Sarangani is home to indigenous tribes of B’laan,
Tagakaolo, Kalagan, Manobo, Ubo and Muslim. The two mountain
ranges which border the province, Daguma and Alip, restricted
human settlements to the narrow coast. Communication in the
valleys was difficult on account of the mountains, so much so
settlers had to come in by sea. This is why the province was
named after Saranganing, a famous Sangil voyager who came from
the coast of Indonesia and traded with the great Sultanate of
Buayan, which is now General Santos City.
It was during the American period when settlers
from Luzon and Visayas migrated into the area. In 1914, the
first batch of Christian migrants from the Visayas and Luzon
settled in Glan along Sarangani Bay. Hence Sarangani's population
today is largely a mix of migrant Hiligaynons, Cebuanos, Ilocanos,
Tagalogs and Muslims. In the ensuing years, thousands more from
Luzon and the Visayas would settle in the area.
Amidst all these, the indigenous tribes of the
land have managed to preserve their culture and shared their
ancestral land with the settlers. Intermarriages among the groups
have made the province a land of harmonious coexistence. The
languages and dialects spoken are interwoven with the lingua
franca of the province's original inhabitants. But Cebuano,
Ilonggo, and Ilocano are the most widely spoken dialects, which
the natives have adopted through time.
Sarangani was a part of the empire province
of Cotabato during the American period and was later incorporated
into the province of South Cotabato.
In 1992, the leader James Chiongbian established
Sarangani as an independent province composed of the towns of
Malungon, Alabel, Malapatan, Glan, Maasim, Kiamba and Maitum.
This marked a new beginning; it spurred the sleepy province
to development. With its rich natural resources, decisive governance
and nature-loving people, there was no stopping Sarangani from
sailing the tide to development. Like the famous Saranganing,
the province of Sarangani will surely find its place in history.
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