Brief Histories of Lebak and Kalamansig

Municipality of Lebak

Lebak came into existence by virtue of Executive Order No. 82, dated August 18, 1947. Lebak was created from two municipal districts: the district of Lebak under the municipality of Kiamba, Cotabato (now Kiamba, Sarangani), and the district of Salaman under the municipality of Dinaig, Cotabato (now Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao).

Lebak is a Maguindanaon word that means “hollow.” It is used to refer to the place because in the eastern part of it are mountains and in the western part is the Celebes Sea.

Executive Order No. 432, dated April 12, 1951, transferred the seat of government of Lebak from Kalamansig to Salaman, Lebak.

Dulangan Manobos and Tedurays were the original inhabitants of the mountains, and Maguindanaons, who were Islamized in the sixteenth century, occupied the coastal area of present-day Tran and Datu Karon. The decades after World War II saw an influx of settlers from Visayas and Luzon. But years before, some Americans had already set up coconut plantations in Barurao and Tipudos.

The existence of various tribes in the area resulted to bloody conflicts. There was a Tiruray rampage in 1970 and a Muslim rebellion in 1973.

In August 1976, a strong earthquake hit Lebak and caused a tsunami. The wave swept almost all the houses in the village of Tibpuan. The people rose from the disaster and reconstructed the municipality.

Municipality of Kalamansig

The poblacion of Kalamansig today used to be the seat of government of the municipal district of Lebak. In 1951, Lebak became a municipality, and the seat of government was moved to another village. On December 29, 1961, the municipality of Kalamansig was created by virtue of Executive Order no. 459 of Pres. Carlos P. Garcia.

The name of Kalamansig came from the Dulangan Manobo phrase “Kulaman suwayeg,” which means “Kulaman in the water.” Kulaman was a chieftain who drowned in a river while trying to provide food for his family. The village where the chieftain died was named after him. In 1989, however, when the municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino was created, Barangay Kulaman was removed from Kalamansig and became the poblacion of the new municipality.

(Blogger’s note: This post is a part of “The Other Towns” series. See my October 5 post for the overview.)