Pigcawayan, officially the Municipality of Pigcawayan (Maguindanaon: Inged nu Pigkawayan, Jawi: ايڠايد نو ڤيڬكاوين; Iranun: Inged a Pigkawayan, ايڠايد ا ڤيڬكاوين; ; ; ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,744 people. It is sometimes spelled Pigkawayan.

History

Before its creation as a separate and independent Political Unit, Pigcawayan together with Alamada and Libungan were component barangays of Midsayap. Pigcawayan, however at that time was more progressive than the two mentioned. How Pigcawayan got its name remains undocumented, however two versions were given by the early settlers and passed from one generation to another. The first version was that the place now known as Pigcawayan was a battleground for the Iranuns and the Maguindanaons. Due to this fighting the inhabitants would abandon the place to be occupied by the victors. From this evolved the Maguindanaon word "Pigawaan," which meant an abandoned place. The second version, refers to an incident when an American school superintendent visited the place. The superintendent encountered people roasting a pig with the use of bamboo pole rotated over live charcoal. The words "pig bamboo," as said by the superintendent, were translated into the local dialect Pigcawayan the present name of the municipality.

Partial inclusion to the Bangsamoro

In 2019, twelve barangays were among the 63 in the province which became part of the Special Geographic Area of the newly created Bangsamoro, after having the affirmative vote won to join the autonomous region in a plebiscite held on February 6. Eight of them were among the 39 in the province that unsuccessfully voted for the inclusion in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in 2001, while the other four were proposed to be part of the Bangsamoro, which replaced ARMM by virtue of Republic Act No. 11054. In 2023, the Bangsamoro Parliament approved the creation of eight new municipalities in the area. Those barangays were organized into Pahamuddin (Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 41) following ratification in a plebiscite on April 13, 2024.

Founding anniversary

Through Presidential Proclamation 692, October 21, 2024 was declared a special non-working day for the commemoration of the municipality's 71st founding anniversary on October 20, which falls on a Sunday.

Geography

Pigcawayan is the last municipality of Cotabato Province coming from Davao City to Cotabato City. It is 26 km from Cotabato City, 32 km from Cotabato Airport and 30 km from the nearest seaport which is the Polloc Port of Parang, Maguindanao.

Barangays

Pigcawayan is politically subdivided into 28 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Pigcawayan was 52,744 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Economy

The municipality is primarily an agricultural area. Common industrial activities are rice and corn mills. There are 11 rice mills (electric operated) found in Poblacion (2), Tubon (4), North and South Manuangan (2), Upper Baguer (10), Balogo (1), and Capayuran (1). Aside from these, there are also 2) Baby Cono/Kiskisan that can be found in (13) barangays. Processed milled rice by Rice Mills are usually brought/sold to Cotabato City, Davao City and in some parts of South Cotabato. Milled rice produced by "Kiskisan/Baby Cono" were usually for households consumption by residents of barangays. Cottage industries include furniture shops that use wood, bamboo and rattan, as well as rice grinder, mini sawmill and machine shops. The Gross Domestic Product of the Municipality (2022) is 11,036,750,604(PHP).

Tourism

"Katahum Pigcayawan is the proposed tourism brand of the municipality."

Notable Personalities