Pahamuddin
Pahamuddin is a municipality in Cotabato, Philippines, created from twelve barangays formerly administered by Pigcawayan.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Pahamuddin, officially the Municipality of Pahamuddin, is a newly established municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. Although Cotabato province is generally part of the Soccsksargen region, Pahamuddin belongs to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) through the region's Special Geographic Area (SGA). The municipality was formed from twelve barangays of the municipality of Pigcawayan. Its creation is part of the administrative reorganization that followed the inclusion of 63 Cotabato barangays in the Bangsamoro region. In the February 2019 plebiscite establishing BARMM, voters in the affected barangays approved their inclusion in the autonomous region, while their former municipalities and Cotabato province remained outside BARMM in Soccsksargen. By March 2020, the transferred barangays had been organized as the Special Geographic Area because they were geographically separated from the main contiguous territory of BARMM. The Bangsamoro Parliament approved legislation on August 17, 2023, consolidating the SGA barangays into eight municipalities. Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 41 provided for the creation of Pahamuddin. The proposed name initially appeared as Pahamudin, with one final letter d, before the municipality was established under the spelling Pahamuddin. A plebiscite held on April 13, 2024, approved the creation of Pahamuddin. The reported result was 5,974 votes in favor and 116 against. The municipality is politically divided into twelve barangays, each of which contains smaller puroks and, in some cases, sitios. As a new local government unit, it initially operated through appointed officers-in-charge rather than officials chosen in a regular local election. Pahamuddin remains associated with the SGA administrative framework pending the creation of a new province for the area. The Bangsamoro regional government committed an initial allocation of PHP 2.5 million for the municipal government, to support its early operations until it could receive its share of the Philippines' National Tax Allotment. Transport connectivity has also been part of the area's development agenda: construction began in 2023 on a bridge intended to connect Pahamuddin with Kabuntalan in Maguindanao del Norte, within the contiguous Bangsamoro territory.
History
Pahamuddin was created as part of the institutional reorganization of Cotabato barangays that joined the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The constitutional and legal process began with the 2019 plebiscite that established BARMM. In the second part of that plebiscite, 63 barangays in Cotabato voted to join the new autonomous region. Their parent municipalities and Cotabato province, however, stayed within Soccsksargen. Because the transferred barangays were geographically separated from the principal BARMM territory, they were placed in a Special Geographic Area in March 2020. The SGA arrangement was intended to be transitional. On August 17, 2023, the Bangsamoro Parliament approved a package of bills designed to consolidate the SGA barangays into eight municipalities. Pahamuddin was provided for by Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 41. The proposed municipal name was initially rendered as Pahamudin, but the municipality was ultimately established as Pahamuddin. A plebiscite on April 13, 2024, gave electoral approval to the creation of Pahamuddin and the other municipalities in the package. In Pahamuddin, 5,974 voters supported the proposal and 116 opposed it. The new municipality was formed from twelve barangays previously belonging to Pigcawayan. It is politically subdivided into those twelve barangays, which are further organized into puroks and, in some locations, sitios. During its initial operating period, Pahamuddin did not yet have a regular elected municipal administration. Officers-in-charge were designated by BARMM Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim while the municipality prepared for regular local elections. Badrudin Ahmad Ebrahim served as officer-in-charge mayor from July 9, 2024, through June 30, 2025. The municipality continued to fall under the SGA framework pending the possible establishment of a separate province covering the area. The Bangsamoro regional government planned to provide PHP 2.5 million in initial support for municipal operations until Pahamuddin could obtain its allocation from the Philippines' National Tax Allotment. Infrastructure development has also shaped the municipality's early profile. A bridge project begun in 2023 is intended to connect Pahamuddin with Kabuntalan, Maguindanao del Norte, improving physical links between the SGA and the contiguous Bangsamoro region. As a recently constituted municipality, Pahamuddin's principal institutional priorities are the creation of local administrative capacity, delivery of basic public services, integration of its barangays, and development of transport connections.
- 2024
Municipal creation approved by plebiscite
[1]Voters approved Pahamuddin's creation on April 13, 2024, by 5,974 votes to 116.
- 2024
Initial municipal administration installed
[1]Appointed officers-in-charge began managing the new municipality pending regular local elections.
- 2023
Bridge construction begins
[1]Construction began on a bridge planned to connect Pahamuddin with Kabuntalan in Maguindanao del Norte.
- 2023
Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 41 approved
[1]The Bangsamoro Parliament approved the legislation creating Pahamuddin from twelve Special Geographic Area barangays formerly administered by Pigcawayan.
- 2020
Special Geographic Area established
[1]The transferred Cotabato barangays were organized as BARMM's Special Geographic Area because they were separated from the region's contiguous territory.
- 2019
Cotabato barangays vote to join BARMM
[1]In the second part of the BARMM plebiscite, 63 barangays in Cotabato approved inclusion in the new autonomous region, while Cotabato province and the parent municipalities remained in Soccsksargen.
Products and positioning
A newly created local government municipality within BARMM's Special Geographic Area, focused on establishing local administration and improving connectivity and public services for twelve barangays.
Brand decisions
2024
Approve municipal creation through plebisciteOtherBackground
The proposed municipality required local electoral approval before it could be constituted.
Action taken
A plebiscite held on April 13, 2024, approved the creation of Pahamuddin by 5,974 votes in favor and 116 against.
Aftermath
Pahamuddin entered its initial administrative phase as a municipality with twelve barangays and appointed officers-in-charge.
2023
Create a municipality from Special Geographic Area barangaysStrategyBackground
The Special Geographic Area needed a more permanent local-government structure after the Cotabato barangays joined BARMM but remained geographically separated from its main territory.
Action taken
The Bangsamoro Parliament approved Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 41, establishing Pahamuddin from twelve barangays of Pigcawayan.
Aftermath
The proposal proceeded to a plebiscite, where voters approved the municipality's creation in April 2024.
Recent events
- 2024
Plebiscite approves creation of Pahamuddin[1]
Other
Voters approved the establishment of Pahamuddin in an April 13, 2024 plebiscite, with 5,974 votes in favor and 116 against.
- 2024
Pahamuddin begins operation under appointed local officials[1]
Leadership change
The municipality began its initial administrative period with officers-in-charge selected by BARMM Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim while regular local elections were pending.
- 2023
Bangsamoro Parliament approves legislation creating Pahamuddin[1]
Other
Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 41 was approved as part of a package of measures consolidating Special Geographic Area barangays into eight new municipalities.
- 2023
Bridge project links Pahamuddin with Kabuntalan[1]
Other
Construction began on a bridge intended to connect Pahamuddin with Kabuntalan in Maguindanao del Norte and improve access to the contiguous Bangsamoro area.
Sources1 sources
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