What comes to mind when you hear the word Soccsksargen?Most people would say nothing, because this region is not familiar to them. What they don't know is that they are missing out on one of the most diverse and culturally rich regions in the country. Soccsksargen region consists of the provinces South Cotabato(SOC), Cotabato(C), Sultan Kudarat(SK), Sarangani(SAR) and General Santos(GEN). Soccsksargen is the home of the T'boli tribe, one of the most colorful and musically inclined tribes in the country, and boasts a booming economy based on agriculture and fishing, and a lot more unexpected attractions waiting to be discovered.
The provinces of the region are located in Central Mindanao of the Philippines.
- source: onlineservices.da.org.ph
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COTABATO(North)
- source: en.wikipedia.org
We wonder where the word "Cotabato" came from...
Cotabato derived its name from the word "kuta wato" meaning "stone fort" which served as the seat of the great Sultan Kudarat. Cotabato before was the largest province in Mindanao, but South Cotabato was separated from the province in year 1966. And now, North Cotabato is called Cotabato. This province is known for being the food basket of Mindanao because it is a major producer of cereals, sugarcane, coconut and coffee. It also produces sand, gravel, and white clay, which is a good raw material used in the production of porcelain.
- source: cotabatoprov.gov.ph
Languages spoken are Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Maguindanao, Cebuano and Chavacano. Dominant religion are Roman Catholic and Islam. Cotabato has a total land area of 656,590 hectares. It is the largest in terms of land area among the provinces of Region 12. It is composed of 17 municipalities and one city, Kidapawan City, which is the capital.
And most importantly, it is really easy to get here!
Just by air, there are direct flights from Manila to Cotabato City.
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SOUTH COTABATO
- source: en.wikipedia.org
South Cotabato has 10 municipalities and 2 cities, with Koronadal City as the capital. Most of the province's land area has been devoted to agricultural purposes; mainly for the production of crops such as rice, corn, pineapple, asparagus, coconut, banana, cotton, and mango, and the Dole Philippines pineapple plantation is one of the major tourist attractions of the province. People from the region speak HIligaynon, Cebuano, Tagalog and English. South Cotabato is known for being the home province of the T'boli tribe or what we call the dream weavers. The product that they weave is called the "T'nalak" which is one of the popular products of South Cotabato. The tribe also makes bead-works, woven baskets and traditional bass ornaments.
- source: malasimbofestival.com
How to get here?
There are daily flights from Manila to General Santos City and from there, you could rent a cab going to Koronadal City.
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SULTAN KUDARAT
- source: en.wikipedia.org
Sultan kudarat is located in the southwestern part of mindanao, and was named after Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat, one of the greatest leaders who ruled this area under the Sultanate of Maguindanao. It is composed of 11 municipalities and 1 city, with the municipality of Isulan as its capital. It has a total land area of 4783.1898 square kilometers, composed of flat plains lined with mountain ranges. People from sultan kudarat speak 84 dialects, with Hiligaynon and Ilonggo being the main languages. Sultan kudarat relies on agriculture and the sea to sustain its economy. It produces most types of crops grown in the country, and is one of the few places that produce irish potatoes in the philippines. Fish caught in the province include various marine, brackish water or fresh water fish, and the high quality tuna caught along the coasts are exported to japan and europe.
- source: dantedalabajan.wordpress.com
How to get here?
There are daily flights from Manila to General Santos or Cotabato City and from there, Sultan Kudarat is accessible via major highways.
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SARANGANI
- source: en.wikipedia.org
Sarangani is located at the Southernmost tip of Mindanao, and it has a total land area of 4,100.42 square kilometers. Sarangani has seven municipalities, with Alabel as the provincial capital. Sarangani was once part of South Cotabato, but it became an independent province in the year 1992. Major agricultural products of the province include coconut, banana, sugarcane, corn and durian. It is also rich in precious metals, such as gold, copper, iron, and it also produces silica, coal, marble and white pebbles. Early inhabitants of the province were called the "MunaTo" which means "first people". People from this region have many dialects such as Cebuano, Ilocano and Ilonggo depending on the area.
Also, our very own boxing champion is the congressman of this province! He has his own farm in Sarangani called "Pacman Farm".
- source: sarangani.gov.ph
You would also be surprised to know that this province is a typhoon-free province!
How to get here?
There are daily flights from Manila to General Santos City and from there, go to KCC mall and take the shuttles bound for Sarangani
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GENERAL SANTOS
- source: en.wikipedia.org
General Santos or GenSan is part of the province South Cotabato and is the first congressional district in the province. It is known as the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines", and the fishing industry has greatly contributed to their economy.
- source: mindanews.com
The people of GenSan are called the Generals or the Henerals. Its total land area is 536.01 square kilometers, and it has varying terrain, ranging from flat plains to scattered hills. GenSan is composed of 26 barangays and it is occupied by 538,086 Generals, making it the 15th most populated city in the country. Cebuano is the most widely spoken language in the city. But Generals also speak English and Tagalog as their medium in schools and business communication. This province is really famous because it is the hometown of our very own boxing champion, Manny Pacquiao.
Getting here is really easy because there are daily flights from Manila to General Santos City
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Nice blog. Very informational. Would love to visit!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteThis post makes me want to gooooo! <3
ReplyDeleteSOCCSKSARGEN!!!!! :D
ReplyDeleteI wish to offer my knowledge on how to set up the Criminal Jury Systems for SOCCSKSARGEN which will consist of two 2 types, namely, the Trial Jury and the Grand Jury systems.
ReplyDeleteThe Trial Jury is like a Group Judge, consisting of 12 sovereign citizens which will serve as the assessor of facts and the decision maker in a case and shall be presided by a Trial Judge who will instruct the Jury on the law violated by crime suspect. The Jury verdict of the Trial Jury shall serve as an authorization from the people for the government to impose punishment on the convicted crime offender.
The Grand Jury is like a Group Accuser composed of 23 sovereign citizens which shall be the SECRET original accuser of the crime suspect. Its investigation is held highly confidential as an anti-dote against the commission of serious crimes committed in secret. The accusation filed in court by the Grand Jury serves as the authorization by the sovereign people for the government to prosecute the crime offender in their community.
The Jury system is intended as an implementing procedure for Article II, Section 1, of the constitution in which says: "Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them" with emphasis on the last phrase which means that "all government authority emanates from the people." What this means particularly in criminal justice is as follows:
1. The government cannot pursue the prosecution of the crime suspect unless a PRIOR secret investigation and indictment has been filed in court by the Grand Jury which is composed of 23 people in the community where the crime was committed;
2. The government, through the presiding judge, cannot impose punishment on the convicted crime offender UNLESS a prior guilty verdict has been issued by the Trial Jury composed of people in the community where the crime was committed.
With the Jury System, the decision making is FIRST be made by the people, not by the prosecutor and not by the presiding judge. The Jury system shall relieve the prosecutor and the judge from political pressure and their job shall become ministerial because the decisions have already been made for them by the people who sit as jurors in the jury.
In both juries, trial jury and grand jury, the jurors will be issued their instruction on how to do their job and it is not a requirement that they must know the law before they are called to sit as jurors. All jury proceedings shall be conducted with interpreters who speak the local dialect of the jurors. In fact, they will be informed during their instruction that they must not use any law that they have learned before they were called to serve as jurors. Juries will take away any political interference in the administration of justice.
The Grand Jury, in particular, is the jury that will extinguish the so-called political dynasties in the government once the Grand Juries will spring into action secretly against corrupt politicians who operate their dynasties fraudulently against the people.
Kindly contact me, through my email: MCamello@verizon.net. I will send you more information and illustration on how this jury system works. By the way, I am a bar member both in the Philippines and in the State of California. I am a graduate of Notre Dame University of Cotabato City. One of my classmates that you know well was the late Atty. Bayani Calonzo. We both passed the bar in the same year. I retired from law practice in California just recently. Contrary to other's belief, the jury system is so very easy to operate through the instructions.
Hello there, I need assistance with (1) Cultural Beliefs and Sample Dialects, and (2) Region 12 SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Tourism Activities/Program. This is for educational purposes (specifically in my reporting on SOCCSKSARGEN), as there are certain details I can't find on other websites. Thank you so much.
DeleteI need help. Can you please describe the arts in SOCCSKSARGEN?
ReplyDelete