Antipas, Cotabato

Antipas
Municipality
Municipality of Antipas
Seal
Nickname(s):  Economic Center of Arakan Valley
Map of Cotabato with Antipas highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Antipas Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 7°14′37″N 125°03′10″E / 7.243519°N 125.052908°E / 7.243519; 125.052908Coordinates: 7°14′37″N 125°03′10″E / 7.243519°N 125.052908°E / 7.243519; 125.052908
Country	Philippines
Region	Soccsksargen
Province	Cotabato
District	2nd district
Founded	March 7, 1981
Barangays	13 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Egidio D. Cadungon Jr.
• Vice Mayor	Cristobal D. Cadungon
• Representative	Rudy S. Caoagdan
• Electorate	17,751 voters (2019)
Area [2]
• Total	552.50 km2 (213.32 sq mi)
Elevation	323 m (1,060 ft)
Highest elevation	636 m (2,087 ft)
Lowest elevation	136 m (446 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [3]
• Total	26,817
• Density	49/km2 (130/sq mi)
• Households	6,063
Economy
• Income class	2nd municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	30.49% (2015)[4]
• Revenue	₱212,561,641.43 (2020)
• Assets	₱345,194,357.92 (2020)
• Expenditure	₱191,960,857.61 (2020)
• Liabilities	₱148,959,031.61 (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Cotabato Electric Cooperative (COTELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	9414
PSGC	124715000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)64
Native languages	Hiligaynon Cebuano Maguindanao Ilianen Tagalog
Website	antipas.gov.ph

Antipas, officially the Municipality of Antipas (Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Antipas; Cebuano: Lungsod sa Antipas; Tagalog: Bayan ng Antipas), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,817 people. ^[3]

Geography[]

Antipas is centrally located at the heart of Arakan Valley. It is bounded on the southeast by the Municipality of Magpet, on the north-east by the Municipality of Arakan, on the north by the Municipality of President Roxas (north) and Arakan River, on the west by its mother municipality, Matalam and on the south by President Roxas (south).

Barangays[]

Antipas is politically subdivided into 13 barangays. ^[5]

• Camutan
• Canaan
• Dolores
• Kiy'aab
• Luhong
• Magsaysay
• Malangag
• Malatab
• Malire
• New Pontevedra
• Poblacion
• B. Cadungon
• Datu Agod

Climate[]

Antipas belongs to the "4" type of climate characterized by a distribution of rainfall throughout the year, with an average rainfall of 267 mm. The heaviest rainfalls frequently occur during the months of May, June, July and August. Antipas being centrally located at the heart of Arakan Valley is protected by the majestic Mount Apo from typhoons and other climatic disturbances. Prevailing wind directions are the Northeast and Southwest monsoon.

Temperature ranges from 23 to 32 degrees Celsius,^[7] because of its topographic elevation of 320 meters above sea level and proximity to mountainous Bukidnon province, making it one of the cool places in Soccsksargen. The highest temperature is felt during the months of March and April, while the lowest is in December. The long dry season usually lasts from January to April, during which months there is also a marked decrease in water supply for agricultural purposes when some water sources dry up, affecting agricultural productivity. During the peak rainy season, some rivers/creeks overflow, causing low-lying areas to flood.

History[]

The Municipality of Antipas long before its creation into a regular municipality was just a mere sitio called Buru-Buruan of Barangay Kiyaab of the Municipality of Matalam which is inhabited mostly by Manobos. Due to continuous influx of Christian settlers in the area, the Municipal Council of Matalam passed a resolution in 1963, approved by the defunct Provincial Board of Cotabato and then was consequently recognized as one of the regular barangays of Matalam, Cotabato bearing the name of ANTIPAS.

The name Antipas was derived from "anti" from the word antique and "pas" from Passi, two places found in Panay Island. The enthusiasm of the natives and their determination to run their own affairs coupled with the fertility of the soil and a promise of a brighter future of the area brought forth the unified will of the people when they petitioned the National Government through the Provincial Government headed by Governor Carlos B. Cajelo and represented by Assemblyman Jesus Amparo of the Batasang Pambansa. On October 14, 1980, by virtue of Batas Pambansa Bilang 88,^[8] approved by President Ferdinand Marcos, ratified by the people of the Municipality of Matalam on December 6, 1980, and ultimately inaugurated on March 7, 1981, Antipas was created as the 15th municipality of Cotabato.

Demographics[]

Population census of Antipas

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	17,800	—
1995	19,171	+1.40%
2000	19,810	+0.71%
2010	25,242	+2.45%
2015	25,304	+0.05%
2020	26,817	+1.15%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [9] [10] [11][12]

In the 2020 census, the population of Antipas, Cotabato, was 26,817 people, ^[3] with a density of 49 inhabitants per square kilometre or 130 inhabitants per square mile.

Dialects[]

The major dialects spoken is Hiligaynon o Ilonggo which comprises the 74% of the population. Second to this is Cebuano, 12% and Ilocano, 7.9%. Ethnic tribes account for the 6.1% of the population.

Economy[]

Poverty Incidence of Antipas
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14][15][16][17][18]

Antipas was classified as a 2nd class municipality by the DILG-LGMPS in 2011. It yielded an income of Php 87,510,519.00, where Php 80,567,780.00 is from IRA and Php 6,942,739.00 from Local-Sourced Revenues. The municipality is considered the economic center of Arakan Valley Complex. It plays a pivotal role in the economic development on its neighboring towns. It is the commercial, industrial and trading hub of four neighboring municipalities.

Rubber and cavendish banana production are the major crops. A major company engaged in Cavendish production in the area is AJMR/SUMIFRU Philippines. Other industries present in the area deal with agriculture support facilities such as rice mill, corn mills, corn sheller and drier. Some furniture making, tailoring and welding are also present within the locality. The palm oil industry is now also in the rise as businessmen and farmers venture further in finding ways on how to utilize their lands effectively.

Natural resources[]

Antipas is predominantly an agriculture area. Antipas is identified as a major banana-, corn- and rubber-producing area in relation to soil type and soil capability dominant in the area. Coupled with these is the potential of the area for agri-based industries like cassava, coconut and rubber, rice, coffee and cacao.

Transportation[]

Local means of transportation is served by tricycles known locally as just "motor". Transportation to its barangays and adjacent municipalities is served by motorcycles, Jeepneys, and L300 Vans. Mini-Buses serves the Arakan—Kidapawan City Route which passes the municipalities of Antipas and President Roxas. Public Utility Vans also served routes to and from the municipalities of Arakan, President Roxas, Barangay Linao and Kiyaab of Antipas and Kidapawan City.

Medical facilities[]

• Antipas Medical Specialist Center Hospital, Inc.
• Arakan Valley District Hospital
• Clinica Catotal

Educational institutions[]

Tertiary[]

• Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology (CFCST)- Antipas Annex
• St. Uriel School, Inc.
• Untalan Institute of Technology

High schools[]

Public schools:

• Antipas National High School - Main Campus
• Antipas National High School - Malire Annex
• Antipas Educational Learning Center
• Camutan High School
• Malatab High School

Private schools:

• SBC Learning Center
• St. Uriel School, INC.
• Untalan Institute of Technology

Elementary[]

Public schools:

Private schools:

• SBC Learning Center
• St. Uriel School, Inc.
• Montessori

References[]

External links[]

• Antipas official website
• Antipas profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census information