Bukidnon became a part of Misamis province as a municipality in 1850. The place was then called Malaybalay (few houses) and its people Bukidnon (mountain people).
The Philippine Commission headed by Commissioner Dean C. Worcester, Secretary of Interior and a member of the Philippine Commission proposed the separation of Bukidnon from Misamis Province. In August 20, 1907, Philippine Commission Act 1963 was enacted which created Agusan and Bukidnon as a sub-province. It became a regular province of September 1, 1914 by virtue of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu. Finally, on March 10, 1917, the province of Bukidnon was officially created by virtue of Act 2711.
Malaybalay is the oldest among the 22 political subdivisions of the province. It was created on June 15, 1877. The creation of Impasugong and Talakag followed in 1914 and 1917 respectively. There were 5 more municipalities are namely: Baungon, Kibawe, Libona, Maramag and Sumilao. A year later, the municipality of Manolo Fortich was created by virtue of RA 1720. The 60’s saw the creation of 9 municipalities. Three more municipalities were created in the 70’s the latest of which was the municipality of Cabanglasan which was created on August 13, 1979 by virtue of Batas Pambansa Bilang 17.
CULTURAL HISTORY
The tribes in the province of Bukidnon are indigenous and their names are derived from the watershed they occupy7; each tribe is ruled by a Datu – a Chieftain. The Datu is one who settles disputes and gives judgment whenever their unwritten laws called Batasan are violated. The Bukidnon Datu holds great influence and is somebody to reckon with when peace and order conditions are concerned.
The Bukidnons have different degrees of acculturation. The first degree Bukidnons are those leading the most traditional life style. This includes those who lived remote from any center of lowlander habitation, deep in the forest and along the watershed of the main rivers. The second degree Bukidnons live near the fringes and directly within the bounds of the lowlanders. The third degree Bukidnons are highly assimilated and are generally able to send their children off to school. The fourth degree Bukidnons have fully assimilated the ways of urban living and hardly acknowledge the old ways of their background. The fifth degree Bukidnons are largely recent immigrants from other parts of the Philippine Archipelago and have made Bukidnon as their permanent home.
The traditional culture of the Bukidnons is a pride to all. The cultures and traditions are embodied in oral folk literature of the province which are classified into: Antoka (riddles), Basahan (proverbs or wise sayings), Kaligaon (ceremonial songs), Limbay (lyric poem), Sala (love songs) and Nanangon (folktales). Religion is monotheistic. They believe in one God. “Magbabaya” (the rulers of all) who has minor Gods and Goddesses under his command (Example: Ibabasok – watches growth of crops, Dagingon – watches planting and harvest seasons, Bulalakaw – watches rivers and lakes, Tumpas Nanapiyaw or Itumbangol – watches the bases of the earth nigh and day lost in crumbles).
Marriage is done in most cases through parental arrangement. This, though, is now only found among the people in the hinterlands. Their musical instruments are the pulala (bamboo flute), salambing (small agong), kudyapi (guitar). Embriodery process is called panulam and the embroidered cloth is called pinamulaan.
ETHNIC ORIGIN OF THE PEOPLE
The early inhabitants of Mindanao were called Manobos. Manobo is not a tribal designation but rather an applellation of contempt used by Spaniards on account of low culture possessed by the primitives at that time. The people of the mountains were referred to by the Spaniards as Buquidnons and all the people found in the mountains of Mindanao were called Manobo (Malay; “Minusia means man; Tirurai, Bagobo; Manobo means man; Moro Maguindanao; Manobo means mountain people). It seems the Manobo is a generic term or name for people of greatly divergent culture, type of language.
OVERVIEW
LOCATION
Bukidnon – a rich tableland, is a landlocked province in Northern Mindanao. It occupies the extensive plateau that is bounded on the North and the northeast by Misamis Oriental; on the east by Agusan Province; on the south and southeast by Davao province; and on the southwest and west by Lanao and Cotabato provinces. It lies between the parallels 70 25’ and 80 38’ north latitude; and the meridians 1240 16’ east longitude.
Malaybalay City – the capital town, is about 850 kilometers by air from Manila and 91 kilometers by road from Cagayan de Oro City.
AREA
Bukidnon has an area of 829,378 hectares representing 2.80 percent province, the municipality of Impasugong occupies the biggest land area with some 107,167 hectares. It represents nearly 31 percent of the province’s area. Dangcagan on the other hand is comparatively the smallest municipality in terms of land area. It only occupies a land area of about 115,515 hectares which is merely less than 2 percent of the entire province’s area.
POLITICAL SUBDIVISION
Districts / Municipalities / City
The province is currently subdivided into 21 municipalities and 1 component city. Because of the vastness of its area and the size of its population, the various political subdivisions of the province was grouped in order to form 3 congressional districts. The distribution per congressional district is as follows:
District 1 8 municipalities 135 barangays
District 2 5 mun. & 1 city 143 barangays
District 3 8 municipalities 186 barangays
TOPOGRAPHY
The province is predominantly a rolling tableland of grass with an average elevation of 915 meters. Low plains alternating with rolling uplands, deep canyons and valleys characterized the terrain.
Mountain Ranges
The province is blessed with beautiful and important mountain ranges. The most notable of this is the Mount Kitanglad ranges which has a slope gradient that peaks at 2,380 meters above sea level and occupies the central portion of Bukidnon. In the southern part of the province, Mount Kalatungan and Mount Tangkulan rise to heights of 2,287 meters and 1,678 meters above sea level, respectively. The whole eastern and southern border adjoining the provinces of Agusan, Davao and Cotabato are lofty mountains and densely forested mountains.
Slopes
Although the province has lofty mountains, the greater part is a gently rolling grassland plateau cut by deep and wide canyons of the Cagayan, Pulangi, and Tagoloan Rivers. The plateau begins to descend and gradually merges into the lowlands of Cotabato province.
Water Bodies
Bukidnon is known as the watershed of Mindanao. It is endowed with five major river systems namely: Pulangi, Tagoloan, Manupali, Muleta and Bobonawan Rivers.
Aside from the relatively important river systems, various lakes also dot the landscape of the province. The biggest is found in Don Carlos covering about 50 hectares. It was named after the barangay it is sited and is called the Pinamaloy Lake. Another important inland water body is found in Pigtauranan, Pangatucan – the Napalit Lake. Among the other uses of the lake, tourism may be the most significant, for in the 36 hectares that it occupies here, are a total of 24 floating islets in it. Apo Lake at Guinoyoran is also one of the important water bodies in Bukidnon. It occupies an approximate area of 25 hectares. Maramag basin is a manmade lake which was a result of the construction of a huge dam for the NPC Hydro – Electric Power Plant in Maramag.
ECONOMY
Bukidnon is an agricultural economy. It is a major producer of rice, corn, sugar coffee, rubber, pineapple, tomato, flowers, cassava, and other fruits and vegetables. It is also a major producer of chicken, hogs, and cattle.
Almost all large firms operating in the province are into either production or production and processing of these agricultural products.
Del Monte Philippines, Inc. (DMPI), is engaged in pineapple production and cattle fattening; Bukidnon Sugar Milling Corporation (BUSCO) and Crystal Sugar Milling are into sugar milling and refining.
Phil-Agro Industrial Corporation is in starch production. Menzi Agricultural Development Corporation is in cacao production and the First Agricultural Resources Management, Inc. (FARM, Inc.) is in cutflower production).
Food manufacturing giants, San Miguel Foods Inc., Monterey Farms Corp., Swift Foods, Inc., Purefoods Corp. and Vitarich have intensified their contract breeding and growing operations in the Province.
MAJOR INDUSTRIES
1. Agricultural and Forest Based Manufacturing
1.1 Textile and garments production with cottonized ramie, pineapple leaves, abaca and banana stalks as material, and other natural fiber including barangay level degumming and cottonizing activities and ramie and abaca production.
1.2 Herbal medicine manufacturing including cinchona-based pharmaceutical production.
1.3 Integrated livestock breeding and processing
1.3.1 Hog, fowl, beef, cattle, goat, sheep, horse, carabao and exotic animals breeding and production.
1.3.2 Feedmilling
1.3.3 Hatchery
1.3.4 Nucleus Breeding Farm
1.3.5 Contract Breeding / Growing
1.3.6 Processed meat production including chicken fillet
1.3.7 Leathercraft
1.3.8 Fresh water fish production
1.3.9 Cold Storage
1.3.10 Slaughtering and production of dress and carcass and prime cuts of pork and beef.
1.3 Integrated livestock breeding and processing
1.4 Gift, toys, housewares and furniture such as; rattan and bamboo furniture and dried flowers, etc.
1.5 Fruits and vegetable production and processing
1.6 Sugarcane based industries
1.7 Rubber production and processing and rubber product manufacturing.
1.8 High value crop production
1.9 Commercial Seed production
1.10 Cut-flower production
2. Mineral – based industries
3. Forestry – based industries
4. Service – related industries
Climate
Due to its elevation and mountainous physiography the climate in Bukidnon is relatively cool and moist throughout the year. The province has two prevailing types of climate variations in the rainfall patter existing between the northern and southern sections.
The northern part falls under the third or intermediate A type characterized by no pronounced maximum rain period with a short dry season lasting only for one to three months. The southern part, beginning from Malaybalay, falls under the fourth type of intermediate B type with no pronounced maximum rain period and no dry seasons. Rains are very frequent, almost daily for the rest of the year. Though the province is nearer the equator than Luzon Island, the climate is pleasant due to its altitude and the usual extreme heat of tropical regions can not be experienced in Bukidnon. The province is outside the path of typhoons.
The Annual Average Monthly Rainfall Distribution from 1993-1998 is 204.18 mm. The rainy seasons last from March to October when monthly rainfalls are generally from 10 to 150 mm. Record indicates that the months of January, February, November and December had no regular affective rainfall. With La Niña in 1999, annual average rainfalls of the province rose to 300.20 mm compared to 204.18 mm from 1993 to 1998.
The monthly temperature characteristics is taken from Malaybalay PAG-ASA Station as of 1999; maximum annual average of 29.50 C and minimum of 18.20C while the mean annual average temperature is 24.100C and a Relative Humidity of 86.00 percent.
Language/Dialects
The province has different dialects brought by immigration of lowlanders that come from the different islands of the archipelago. The major dialects spoken in the province is Cebuano which constituted 77.9 percent of the total household population followed by Bukidnon with 8.9 percent while the least spoken dialect is English with 0.05 percent by some tribes.
TOURISM-RELATED DEVELOPMENT
A. Transport Infrastructure
The Sayre Highway cuts right at the center of the province, from Cagayan de Oro in the North to Carmen, Cotabato in the south. Secondary national roads, also lead to Davao City, Misamis Oriental, Cotabato Province, Lanao del Sur and two other points in Cagayan de Oro City.
The total length of all types of roads reach about 5,153 km. National roads constitute about thirteen percent (13%); provincial, fifteen percent (15%); municipal, eight percent (8%) and; barangay, sixty-four percent (64%).
Although the province has several airstrips being used by private firms, the Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City is the nearest commercial air strip. Malaybalay, the capital city, is an hour and a half ride from Cagayan de Oro City.
From Davao City, Malaybalay is only a five-hour drive. It will also take the same time from Cotabato City.
Buses regularly ply the Cagayan de Oro – Bukidnon-Davao, and Cagayan de Oro-Bukidnon-Cotabato routes. Public utility jeeps provide service to commuters to and from the different municipalities and barangays of the province.
Bukidnon - Pineapple Capital Of The World
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Bukidnon is a highland paradise in the heart of Mindanao. It is home to the world's biggest pineapple plantation boasting a classic golf course dating back to 1928. It is the biggest cattle-producing province in the region. It is well endowed with natural attractions like the Kitanglad Ranges that includes Dulang Dulang, the second highest peak in the country. And it has been identified as one of the country’s richest in biodiversity and endemic species of flora and fauna.
Bukidnon is in the heartland of Mindanao, linking Davao to the south and Misamis Oriental to the north of the island.
GEOGRAPHY
Bukidnon, a rich tableland, is a landlocked province in Northern Mindanao. It occupies the extensive plateau that is bounded on the north and the northeast by Misamis Oriental; on the east by Agusan; on the south and southeast by Davao; and on the southwest and west by Lanao and Cotabato. It lies between the parrallels 7'25' and 8'38' north latitude and meridians 124'16' east longtitude.
Topography is predominantly a rolling tableland of grass with an average elevation of 915 meters. Low plains alternating with rolling uplands, deep canyons and valleys characterize the terrain.
POLITICAL SUBDIVISION
The province has a total of 464 barangays distributed among 21 municipalities and one component city. Malaybalay is the capital town. The province is grouped into 3 congressional districts.
POPULATION
Total population is 1,060,275.
LANGUAGE/DIALECT
The province has different dialects brought by the immigration of lowlanders that come from the different islands of the archipelago. Cebuano is spoken by 77.9% of the population; Binukid, by 8.9%; and English, by 0.05%.
CLIMATE
Bukidnon is relatively cool and moist throughout the year. There are two prevailing types of climate variations: the northern part has no pronounced maximum rain period, with a short dry season lasting only for one to three months, while the southern part has no pronounced maximum rain period and no dry season.
The province is outside the the typhoon belt. The mean annual temperature is 24.04°C with maximum and minimum temperature of 29.6°C and 18.5°C, respectively. The annual average rainfall is 2,581.84m.
MAJOR INDUSTRIES
Bukidnon is an agricultural economy. It is a major producer of rice, corn, sugar coffee, rubber, pineapple, tomato, flowers, cassava, and other fruits and vegetables. It is also a major producer of chicken, hogs, and cattle.
Among its major corporations, Del Monte Phils Inc. is engaged in pineapple production and cattle fattening while Bukidnon Sugar Milling Corp. and Crystal Sugar Milling are into sugar milling and refining.
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