Datu Odin Sinsuat, officially the Municipality of Datu Odin Sinsuat ( Maguindanaon: ''Inged nu Datu Odin Sinsuat''; Jawi: داتو أودين سينسوات; ), is a

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

and capital of the

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

of Maguindanao del Norte,

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 116,768 people. The town's name was formerly known as Dinaig. It was changed to Datu Odin Sinsuat in 1994, by virtue of ''Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 29''. The municipality is home to the Awang Domestic Airport that serves the province and

Cotabato City Cotabato City, officially the City of Cotabato (Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Kuta nu Kutawatu'', Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ; Cebuano language, Cebuano: ''Dakbayan sa Cotabato''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, inde ...

History

Datu Odin Sinsuat (Dinaig) was organized as a municipality through Executive Order No. 82 signed by President

Manuel Roxas Manuel Acuña Roxas (; January 1, 1892 – April 15, 1948) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fifth president of the Philippines from 1946 until his death in 1948. He served briefly as the third and last President of the ...

on August 18, 1947. In 1955, the barrio of Upi was separated from Datu Odin Sinsuat to become the town of

Upi United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

. The town was part of the province of

Shariff Kabunsuan Shariff Kabunsuan was a short-lived province of the Philippines within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that existed from 2006 to 2008. Its designated seat of government was Datu Odin Sinsuat. Initially comprising ten municipal ...

and served as its capital from October 2006 until its nullification by the Supreme Court in July 2008. In 2023, there were proposals to create two new municipalities out of Datu Odin Sinsuat, which was met with opposition from town officials, who suggested the town be converted into a component city instead. On , the Bangsamoro parliament approved Parliament Bill Nos. 190 and 191, both seeking to carve the proposed municipalities of Datu Balabaran Sinsuat and Sheik Abas Hamza from Datu Odin Sinsuat; the measure gained mixed reactions, with United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) and their supporters favoring and town officials and their supporters opposing. However, the vote was shelved after the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

ruled on August 20, 2024 that provisions of the enabling act passed by the

Bangsamoro Bangsamoro, officially the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM; ; ), is an autonomous region in the Philippines, located in the southwestern portion of the island of Mindanao. Replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Minda ...

government for the plebiscite were unconstitutional, particularly allowing only voters from barangays of the would-be municipalities to participate in the exercise.

Geography

Barangays

Datu Odin Sinsuat is politically subdivided into 34

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal 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. ''Pur ...

s while some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, 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 bar ...

. * Ambolodto * Awang * Badak * Bagoenged * Baka * Benolen * Bitu * Bongued * Bugawas * Capiton * Dados * Dalican Poblacion * Datu Mustapha B. Ala * Dinaig Proper * Dulangan * Kakar * Kenebeka * Kurintem * Kusiong * Labungan * Linek * Makir * Margues * Mompong * Nekitan * Semba * Sibuto * Sifaren (''Sifaran'') * Tambak * Tamontaka * Tanuel * Tapian * Taviran * Tenonggos

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Poverty Incidence of

;Gross Domestic Product the gross domestic product (GDP) of Datu Odin Sinsuat is .

Tourism

* Mount Minandar is known for its green color due to being dominantly covered with grass. It is a two-hour hike from the foot to the summit of the mountain. It is located at the Barangay kusiong. * Blue Lagoon is also known as Enchanted Lagoon because, according to the old people living nearby, there are enchantresses living in it. This deep lagoon situated at the Barangay Margues is the top tourist attraction of the municipality. * Kusiong Beach is a grayish sand beach with a lot of resorts like Amaya Beach Resort, Sahara Beach Resort, and the newest Precious Cabana Resort. This is the nearest beach in

. * Masjid Datu Untong Balabaran of Taviran is a native pagoda-style

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

, one of the last pagoda-style mosques in the Philippines.

References

External links

Datu Odin Sinsuat Profile at the DTI Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index

MMA Act No. 29: An Act Changing the name of the Municipality of Dinaig in the Province of Maguindanao to the Municipality of Datu Odin Sinsuat
* Philippine Standard Geographic Code
Philippine Census Information

Local Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Maguindanao del Norte Populated places on the Rio Grande de Mindanao Provincial capitals of the Philippines Political divisions established by Philippine executive order