Malidegao, officially the Municipality of Malidegao (

Maguindanaon Maguindanao (, Jawi: ), Maguindanaon or Magindanao is an Austronesian language spoken by a majority of the population of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur in the Philippines. It is also spoken by sizable minorities in different par ...

: ''Inged nu Malidegao'', Jawi: ; Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Malidegao''; Cebuano: ''Lungsod sa Malidegao'';

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

: ''Bayan ng Malidegao''), is a municipality in the province of

Cotabato Cotabato or North Cotabato ( hil, Aminhan Cotabato; ceb, Amihanang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pangutaran Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤڠوترن كوتاواتو; fil, Hilagang Cotabato), officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in ...

, Philippines. The municipality is part of the

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ar, منطقة بانجسامورو ذاتية الحكم فى مسلمى مينداناو , native_name = , settlement_type = Autonomous region , anthem = Bangsamoro Hymn , image_skyline ...

despite Cotabato being part of

Soccsksargen Soccsksargen (officially stylized in all caps; ), formerly known as Central Mindanao, is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region XII. Located in south-central Mindanao, its name is an acronym that stands for the region ...

History

When the

Bangsamoro ar, منطقة بانجسامورو ذاتية الحكم فى مسلمى مينداناو , native_name = , settlement_type = Autonomous region , anthem = Bangsamoro Hymn , image_skyline ...

was created in 2019 to supplant the

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ( tl, Rehiyong Awtonomo ng Muslim Mindanao; ar, الحكم الذاتي الاقليمي لمسلمي مندناو ''Al-ḥukm adh-dhātī al-'iqlīmī li-muslimī Mindanāu''; abbreviated as ARMM) was ...

, 63 barangays in the province of

were grouped with the newer autonomous region in the second part of the plebiscite held in February 6. The mother municipalities and Cotabato province remained part of

. By March 2020, these barangays were designated as a

Special Geographic Area The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) of the Philippines has a special geographic area (SGA) in the province of Cotabato, a province which is part of the Soccsksargen region. This area consists of 63 barangays in six municipa ...

(SGA) of the Bangsamoro region. On August 17, 2023, the bills consolidating the SGA barangays into eight municipalities were approved by the

Bangsamoro Parliament , legislature = 2nd BTA (Interim) Parliament , linking_name = , coa_pic = Bangsamoro_Parliament_Seal.png , coa_res = , session_room = File:BARMM lawmakers refile local governance code.jpg , sessi ...

, The particular bill creating Malidegao was Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 134. The town was initially proposed to be named as Malmar, but this was changed to Madridagao (and later Malidegao) to better reflect the area's culture and heritage. A plebiscite was held on April 13, 2024, and voters approved all eight bills reconstituting the SGA barangays to eight municipalities including Malidegao, where 12,255 voted in favor of its creation while 44 voted against. The Bangsamoro regional government will provide P2.5 million in funding for the municipal government until it gets its share of income from the National Tax Allotment. Malidegao was created from seven barangays of

Pikit Pikit, officially the Municipality of Pikit (Maguindanaon: ''Inged nu Pikit'', Jawi: ايڠايد نو ڤيكيت; Iranun: ''Inged a Pikit'', ايڠايد ا ڤيكيت; Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Pikit''; Cebuano: ''Lungsod sa Pikit''; Tagalog: ...

Geography

Barangays

Malidegao is politically subdivided into seven

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolit ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' ( en, district or zone) is a division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a purok often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay ...

s while some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own barangay if its popul ...

. * Balungis * Batulawan * Fort Pikit * Gokotan * Nabundas * Nalapaan * Nunguan

Government

Officers-in-charge (OIC) was selected by BARMM Chief Minister

Murad Ebrahim Ahod Balawag Ebrahim (born 15 May 1949), better known as Al-hajj Murad Ebrahim, is a Moro Filipino politician and former rebel leader currently serving as the first chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. As the ...

to fill positions in the municipal government pending regular elections in 2025. The municipality remains under the jurisdiction of the Special Geographic Area pending the creation of a new province. Arnal Malaidan Timan is the OIC mayor of Malidegao since July 9, 2024,

References

{{Bangsamoro Municipalities of Cotabato Geography of Bangsamoro 2024 establishments in the Philippines Municipalities of the Special Geographic Area