Makilala, officially the Municipality of Makilala, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 87,927 people.

History

Makilala is one of the five daughter municipalities of Kidapawan. It was the second to separate, created through Executive Order No. 63, issued by President Ramon Magsaysay on September 8, 1954. Incumbent Kidapawan councilor Ireneo Castro was appointed as its first mayor. With such separation, Kidapawan lost its southern border with the then-undivided Davao. The creation caused splitting of the village of Indangan into two. Few years later, the councilors petitioned to change the border, situated at Saguing River, to the Malaang River, but was ignored by the national government. The municipality was a village with a name of "Lamitan". The name Makilala is a portmanteau of the names of the early barangays of the area, namely: Malasila, Kisante, and Lamitan. An additional "la" was added to match the Hiligaynon word which means "to be known". In one of the known incidents, on December 29, 1985, members of the Pacot family were gunned down by armed men, allegedly from the Integrated Civil Home Defense Force, leaving two dead and six wounded.

Geography

The municipality of Makilala is located on the south-east portion of Cotabato Province and the last town going to Davao City. It is bounded by the City of Kidapawan in the north, Municipality of M’lang in the west, Province of Davao Del Sur in the south and the Municipality of Tulunan in the south-east. It is 129 km from Cotabato City, 100 km from Davao City, and 114 km from General Santos.

Barangays

Makilala is politically subdivided into 38 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Climate

Makilala's climatic condition is characterized by rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year, thus, the springs kept flowing, rivers are alive and farms are productive. The slopes of Mt. Apo, Mt. Libadan, Mt. Gap and Mt. Naponggis serve as rain generators that provide reliable rainfall pattern and cool climate.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Makilala, Cotabato, was 87,927 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Economy

Industries in Makilala are Rubber Industry, Woodworks and Agri-industrial products. Major firms are STANFILCO-DOLE, engaged in cavendish production and rubber processing companies like STANDECO, FARMA, MRDI, PIONEER, LASRI, MRI, and DAVCO. Major wood processing company is RNF Summit. Also Makilala has First Community Radio Fm station Freedom Radio Makilala 107.9 fm Their agricultural land mostly planted with rubber, rice, coconut, coffee, banana, vegetables and famous fruits such as durian, marang, rambutan and mangosteen.

Tourism