San Fernando, officially the Municipality of San Fernando ( ceb, Lungsod sa San Fernando; tl, Bayan ng San Fernando), 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 ...
in the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
of
Bukidnon
Bukidnon(), officially the Province of Bukidnon ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bukidnon; fil, Lalawigan ng Bukidnon; hil, Kapuroan sang Bukidnon; Binukid and Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the ...
,
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 63,045 people.
History
The natives of Bukidnon known as Tigwahanons and Matigsalugs were the original inhabitants of this area. They settled along the fertile river valleys of the Tigwa and Salug rivers. These people were
nomadic
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...
by nature and subsisted mainly by
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
and eating forest products but they also maintained small plots of
corn
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. The ...
and
root crops
Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans as food. Although botany distinguishes true roots (such as taproots and tuberous roots) from non-roots (such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers, although some contain both hypocotyl ...
in places where they built their temporary shelters. They have a
feudal
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
type of government headed by a political chieftain known as “
Datu
''Datu'' is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, especial ...
”, who also acted as their religious leader and armed forces chief.
The municipality was formerly a district of the municipalities of
Maramag,
Dangcagan and
Valencia City pursuant to Executive Order No. 347 of President
Carlos P. Garcia dated July 29, 1959. During the reign of Gov. Teodoro Oblad and Cong. Cesar Fortich, a proposal was submitted to the defunct Congress for the creation of this district into municipality. On June 18, 1966, San Fernando was created into a municipality under R.A. 4789 and was named in honor of Fernando Damasco, the Father of former Gov. Catalino Damasco. The first set of government was installed at Barangay Namnam, approximately 48 kilometers away from Valencia City.
The government
resettlement program for
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 ...
during the 1960s and 1970s attracted immigrants from
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
and the
Visayas
The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands ( Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, ...
. The arrival of the migrants, attracted by the town's rich agricultural potential, created more
settlement
Settlement may refer to:
* Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building
*Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction
*Settlement (fin ...
s in the area and contributed much in the development of the area. The original occupants of the town, the Tigwahanon and the Matigsalug, were then replaced by these lowlanders or “dumagats””. Only few natives remained in the lowland and the majority of them settled in the interior and mountainous areas of the municipality.
On July 27, 1970, the municipal council passed a resolution transferring the seat of government from Namnam to Barangay Halapitan.
Halapitan - The present town of Halapitan used to be an abaca farm of Victoriano Bantug who served as mayor in the 70's. Mr. Tamin, a teacher in Namnam used to drop by at Mr. Bantug's house in present Halapitan on his way to Malaybalay, thus the word "Hapit", or drop by. Talangihon which is now Comawas was the loading dock for bamboo rafts as inhabitants sail along Tigoa River connecting Pulangui River onto Lumbayao. Mr. Bantug eventually distributed lands to newcomers and eventually the name Halapitan stayed on " Hapitanan".
Geography
San Fernando is located in the southeast portion of the province of
Bukidnon
Bukidnon(), officially the Province of Bukidnon ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bukidnon; fil, Lalawigan ng Bukidnon; hil, Kapuroan sang Bukidnon; Binukid and Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the ...
. It is bounded in the north by
Malaybalay City and
Cabanglasan, in the east by the municipality of
Talaingod, Davao del Norte in the south by
Davao City
Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land ...
and
North 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 ...
province; and in the west by
Quezon
Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ( tl, Lalawigan ng Quezon), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Kalilayan was the first known name of the province. It was later renamed Tayabas. In honor of the ...
and
Valencia City.
The municipality's
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 th ...
is from Valencia City and from Malaybalay City.
Topography
About eighty percent of the municipality's area is mountainous. The Pantaron Mountain Range (Central Cordillera of Mindanao) forms part of the natural border between the municipality and the Davao provinces in the west while the Aga Mountains between Valencia City and Quezon.
The Tigwa River valley occupies the northern and central parts of the municipality while the Salug River valley is found in the southern part of the municipality.
Bodies of Water
The municipality has two major river systems: Tigwa River and Salug River. The
Tigwa River
The Tigwa River is a river in Bukidnon, Philippines. Its drainage area is located in the northern part of the municipality of San Fernando. It is one of the major tributaries of the Pulangi River
The Pulangi River ( Cebuano pronunciation IPA ...
is a tributary of the
Pulangi River, which empties into the
Mindanao River in
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 c ...
. The
Salug River is a tributary of the
Davao River
The Davao River is the third largest river by drainage basin on the southern Philippines in the island of Mindanao. It drains an area of over with a total length of . Most of the area is uplands. Average flows within the river near to the mout ...
that empties into
Davao Gulf in the south.
Climate
Barangays
San Fernando is politically subdivided into 24
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 metropolita ...
s.
Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of San Fernando, Bukidnon, was 63,045 people, with a density of .
The municipality had a total population of 50,207 people in 2010, up from 40,165 in 2000, with 71 persons per square km.
Economy
The municipality is predominantly agricultural with
corn
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. The ...
as the major product followed by
rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
and
abaca.
Rattan
Rattan, also spelled ratan, is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the closed- canopy old-growth tropical fores ...
,
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", disting ...
,
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
,
vegetables
Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...
and root crops are also produced in the municipality.
Government
The municipality is administered by the
Municipal Mayor together with the
Vice Mayor
The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments.
Duties and functions
Many elected depu ...
and the
Sangguniang Bayan
The Sangguniang Bayan () is the local legislative branch of the municipal governments in the Philippines. It is responsible for passing ordinances and resolutions for the administration of a municipality. Its powers are defined by the Local Gov ...
. The mayor is the local chief executive officer of the municipality while the Sangguniang Bayan (or SB) serves as the local legislative arm as mandated by the Local Government Code of the Philippines of 1991.
Under the Mayor's Office are the following offices: Municipal Planning and Development Office, Municipal Civil Registrar's Office, Municipal Engineering Office, Municipal Accounting Office, Municipal Treasurer's Office, Municipal Assessor's Office, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, Municipal Agriculture Office and Municipal Budget Office. These offices are mandated to deliver the basic
social services
Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or adminis ...
to the inhabitants of the municipality.
The Sangguniang Bayan is headed by the Vice Mayor, acting as its presiding officer, and seven (7) Sangguniang Bayan councilors. They formulate laws and ordinances relevant to the municipality.
San Fernando has twenty-four (24) barangays headed by a barangay captain together with seven Sangguniang Pambarangay members. 25 Barangays including Langasihan.
Transportation
The municipality has a total road network of . The municipality can be reached by bus, jeepneys and habal-habal or motorcycles.
References
External links
*
Philippine Standard Geographic Code
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 ...
br>
2007 Official Philippine Census Information
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Bukidnon
Populated places on the Rio Grande de Mindanao