The Mother of Kulaman III

(This is the last of a three-part series.)

Are you still hanging on? Unless you badly need the info for a project in your history class, you most likely have not gone over my previous posts. No matter. I’m writing this for local history buffs and for myself. So without much ado (or without as much ado as my first and second posts had), here’s the you-can’t-miss breathtaking spine-tingling hair-raising finale:


1951 April 12
Executive Order No. 432

The seat of government of the Municipality of Lebak, Province of Cotabato, was transferred from its location at the time at Kalamansig to the barrio of Salaman of the same municipality.

The significance of this law to the history of the Municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino is that ten years later, in 1961, the Municipality of Kalamansig would be created, and in 1965, parts of the Municipality of Kalamansig would form the western part of the Municipality of Kulaman.


1954 June 12
Republic Act No. 1035

The name of the Municipality of Dulawan in the Province of Cotabato was changed to Datu Piang. The southeast half of the present-day Municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino was still part of the Municipality of Dulawan during this time.


1957 August 30
Executive Order No. 266

The Municipality of Isulan was created. The new territory comprised forty barrios and sitios from the Municipality of Datu Piang and eight barrios and sitios from the Municipality of Norala. One of the barrios from the Municipality of Norala was Kalawag, which was assigned as the seat of government of the new municipality.

At this time apparently, the Philippine government had stopped subdividing territories into municipal districts. The Municipal District of Daguma no longer existed, but Barrio Daguma was listed as one of the barrios from the Municipality of Datu Piang that were included in the new municipality. Likewise, the Municipal District of Isulan no longer existed, but its name was used for the new municipality.

Compare the list of barrios that composed the Municipality of Dulawan (the old name of the Municipality of Datu Piang) in 1936 and the list of barrios and sitios that composed the Municipality of Isulan in 1957. From the two lists, you can infer that the Municipal Districts of Isulan and Daguma in the Municipality of Dulawan had roughly the same territory as the Municipality of Isulan. The barrios that the two territories shared were Dukay, Laguilayan, Daguma, Kapaya, Bual, Natubak, Tuka, and Sipaka. Furthermore, the following barrios might be the same but had been changed due to typographical error or natural evolution: from West Maliñgao to Malingawon, from Maluan to Malugan, and from Tuka Mapayag to Mapayag.

In 1957 also, the southeast half of the present-day Municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino was still part of the Municipality of Datu Piang. That portion of Kulaman Plateau, however, did not yet have any politically significant settlement. Among the listed barrios and sitios from the Municipality of Datu Piang, the nearest to the present-day Municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino was Masiag, now a barangay of the Municipality of Bagumbayan, Province of Sultan Kudarat.

Prior to the issuance of Executive Order No. 266, series of 1957, the Municipality of Norala had been created by virtue of Executive Order No. 572, series of 1953, from a portion of the Municipality of Koronadal. Earlier still, the Municipality of Koronadal was created by virtue of Executive Order No. 82, series of 1947, along with the Municipality of Kiamba and nine others.


1959 August 14
Executive Order No. 350

The Municipality of Palimbang was created. The new territory comprised forty-six barrios from the Municipality of Lebak and the Municipality of Kiamba (forty-seven barrios if Ripulon Langali was two barrios and a comma was inadvertently omitted when the law was written). The barrio of Palimbang was made the seat of government.


1961 December 29
Executive Order No. 459

The Municipality of Kalamansig was created. The new territory comprised twenty barrios and sitios from the Municipality of Lebak and eight barrios and sitios from the Municipality of Palimbang. The barrio of Kalamansig was made the seat of government.


1965 October 24
Executive Order No. 187

The Municipality of Bagumbayan was created. The new territory comprised thirty-two barrios and sitios from the Municipality of Isulan. The barrio of Bagumbayan was made the seat of government.

This law was later made void by a Supreme Court ruling, and the Municipality of Bagumbayan was recreated on June 21, 1969, by virtue of Republic Act No. 5960.


1965 November 29
Executive Order No. 211-E

The Municipality of Kulaman was created. The new territory comprised twenty-one barrios and sitios—nine from the Municipality of Kalamansig, ten from the Municipality of Isulan, and two from the Municipality of Palimbang. The barrio of Kulaman was made the seat of government.

This law was later made void by a Supreme Court ruling, but the territory was recreated later as the Municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino, on February 17, 1989, by virtue of Republic Act No. 6712.


1969 June 21
Republic Act No. 5960

The Municipality of Bagumbayan was recreated. The new territory comprised thirty-two barrios and sitios that were separated from the Municipality of Isulan: Bagumbayan, Bai Sirafinang, Biwang, Busok, Chrismor, Damaslot, Dawing, Kambad, Kanakan, Kapaya, Keposo, Kibongkog, Kinayao, Ladasino, Lanao, Languan, Lawa, Malalas, Malingaon, Malay, Mamison, Mapayag, Marbel, Masiag, Muno, Natubak, Payaguntong, Pangolan, Salatan, Sipaka, Siop and Tuka. The barrio of Bagumbayan was made the seat of government.


1973 November 22
Presidential Decree No. 341

The Province of Cotabato was divided into three provinces: North Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Sultan Kudarat. The province of Sultan Kudarat comprised the municipalities of Tacurong, Isulan, Lutayan, Bagumbayan, Kalamansing, Lebak, Columbio, Palimbang and the new municipalities of President Quirino, Mariano Marcos, and Esperanza. The Municipality of Isulan became the capital of the Province of Sultan Kudarat.


1989 February 17
Republic Act No. 6712

The Municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino was created. The new territory comprised seven barangays from the Municipality of Kalamansig and one barangay from the Municipality of Bagumbayan. The baragays from Kalamansig were Kulaman, Buenaflores, Bugso, Kiadsam, Kadi, Kulaman, Malegdeg, and Sewod, and the barangay from Bagumbayan was Langgal. Kulaman was made the seat of government.