Upi, Maguindanao

Upi is a 1st class municipality in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 45,444 people in 11,337 households.

The town was part of the province of Shariff Kabunsuan from October 2006 until its nullification by the Supreme Court in July 2008.

Barangays

Upi is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.

Etymology

Upi was probably derived from the term "ufi". It is a Teduray name for a certain tree that grows abundantly in the place in the early years. The bark of “Ufi” is used with betel nuts for chewing or "mama" in Teduray. Tedurays are the native inhabitants of the place.

History

The beginning of Upi as a district geographical and political entity largely began on the early part of 1901 to 1910 when the American forces set foot in the then Empire of Cotabato. Today the province is subdivided into five (5) major provinces: Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, South Cotabato, Saranggani and Maguindanao where Upi municipality is located. Upi is a mountainous town situated in the south-western coastal portion of Maguindanao Province.

Maguindanao

Maguindanao is a province in the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Its capital is Shariff Aguak. It borders Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, and Sultan Kudarat to the south.

History

Shariff Mohammed Kabungsuwan of Johore introduced Islam in the area at the end of the 15th century. He subsequently married a local princess from the Maranao Tribe of Malabang and Maguindanao Province, and established the Sultanate of Maguindanao. The Cotabato Valley formed the sultanate's heartland but its influence extended from the Zamboanga Peninsula to Sarangani Bay and Davao.

The Spaniards launched expeditions to subdue the area throughout the colonial era but they never gained control of the region until the middle of the 19th century after the Spaniards established a military post at what is now Barangay Tamontaka, one of the earliest Christian settlements founded south of the Philippines, in present-day Cotabato City. Spaniards already took with them Chabacanos and Chabacano-speaking Muslims from Zamboanga and Basilan and Cebuanos. Chabacanos being brought by Spaniards are the reason of existing Chabacano dialect in Cotabato City called Cotabateño, evolved from Zamboangueño.

Maguindanao (disambiguation)

Maguindanao may refer to: