Pedro Colina Hill, also known as PC Hill or Tantawan, is a

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

Cotabato City Cotabato City, officially the City of Cotabato ( Maguindanaon: ''Kuta nu Kutawatu'', Jawi: كوتا نو كوتاواتو; Iranun: ''Bandar a Kotawato'', بندر ا كوتاواتو; fil, Lungsod ng Cotabato), is a third class independent co ...

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 ...

Geography

Pedro Colina Hill is one of the two prominent elevated area in Cotabato City, the other being Timako Hill. The hill also host a network of caves. PC Hill has an elevation of .

Etymology

The name of hill, Pedro Colina Hill was named after

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

the Apostle (or ''San Pedro'') by the Spaniards in the 1800s, during the time when the Spanish began exploring South Central Mindanao. "Colina" means hill in Spanish, hence Pedro Colina Hill's name is tautological or redundant. The hill is also traditionally known as Tantawan, which means "extensive view".

Cultural significance

Cotabato City derived from PC Hill, which historically was used as a fort by natives in the area. Cotabato City's name was derived from ''Kutang Bato'' or "stone fort". In Maguindanaon, the hill is known as "Tantawan". The hill linked to the history of Cotabato City's indigenous peoples (IPs), including the

Teduray The Teduray are a Filipino ethnic group. They speak the Tiruray language. There were 103,139 of them in 2010. Their name may have come from words ''tew,'' meaning people, and d''uray,'' referring to a small bamboo hook and a line used for fishing. ...

, Dulangan Manobo, and the Maguindanao peoples. The IPs share roots to brothers, Mamalu and Tabunaway who ruled the area as chieftains who set up their center of governance in what is now known as PC Hill until the introduction of Islam in the area sometime in the 15th century. When the Cotabato area experienced floods, the hill was used as a refuge by the area's early inhabitants. PC Hill is a military reservation area. Many of local law enforcement agencies hold office in the hill including the Cotabato City Police, and regional offices of the

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA, , ; Filipino: ''Ahensiya ng Pilipinas sa Pagpapatupad ng Batas Laban sa Bawal na Gamot'') is the lead anti-drug law enforcement agency, responsible for preventing, investigating and combating any ...

, and the

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is the primary investigation arm of the Philippine National Police. History The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was established as the Criminal Information Service whose origin t ...

. Most of the hill's residents as of 2018 are retired local military and police personnel. The

Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; tl, Hukbóng Pamayapà ng Pilipinas, ''HPP''; es, Policía de Filipinas, ''PF'') was a gendarmerie-type police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Po ...

also had a local headquarters on the hill during the American colonial administration. The "P.C." in the hill's name is sometimes mistaken for to mean "Philippine Constabulary". In 2018, houses in PC Hill were painted rainbow with motifs relevant to Cotabato City's history and culture such as crabs, gongs, and the '' guinakit'' (Moro boats) as part of an effort to redevelop the site and boost tourism in the city.

References

{{reflist Cotabato City Hills of the Philippines