Maguindanao del Sur

Maguindanao del Sur is a landlocked province in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao in the Philippines. It was created through the division of the former Maguindanao province into Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte. The separation was approved in a plebiscite held on September 17, 2022, ratifying Republic Act No. 11550. The province’s capital is Buluan, a municipality located near Tacurong City in neighboring Sultan Kudarat. The province occupies the southern and central portion of the former Maguindanao territory. It is bordered by Maguindanao del Norte to the west, Cotabato province to the north and east, and Sultan Kudarat to the south. The province consists of 24 municipalities and two legislative districts. Reference material describes its total area as approximately 4,973.48 square kilometers, although the cited unit in the source text is inconsistent and should be checked against official Philippine geographic data. Maguindanao del Sur is predominantly inhabited by Maguindanaon people and forms part of the political and cultural landscape of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Its administrative identity was established during a transition period following the 2022 plebiscite. Because the plebiscite took place after the 2022 national and local elections, the legal basis for selecting the province’s first officials required clarification. The Commission on Elections issued an opinion on September 28, 2022, concluding that the Department of the Interior and Local Government had authority to appoint the initial provincial officials. Former Maguindanao governor Mariam Mangudadatu subsequently took office as governor on October 13, 2022, while Nathaniel Midtimbang became vice governor. The transition period was scheduled to continue until January 9, 2023. The provincial economy is strongly connected to agriculture, forestry, fisheries, trade, public administration, and services. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that economic growth associated with the territory decelerated from 10.2 percent before the province’s establishment to 6.7 percent in 2022. Growth in agriculture, forestry, and fishing declined to 5.2 percent, while services expanded by 8.9 percent. Accommodation and food services were identified as a particularly fast-growing component of the service economy, increasing by 31.7 percent according to the cited reference material. As a newly constituted province, Maguindanao del Sur’s continuing priorities include administrative consolidation, delivery of basic services across its municipalities, infrastructure development, economic diversification, and coordination within the Bangsamoro regional government. Its profile is therefore administrative and territorial rather than commercial: the name identifies a Philippine province, its government, communities, and public institutions rather than a consumer product or private enterprise.

Maguindanao del Sur was formed from the southern portion of the former Maguindanao province. Its creation was authorized by Republic Act No. 11550, which proposed dividing Maguindanao into two provinces. The proposal was submitted to voters in a plebiscite on September 17, 2022, and the result ratified the establishment of Maguindanao del Sur alongside Maguindanao del Norte. The timing of the plebiscite created an administrative issue. The vote took place after the 2022 national and local elections, even though the legal arrangements for the new province contemplated an earlier creation date. As a result, the identity of the officials who would initially lead Maguindanao del Sur required interpretation. The Commission on Elections issued a legal opinion on September 28, 2022, stating that the Department of the Interior and Local Government could appoint the first provincial officials. Mariam Mangudadatu, who had previously served as governor of Maguindanao, assumed the governorship of Maguindanao del Sur on October 13, 2022. Nathaniel Midtimbang, a member of the former Maguindanao Provincial Board, became vice governor. A transition period was expected to last until January 9, 2023. The new province is located in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao and is entirely landlocked. Buluan serves as its capital and is situated close to Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat. Maguindanao del Sur is bordered by Maguindanao del Norte, Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. It contains 24 municipalities and two legislative districts. The population figure cited from the 2020 census is 741,221 people; because the census preceded the province’s formal creation, the figure represents the population of the territory that later became Maguindanao del Sur rather than a census conducted after its establishment. Maguindanaon communities form the predominant ethnic population. The province’s social and political development is linked to the wider formation of the Bangsamoro autonomous region and to the challenge of extending government services across a predominantly rural area. Agriculture, forestry, fisheries, public administration, and service activities are central to its economy. Cited Philippine Statistics Authority data show that economic growth slowed to 6.7 percent in 2022 from a pre-establishment figure of 10.2 percent. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing grew by 5.2 percent, while services grew by 8.9 percent, with accommodation and food services recording 31.7 percent growth. Maguindanao del Sur remains a young provincial administration. Its principal historical significance lies in the territorial reorganization of Maguindanao, the creation of a separate provincial government, and the continuing process of building institutions and public-service capacity in the Bangsamoro region.

• 2022

  Republic Act No. 11550 establishes the proposed partition

  [1]Maguindanao del Suren.wikipedia.org

  Legislation provided for dividing the former Maguindanao province into Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte.

• 2022

  Creation ratified by plebiscite

  [1]Maguindanao del Suren.wikipedia.org

  Voters ratified the division of Maguindanao on September 17, creating the new province of Maguindanao del Sur.

• 2022

  Initial provincial leadership assumes office

  [1]Maguindanao del Suren.wikipedia.org

  Mariam Mangudadatu took office as governor on October 13, 2022, with Nathaniel Midtimbang as vice governor during the transition period.

• 2022

  First reported economic performance after establishment

  [1]Maguindanao del Suren.wikipedia.org

  Cited Philippine Statistics Authority data recorded 6.7 percent economic growth in 2022, including stronger service-sector performance.

A newly established Bangsamoro province centered on local administration, public services, agricultural communities, and the cultural identity of the Maguindanaon people.

• 2022

  Administrative separation from MaguindanaoStrategy

  Background

  The former Maguindanao province was divided to create two separate provincial administrations within the Bangsamoro region.

  Action taken

  Republic Act No. 11550 was ratified through a September 17, 2022 plebiscite, establishing Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte.

  Aftermath

  A transition administration was organized, with initial officials appointed after the Commission on Elections determined that the Department of the Interior and Local Government had authority to make the appointments.

  Source

1. 1Maguindanao del Suren.wikipedia.org