Kabacan

Kabacan
Municipality
Municipality of Kabacan
Kabacan bus terminal
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  Heart of Cotabato Crossroads of Mindanao
Map of Cotabato with Kabacan highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Kabacan Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 7°07′N 124°49′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Soccsksargen
Province	Cotabato
District	3rd district
Founded	August 18, 1947
Barangays	24 (see Barangays)
Government
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Evangeline Pascua-Guzman
• Vice Mayor	Herlo P. Guzman, Jr
• Representative	Jose I. Tejada
• Electorate	49,303 voters (2022)
Area
• Total	330.92 km2 (127.77 sq mi)
Elevation	21 m (69 ft)
Highest elevation	47 m (154 ft)
Lowest elevation	8 m (26 ft)
Population  (2020 census)
• Total	77,164
• Density	230/km2 (600/sq mi)
•	17,891
Demonym	Kabaqueño/a
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	24.20 % (2018)
• Revenue	₱ 343.2 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 592.1 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 300.7 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 124.7 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Cotabato Electric Cooperative (COTELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	9407
PSGC	124703000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)64
Native languages	Hiligaynon Cebuano Maguindanao Ilianen Tagalog
Website	kabacan.gov.ph

Kabacan officially the Municipality of Kabacan (Maguindanaon: Inged nu Kabakan, Jawi: ايڠد نو كباكن; Ilocano: Ili ti Kabacan; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Kabacan; Cebuano: Lungsod sa Kabacan; Tagalog: Bayan ng Kabacan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 77,164 people.

The town is predominantly composed of rice farms made possible by the influx of Ilocano-speaking people from northern Philippines. The University of Southern Mindanao is in Kabacan. It is strategically located between the cities of Cotabato and Davao from west to east and the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan from the north and General Santos from the south.

History

Kabacan got its name from the word "ka-abacan" which means the source of abundance. People from far-flung barangays used to come to this place and, upon returning home, they brought with them many commodities of their livelihood.

The municipality of Kabacan was a barrio of the municipal district of Pikit before its creation as a district political body. It was created as a regular municipality by virtue of Executive Order No. 82 dated August 18, 1947, issued by President Manuel Roxas of the Republic of the Philippines.

Growth was gradual under the domain of Datu Mantawil; that influx of settlers from Luzon and Visayas arrived in the 1930s. This was made so when the McLareen family sold its hacienda to Jose Yulo Alano, Rafael Alunan and party who organize a company under the cooperate name of Rio Grande Estate. The company became the people's place of business and social center. Recognizing his immense power and leadership over the area, the provincial governor of Cotabato organizes the Kabacan into a Municipal District with Esteban Somera Abellera Sr. its first mayor in 1935.

World War II

After the Japanese landing on Davao, the Miura Detachment then proceeded to advance towards Kabacan but had to struggle fighting the remaining Filipino-American resistance. Soon, they succeed in capturing Kabacan on May 3, 1942.

The Rio Grande Rubber Estate was sold by the Filipino Incorporators to the Japanese Imperial Government. It became the site for the provisional municipal government with Cenon Doctolero as the appointed mayor. The Japanese garrison was attacked October 25, 1942, by guerrilla forces under U.S. Lieut. Col. Wendell Fertig. During a fourteen-day siege sixty-eight of the seventy-six Japanese garrison were killed. Only the arrival of reinforcements saved the garrison and caused the guerrillas to withdraw.

Currently, Kabacan is known as an Ilocano-speaking area since 65% of its population are Ilocano immigrants.

Geography

Kabacan is centrally located in Cotabato province, bounded on the north by Pres. Roxas, on the east by Matalam, on the south by M'lang, and on the west by Carmen, Cotabato and Datu Montawal. It is approximately 94 kilometres (58 mi) from Cotabato airport, 194 kilometres (121 mi) to Davao airport and 188 kilometres (117 mi) to General Santos International Airport.

The landscape is characterized by almost regular landscape of flat terrain. The high mountains and rolling hills leaping close to the river plus the narrow plains have varied topographical features. Other features are moderately sloping and strongly sloping.

Bodies of Water

The Kabacan River is a tributary of the Pulangi River, discharging at Kayaga Kabacan, Cotabato.

Barangays

Kabacan is politically subdivided into 24 barangays.  Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Note

Climate

Type B climate prevails in the municipality. It is characterized by dry season for one to three months with less than 76 millimeters or more rainfall per month throughout the year. The wettest month has more than three times the rainfall of the driest month. This type of climate is conducive to intensive rice cultivation and plantings of bananas and other fruit trees.

Demographics

Population census of Kabacan

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	78	—
1918	5,394	+32.63%
1939	8,659	+2.28%
1948	13,119	+4.72%
1960	21,043	+4.02%
1970	22,769	+0.79%
1975	39,378	+11.61%
1980	43,443	+1.98%
1990	50,601	+1.54%
1995	61,481	+3.72%
2000	61,998	+0.18%
2007	73,991	+2.47%
2010	81,282	+3.48%
2015	89,161	+1.78%
2020	77,164	−2.80%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority 2020 Census count was revised as per PSA Board Resolution No. 13 Series of 2021 adopted on November 9, 2021.

In the 2020 census, the population of Kabacan, Cotabato, was 77,164 people, with a density of 170 inhabitants per square kilometre or 440 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Commercial activities are in the Public Market and along the National Highway and USM Avenue. Kabacan serve as a business and trading center for the adjacent municipalities of Carmen, Pagagawan, Pikit and Matalam. The majority of the commercial establishments are engaged in general merchandising, sari-sari and dry goods. One big shopping center and drug store owned by a big company are along the National Highway. There are four banks and three gasoline stations.

Other small-scale industries are electronics and repair shop, car/motor vehicle body builder/repair shop, vulcanizing and machine shop, shoe and appliance repair shops hollow blocks/culvert making basket/mat weaving, dressmaking/tailoring, balut making, bakery and Mascovado factory in Barangay Malanduage.

Natural resources

Primarily agricultural crops include corn, rice, soybeans, peanut, mongo, cassava and other field crops. This town is popularly known as the "Rice Production Center", the "Rice Granary of the Province of Cotabato". Its populace has devoted most of its fertile domain to rice production. Corn is the secondary crop of this town.

Education

Colleges and universities

• University of Southern Mindanao
• St. Luke's Institute
• Asian Colleges and Technological Institute

High school

Elementary

Tourism

• Pisan Cave at Pisan, Kabacan.
• Waterfalls and spring at Tamped, Kabacan
• Nangaan Cliff at Nangaan, Kabacan
• Nangaan Caves and Waterfalls
• Kabuling Waterfalls at Simbuhay, Kabacan
• Simbuhay Waterfalls at Simbuhay, Kabacan
• Matibuhaw Cave at Simbuhay, Kabacan
• Kalasan Waterfalls at Pedtad, Kabacan
• Crocodile Farm at Cuyapon, Kabacan
• Garagan Spring Resort at Katidtuan, Kabacan
• University of Southern Mindanao located at Kabacan town proper. A State University with research and training centers, open amphitheaters, sports facilities and pilot agricultural projects.
• Waterland Resort at Osias, Kabacan