Kitcharao

Kitcharao, officially the Municipality of Kitcharao, is a local government municipality in Agusan del Norte province on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is a public administrative community rather than a commercial consumer brand, and its identity is associated with municipal governance, local public services, barangay administration, transportation access, and the social and economic life of its residents. The municipality was established in 1963 through Republic Act No. 3842. Before its creation, the area formed part of Jabonga as a barrio. The movement to establish Kitcharao as a separate municipality was advanced through a resolution associated with Francisco M. Tuozo, then vice mayor of Jabonga, and the measure was sponsored in Congress by Congressman Guillermo R. Sánchez. The first municipal officials were inducted on August 29, 1963, under the administration of Agusan del Norte Governor Democrito O. Plaza. Félix Q. Basadre Sr. became the appointed mayor, with Marceliano Morada as vice mayor and a council consisting of Mariano M. Napalan Sr., Gaudencio Pojas, Pencionico Bermúdez, Juan Tidalgo, Agustín Patagan, and Uldarico Atuel. The same officials subsequently won election in the regular local election held in November 1963. Kitcharao's population reflects migration and settlement from several parts of the Philippines. Communities include people with roots in Luzon and the Visayas, including Ilocanos, Tagalogs, Leyteños, Hiligaynons, Warays, Cebuanos, and Boholanos, alongside the Mamanwa Indigenous people. This mixture is an important part of the municipality's social character and distinguishes its local cultural landscape from a single-language or single-origin settlement. Administratively, Kitcharao is divided into 11 barangays, with barangays further organized into puroks and, in some cases, sitios. Two additional barangays, Crossing and Songkoy, were created in 2005. The municipality covers approximately 171.92 square kilometres, equivalent to about 6.30 percent of Agusan del Norte's reported total land area. According to the 2024 Philippine census, Kitcharao had 22,671 residents, with a population density of approximately 130 people per square kilometre. Kitcharao also functions as a transport point within the wider northern Mindanao road network. The Kitcharao Land Transport Terminal accommodates multicabs, buses, vans, and jeepneys serving routes toward Butuan and Surigao. Its local economy and public life are therefore connected not only to municipal institutions and barangay communities but also to intermunicipal movement along these regional routes. As a municipality, Kitcharao's principal offering is not a portfolio of products but the delivery of local government services and the administration of territory, infrastructure, public facilities, and community programs. Available reference material identifies its legal creation, administrative structure, population, land area, transport terminal, and demographic composition, but does not provide sufficient information to identify current elected officials, detailed sectoral programs, budget figures, or a specific municipal development strategy.

Kitcharao originated as a barrio of Jabonga in Agusan del Norte. Its separation into an independent municipality followed a local initiative associated with Francisco M. Tuozo, who was then vice mayor of Jabonga. A resolution seeking the creation of the municipality was sponsored in Congress by Congressman Guillermo R. Sánchez and became Republic Act No. 3842 on June 22, 1963. The new municipality's first officials were formally inducted on August 29, 1963, by Democrito O. Plaza, then governor of Agusan del Norte. Félix Q. Basadre Sr. was appointed mayor and Marceliano Morada vice mayor. The initial municipal council comprised Mariano M. Napalan Sr., Gaudencio Pojas, Pencionico Bermúdez, Juan Tidalgo, Agustín Patagan, and Uldarico Atuel. These officials also prevailed in the regular election held in November of the same year, giving the municipality an elected continuation of its initial administrative leadership. Kitcharao developed as a settlement with inhabitants originating from multiple regions of the Philippines. The population includes Ilocano, Tagalog, Leyteño, Hiligaynon, Waray, Cebuano, and Boholano communities, together with the Mamanwa Indigenous people. This demographic history reflects wider patterns of internal migration and settlement in Mindanao and contributes to the municipality's plural cultural identity. In 2005, the barangays of Crossing and Songkoy were created. Kitcharao is now politically subdivided into 11 barangays, each made up of puroks, with some also containing sitios. The municipality has a reported land area of 171.92 square kilometres, representing 6.30 percent of Agusan del Norte's 2,730.24-square-kilometre area. The municipality's public and economic connections are supported by the Kitcharao Land Transport Terminal. The terminal serves multicabs, buses, vans, and jeepneys traveling toward Butuan and Surigao, making it a local point of access to larger urban and regional centers. In the 2024 census, Kitcharao recorded 22,671 residents, corresponding to a density of approximately 130 inhabitants per square kilometre. Available sources describe the municipality's legal origin, administrative divisions, demographic profile, geography, and transport facilities, but do not establish a detailed account of later mayoral administrations or specific municipal policy initiatives.

• 2024

  Population recorded at 22,671

  [1]Kitcharaoen.wikipedia.org

  The 2024 census reported 22,671 residents in Kitcharao.

• 2005

  Crossing and Songkoy created as barangays

  [1]Kitcharaoen.wikipedia.org

  The barangays of Crossing and Songkoy were established, contributing to the municipality's current administrative structure.

• 1963

  Municipality established

  [1]Kitcharaoen.wikipedia.org

  Republic Act No. 3842 created Kitcharao as a municipality on June 22, 1963, separating it from its former status as a barrio of Jabonga.

• 1963

  First municipal officials inducted

  [1]Kitcharaoen.wikipedia.org

  The first municipal officials took office on August 29, 1963, and the same group was elected in the regular election in November.

A local government municipality serving a multiethnic and partly Indigenous population in Agusan del Norte, with an administrative role and a transport connection between Butuan and Surigao.

1. 1Kitcharaoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kitcharao municipal websitekitcharaoadn.gov.ph