HISTORY
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Kidapawan became a City on February 12, 1998 by virtue of Republic Act No. 8500 inked by the 12th President Fidel V. Ramos, making it a Component City of the Province of Cotabato. Despite some opposition, Kidapaweños overwhelmingly ratified the cityhood in a plebiscite on March 21, 1998. Historically named a district of Pikit in 1942, Kidapawan was later declared into a Municipality through Executive Order No. 82 of President Manuel A. Roxas on August 18, 1947-thereby becoming the fourth town of the then Empire Province of Cotabato. The empire was then composed of the municipalities of Cotabato (now Cotabato City), Dulawan (later named Datu Piang) and Midsayap. Kidapawan had 12 baranggays along with its creation, namely: Birada, Ginatilan, Indangan, Linangcob, Luvimin, Manongol, Marbel, Mateo, Meohao, Mua-an, Perez and Sibawan with an original land area of 273,262 hectares. However, it retained only 33,926.40 hectares after four municipalities were created out of it as follows: Magpet, Matalam, M’lang and President Roxas. Prior to its conversion into a municipality, five appointed District Mayors had served Kidapawan. First, Datu Siawan Ingkal, tribal chieftain of the Manobos who headed the Civilian Emergency Administration when World War II broke out; followed respectively by Felimon Blanco, Ceferino Villanueva, Jacinto Paclibar, and Alfonso Angeles Sr., who later became the first elected mayor of Kidapawan. On November 22, 1973 Kidapawan became the provincial capital of North Cotabato. The provincial seat of government was established in Amas, one of its baranggays. By then, it already had 40 baranggays under its geopolitical jurisdiction.
NATURAL RESOURCES        Kidapawan City’s land is primarily an agricultural area with 56 percent or about 18,998.784 hectares of its total land area has been devoted to agricultural production. Another 38 percent was used for institutional, commercial and residential usage, while the rest are forestlands, mainly within the Natural Park and reservations. Various varieties of exotic fruits thrive in its 40 barangays such as durian, rambutan, mango, mangosteen, lanzones, marang and banana. It rendered a distinction for the City as a fruit bowl of the province. Other crops that are grown in the city are rice, corn, rubber, coconut and sugarcane. |
ECONOMY & AGRICULTURE
It has a total of 3, 442.33 hectares of orchards. Banana plantations comprised about 1,645.85 hectares, followed by rambutan with 422.6 hectares. Mango plantations come third with 381.99 hectares followed by lanzones, durian and many others. These numbers of plantations contribute to the growth of Agri-Business and Trade in the city. The biggest investment in the City is the Php 1.2 Billion-69MegaWatt Mt. Apo Geothermal Power Plant that was developed by the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) and then privatized into Energy Development Corporation. The presence of the energy production plant has provided 62% of the total real property revenues for the city. As the commercial and trading center of the province that caters six adjacent municipalities, Kidapawan City has a number of commercial and universal banks that directly contribute to brisk business, and spur the industrialization of the City. In 1999, a year after the cityhood, it registered an income of P255, 398,773.25. Of this about 85.67 percent of the total represented the City’s Internal Revenue Allotment while 14.33 percent was raised from local collections and grants and borrowings from the Government Financial Institutions (GFI). Year 2008 came; the National Statistics Coordinating Board has found Kidapawan City as the richest in Mindanao. It has the lowest poverty incidence in the entire major island, outranking industrialized cities like Davao, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro. |
The City Information Office is the information arm of Kidapawan City, pursuant to governing laws of the Republic of the PHilippines. Specifically, it is mandated by the Republic Act 8500: to provide information and research data required for the delivery of basic services of the LGU in order to inculcate public awareness of said services and may fully avail of it; Develop plan and strategies concerning which the local chief executive is empowered to implement and the Sanguniang Panlungsod is empowered to provide; act as lead informant in case of natural and man-made disaster to fast track relief and rehabilitation; and to transmit information, education and communication documents for the Kidapawanos for the total socio-economic development of the City.
Website : www.kidapawancity.gov.ph