice Governor	Elmer T. de Peralta (PCM)
• Representative	Steve Solon (PCM)
• Legislature	Sarangani Provincial Board
Area [1]
• Total	3,601.25 km2 (1,390.45 sq mi)
• Rank	37th out of 81
Highest elevation (Mount Busa)	2,083 m (6,834 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[2]
• 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	142
• Districts	Legislative 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	Cebuano Hiligaynon Maguindanaon Blaan Tboli Sarangani Tagalog English
Income classification	2nd class
Website	www.sarangani.gov.ph

Sarangani, officially the Province of Sarangani (Cebuano: Lalawigan sa Sarangani; Hiligaynon: Kapuoran sang Sarangani; Maguindanaon: Dairat nu Sarangani, Jawi: دايرت نو سرڠان; Filipino: Lalawigan ng Sarangani), is a province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region. Its capital is Alabel while Glan is the most populous municipality in the province. With a 230-kilometer (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 (Soccsksargen) development cluster, and is linked by paved roads to the international airport and harbor of General Santos.

The province is divided into two sections, separated by the Sarangani Bay and the city of General Santos, and it used to be part of South Cotabato until it was made an independent province in 1992.^[3]

The General Santos Metropolitan Area or Metro General Santos is a metropolitan area encompassing the highly urbanized city of General Santos, The Regional Agro-Industrial Center of Alabel, the towns of Glan, Kiamba, Maasin, Maitum, Malapatan and Malungon and the neighboring provinces of South Cotabato adding Metro General Santos adding Lake Sebu, Polomolok, T'Boli and Tupi.

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 Sarangani was once part of Sultanate of Maguindanao. The establishment of the Sultanate in the area caused more Maguindanaon settlers arrival. After the fall of the Sultanate of Maguindanao as a great power in Mindanao, Datu Uto of Buayan expanded his domain towards Sarangani Bay. Sarangani would eventually be under the Sultanate of Buayan until the American era.

Sarangani Island (now part of Davao Occidental) was named Antonia by the Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos^{[citation needed]} in 1543, in honor of Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco, the viceroy of New Spain who had appointed López de Villalobos to lead an expedition to the Western Islands (now the Philippines) because of their relation by marriage. The early inhabitants who first inhabited Sarangani were the indigenous natives, called MunaTo, a native term for "first people."^[4]

In 1942, the Japanese troops occupied Southern Cotabato.^{[further explanation needed]} In 1945, Filipino troops of the 6th, 10th, 101st and 102nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 10th Constabulary 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.^{[citation needed]}

Before its inception in 1992, Sarangani was part of South Cotabato under its third district. The province was created by Republic Act No. 7228 on March 16, 1992,^[3] penned by Congressman James Chiongbian, who would later become the province's first representative to the House of Representatives. His wife, Priscilla Chiongbian, became the first Governor of Sarangani.^{[citation needed]}

Sarangani covers a total area of 3,601.25 square kilometers (1,390.45 sq mi)^[5] 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.

Sarangani is divided into two (eastern and western) sections, separated by the Sarangani Bay and General Santos 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.

Sarangani comprises seven municipalities. A single legislative district encompasses all towns.^[5]

The population of Sarangani in the 2020 census was 558,946 people,^[2] with a density of 160 inhabitants per square kilometer or 410 inhabitants per square mile.

Christianity is the majority religion in the province with a total of 79% (48% Roman Catholicism^[9] and 31% evangelicals).^[10] Other religious minorities are Islam (9%)^[11] and Iglesia ni Cristo (2%).^[12] The remainder is usually divided among other Christian churches.

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.

Sarangani celebrates its foundation anniversary every November, named as MunaTo Festival.^[21]

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.^[21][22]

• Manny Pacquiao - boxer and senator having his family from Sarangani.
• Jinkee Pacquiao - wife of Manny Paquiao and former Sarangani vice governor (2013). Her family is from Sarangani.

• 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