Alabel, officially the Municipality of Alabel ( Cebuano: Lungsod sa Alabel;

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

: Bayan ng Alabel; Maguindanao: Inged nu Alabil), is a 1st class

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

and capital of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of Sarangani,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 88,294 people.

History

In 1947, the families of Santiago Alaba and Tomas Beldad Sr. settled in Buayan. The place became a barrio of the Municipality of Dadiangas (now

General Santos City General Santos, officially the City of General Santos,; hil, Dakbanwa sang Heneral Santos; Maguindanao: ''Ingud nu Heneral Santos''; Blaan: ''Banwe Dadiangas''; Tboli: ''Benwu Dadiangas''; Filipino: ''Lungsod ng Heneral Santos'' and abbre ...

) on September 17, 1956, through Hadji Abdawa Mohamad and Marcos Malinao and named Alabel in honor of two families. Alabel became a municipality under ''

Republic Act This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Sources of Philippine laws ;Notes : *Customs may be considered as supplementary source of law, however, customs which are contrary to law, public order or public policy shall not be ...

6393'' (formerly ''House Bill No. 3222'' sponsored by Rep. James L. Chongbian) dated September 10, 1971, comprising eight ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

s'' separated from the city: Alabel (now Poblacion), Alegria, Maribulan, Pag-asa, Kawas, Domolok, Bagacay and Tokawal. ''

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 metropolitan ...

s'' Spring, Baluntay, Datal Anggas, and Paraiso were created between 1986 and 1989, bringing the number to twelve.

Alaba Administration (1971-1986)

The first set of elected officials were; Lucio J. Alaba as Mayor, Jose Orlino, Jr. as Vice Mayor, and Councilors; Dionisio Lim, Gregorio Lumanta, Hermogenes Pecolados, Ignacio Solis, Alfredo Radaza, Honorio Navarro, Teodolito Jabilles, and Exequil Tecson.

Martial Law

The so-called battle of Ilaga, Muslim and Lumads happened in Alabel during Marcos Regime in 1974. Many Lumads and Muslim was killed and murdered by paramilitary groups called ilaga (Ilonggo term for rats). Civilian fled and evacuated in Dadiangas now

in order to survive from brutalities in Alabel while some transfer and went home to their place of origin in Visayan Islands.

Sibugan Administration (1986-1998)

In 1986 EDSA Revolution, Mayor Alaba was replaced by Hernando L. Sibugan, the appointed mayor of the Ministry of Local Government and was elected to the same office in 1988 and 1992. Finally, Alabel was chosen the capital town of the newly created Sarangani Province by virtue of Republic Act No. 7228 on March 16, 1992, through the representation of James L. Chiongbian. The former President

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

landed in Barangay Spring in 1988 during her visit in South Cotabato. The President together with her team visited

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

to watch the solar eclipse. Astronomers and other tourists watched the said celestial phenomena. President Corazon Aquino and Defense Secretary

Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

were among the estimated 20,000 sight-seers and scientists who jammed the cities of Davao and General Santos for the event, seen as a total eclipse only in the nation's extreme southern tip and parts of Indonesia. It was the first total eclipse seen in the Philippines since 1955. Another is not expected until the year 2042.

The Grafilos

Two Grafilos became local chief executives of Alabel for a span of 18 year from 1998 to 2016. Narsico Ra. Grafilo Jr., served as mayor of Alabel from 1998 to 2007. In his term, Kasadyaan Festival was inaugurated in 2001. Corazon Sunga Grafilo succeeded Mayor Jun as mayor in 2007. In her term, Alabel became a sister city of Makati. Abante Alabel as a town's tagline was popularized in her term.

Creation of Ladol

''Provincial Ordinance Nos. 2003-025'' (dated December 1, 2003) and ''2011-7-048'' (July 26, 2011) of the Sarangani Provincial Board provided for the constitution of

Sitio 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 ...

Ladol in Brgy. Poblacion into a regular

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 metropolitan ...

. This was ratified in a plebiscite held on August 18, 2012. The separation was further formalized when Pres. Rodrigo Duterte signed ''

11599'' on December 10, 2021.

Salarda Administration (2016-present)

The administration of Vic Paul Salarda started in 2016. Infrastructure projects and community services were his administration's priority. Serbisyong Smile sa Barangay (SSB) was his flagship program where government agencies joined to bring services to various barangay in the municipality. Smile Alabel is the popular tagline of Mayor Nonoy.

Cityhood

House Bill No. 3494 was filed last August 6, 2019 for the conversion of the municipality of Alabel into a component city in the province of Sarangani. The bill is currently pending with the committee on local government since August 13, 2019.

Creation of New Canaan

On August 20, 2022, majority of selected residents of Alabel ratified in a plebiscite ''Provincial Ordinance No. 2009-6-044'', dated June 29, 2009, separating a part of Barangay Pag-asa to create a new one to be called New Canaan.

Geography

Alabel is located at the head of

Sarangani Bay Sarangani Bay is a bay located on the southern tip of Mindanao in the Philippines. It opens up to the Celebes Sea on the Pacific Ocean. General Santos City General Santos, officially the City of General Santos,; hil, Dakbanwa sang Heneral S ...

in the southern part of

Island.

Barangays

Alabel is politically subdivided into 14 barangays. * Alegria * Bagacay * Baluntay * Datal Anggas * Domolok * Kawas *

Ladol Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), officially LADOL Free Zone, also known as LADOL Base or the initials LFZ, is an industrial Free Zone privately owned logistics and engineering facility located on an island in the Port of Apapa, Lagos ...

* Maribulan * New Canaan * Pag-Asa * Paraiso *

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippine city or municipality, which may take up the ...

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

* Tokawal

Climate

Demographics

Parish Church in Alabel, Sarangani Province

Economy

Alabel is largely based on agriculture with a high level production of dried coconut meat. Animal husbandry is the second biggest income earner, notably cattle farming. Other agricultural products are

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

es;

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

;

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

;

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

;

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

. It is adjacent to the highly urbanized sea port city of General Santos. The economy has accelerated in the past decade driven by advances in global communication technology and the finishing of a modern highway that tremendously improved trade and transport.

Tourism

Alabel is known for its beaches and agricultural lands. * Ladol Beach * Half Moon (known as Kawas) Beach

Culture

The Municipality of Alabel celebrates it Foundation anniversary every 10th day of September. It is an annual celebration to commemorate the founding of the town. Together the people of Alabel also celebrates the Kasadyaan Festival. Kasadyaan means bliss, to give an ideal representation of what is Alabel. The annual Patronal Fiesta in Alabel is celebrated every May 15. It is feast day of

San Isidro Labrador Isidore the Labourer, also known as Isidore the Farmer ( es, San Isidro Labrador) (c. 1070 – May 15, 1130), was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid, ...

, the town's patron saint and the patron saint of farmers. ''Mutya ng Alabel'' is the annual beauty and brains pageant held in Alabel.

Infrastructure

The construction of new municipal hall building was initialized in 2016. Municipal Civic Gymnasium facade was also renovated.

Transportation

It takes 30 minutes land travel by a PUV or tricycle from General Santos to Alabel. ALTRAMSCO is the accredited transport union in Alabel. Various roads and bridges in different sites in the municipality helps to render efficient services to people especially in far flung locations. Farm to Market roads were essential in bring goods and crops to the town's center.

Health

Alabel Municipal Health Office was headed by Dr. Honorato Fabio. The Alabel Birthing Home was built to supplement the need of maternal health services. The Rehabilitation Center in Kawas, Alabel, is a China-funded P350 million regional drug treatment and rehabilitation center. This facility will serve as rehabilitation center for drug dependents and users. In 2016, Alabel received the DOH's prestigious award known as Red Orchid Award. The LGU-Alabel strict implementation of its No Smoking Policy bagged it Hall of Famer DOH's Red Orchid Award in 2018 DOH 12 Regional Awards.

Security

Peace and order in Alabel was maintain by Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Education

The Division office of the Department of Education (DEPED) Sarangani Province is located in the Provincial Compound in Alabel.

Elementary

* Alabel Central Integrated SPED Center - located in Poblacion, Alabel

Secondary

Alabel National High School is considered the seat of excellence in secondary education in the entire Sarangani Province. Producing highly competitive and world-class citizenry. ANHS was one of the many Tech-Voc School in the Province. It was established in 1960's as community high school. The current vice mayor of Alabel, Ronnel Saldua Espaňol,

MPA MPA or mPa may refer to: Academia Academic degrees * Master of Performing Arts * Master of Professional Accountancy * Master of Public Administration * Master of Public Affairs Schools * Mesa Preparatory Academy * Morgan Park Academy * Mou ...

is one of the alumni of ANHS in the year 1992.

Alabel National Science High School Alabel National Science High School is the Regional Science High School Union, Regional Science High School for Soccsksargen, Region XII situated in Alabel, Sarangani, Philippines. It envisions itself as a regional center of excellence in science ...

, the only regional science high school in Soccsksargen is located in Alabel. It was created through the initiative of the then Congressman James L. Chiongbian. It is the best performing school in Sarangani Province in the discipline of Math and Science. In fact, its students have already represented Alabel in the many international research competition abroad. .

Tertiary

* Primasia Foundation College Inc.

Government

List of Alabel Mayors

# Lucio Alaba (1971-1986) # Hernando Sibugan (1986-1998) # Narciso Ra. Grafilo Jr. (1998-2007) # Corazon Sunga Grafilo (2007-2016) # Vic Paul Molina Salarda, MPA (2016–present)

List of Alabel Vice Mayors

# Jose A. Orlino Jr. (1978-1986) # Honorio Cayetuna Navarro (1986-1993) # Narciso Ra. Grafilo Jr.(1993-1998) # Armando Chavez Rabia (1998-2001) # Virgilio Clark Tobias (Ret.) (2001-2004) # Ptr. Hermie Galzote (2004-2007) # Vic Paul Molina Salarda, MPA (2007-2016) # Ronnel Saldua Español, MPA (2016–2022) # Lente Lee Salway Jr. (2022–Present)

Sister cities

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

, Metro Manila

References

External links

Alabel Profile at PhilAtlas.com

Alabel Profile at the DTI Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index

Alabel Municipal Profile at the Province of Sarangani Official Website
* Philippine Standard Geographic Code
Philippine Census Information

Local Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Sarangani Provincial capitals of the Philippines