Shariff Kabunsuan
Encyclopedia
Shariff Kabunsuan was a province
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...

 of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is the region, located in the Mindanao island group of the Philippines, that is composed of predominantly Muslim provinces, namely: Basilan , Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It is the only region that has its own government...

 (ARMM) that existed from 2006 to 2008. The law establishing the province was nullified by the Philippine Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...

 in 2008.

History

Shariff Kabunsuan was established under Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 201 which provided for the creation of the new province comprising the municipalities of Barira, Buldon, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Parang, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura, and Upi, all of the first legislative district of the mother province of Maguindanao
Maguindanao
Maguindanao is a province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Its capital is Shariff Aguak. It borders Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, and Sultan Kudarat to the south....

. On October 29, 2006, the creation of the new province of Shariff Kabunsuan was ratified by the affirmative majority (285,372) votes cast in a plebiscite. Only 8,802 voted for its rejection. A new municipality within the province, Northern Kabuntalan
Northern Kabuntalan, Shariff Kabunsuan
Northern Kabuntalan is a municipality in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines.It was created out of 11 barangays of Kabuntalan, by virtue of Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 205, which was subsequently ratified in a plebiscite held on December 30, 2006...

, was subsequently established after its creation was ratified by the affirmative majority votes cast in a plebiscite.

The law establishing Shariff Kabunsuan was enacted by the Regional Assembly for the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, the first such province established by that local body, which had been so empowered under Republic Act
Republic Acts of the Philippines
This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Philippine laws have had various nomenclature designations at different periods in the history of the Philippines, as shown in the following table:...

 No. 9054 or the Expanded ARMM law. Shariff Kabunsuan was the first province since Philippine independence that was not established through an Act of Congress.

At the time of its creation, Shariff Kabunsuan was the Philippines' 80th province and the sixth in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is the region, located in the Mindanao island group of the Philippines, that is composed of predominantly Muslim provinces, namely: Basilan , Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It is the only region that has its own government...

. The province was named after Shariff Mohammed Kabungsuwan, an Arab-Malay Islamic preacher who introduced Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 to central Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...

 in the 16th century.

Cotabato City, which is independently governed and does not vote for provincial officials, belongs to neither Maguindanao nor Shariff Kabunsuan. However, for the purposes of congressional representation the said city was grouped with Shariff Kabunsuan, as per Section 5 of MMA Act No. 201.

Supreme Court

On July 17, 2008, the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...

, in Sema v. Comelec
Sema v. Comelec
Sema v. COMELEC is a court case that was heard before the Supreme Court of the Philippines. It was consolidated with Marquez v. Comelec . It held that the Regional Assembly of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao does not have the power to create provinces and cities...

 declared the creation of the province of Shariff Kabunsuan void and ruled that the power of ARMM’s legislature to create provinces and cities is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court in particular held that only the national Congress
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines. It is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate , and the House of Representatives although commonly in the Philippines the term congress refers to the latter.The Senate is composed of 24 senators half...

 was empowered to create provinces and cities because the creation of such necessarily included the power to create legislative districts, which explicitly under the Philippine Constitution
Constitution of the Philippines
The Constitution of the Philippines is the supreme law of the Philippines.The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987 Constitution"...

 was within the sole prerogative of Congress to establish. Consequently, the Court also declared unconstitutional the power of the Regional Assembly to create provinces and cities within the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

Despite a motion for reconsideration filed by ARMM officials, the Supreme Court reaffirmed its ruling in January 2009, thereby rendering its decision as final.

Political divisions

Shariff Kabunsuan was composed of 11 municipalities
Municipalities of the Philippines
A municipality is a local government unit in the Philippines. Municipalities are also called towns . They are distinct from cities, which are a different category of local government unit...

 in two Sanggunian districts:

First District

Municipality
Municipalities of the Philippines
A municipality is a local government unit in the Philippines. Municipalities are also called towns . They are distinct from cities, which are a different category of local government unit...

No. of
Barangays
Population
(2000)
Area
(km²)
Pop. density
(per km²)
Barira
Barira, Maguindanao
Barira is a 5th class municipality in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 18,296 people in 3,326 households....

14
18,296
380.0
48.1
Buldon
Buldon, Maguindanao
Buldon is a 4th class municipality in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 26,903 people in 4,802 households....

15
26,903
357.20
75.3
Matanog
Matanog, Maguindanao
Matanog is a 5th class municipality in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 19,006 people in 3,125 households....

  8
19,006
53.39
356.0
Parang
Parang, Maguindanao
Parang is a 1st class municipality in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines. It is bordered to the north is Matanog, on the west by Barira and Buldon, and on the south is Sultan Kudarat. It consists 24 barangays, 15 of which are coastal. It was created on August 18, 1947 through Executive Order No...

23
102,602
234.59
Sultan Mastura
Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao
Sultan Mastura is a municipality in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines.The town was part of the province of Shariff Kabunsuan from October 2006 until its nullification by the Supreme Court in July 2008.-Barangays:...

13
15,910
114.36
139.1
Sultan Kudarat (Nuling)
Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao
Sultan Kudarat is a 1st class municipality in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of about 94,861 people in 16,996 households....

39
78,951
611.51

Second District

Municipality
Municipalities of the Philippines
A municipality is a local government unit in the Philippines. Municipalities are also called towns . They are distinct from cities, which are a different category of local government unit...

No. of
Barangays
Population
(2000)
Area
(km²)
Pop. density
(per km²)
Datu Blah T. Sinsuat
12
12,916
Datu Odin Sinsuat (Dinaig)
Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao
Datu Odin Sinsuat is a 2nd class municipality in Maguindanao province, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 71,569 people in 13,270 households....

34
71,569
503.20
142.2
Kabuntalan (Tumbao)
Kabuntalan, Maguindanao
Kabuntalan is a 5th class municipality of Maguindanao, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 23,137 people in 4,223 households....

17
13,464
219.34
Northern Kabuntalan
11
  9,673
Upi
Upi, Maguindanao
North Upi is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 51,141 people in 9,975 households....

23
38,225
896.10
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