HISTORY

Kidapawan City was legally created by virtue of Republic Act. No. 8500, signed by then President Fidel V. Ramos on February 12, 1998, making it a Component City of the Province of Cotabato. Despite opposition from certain quarters, the people overwhelming ratified the said Act on March 21, 1998 during a plebiscite conducted for the purpose.

            Originally named a district of Pikit in 1942, Kidapawan was later declared a separate Municipality by virtue of Executive Order No. 82 issued by then President Manuel Roxas on August 18, 1947 – thereby becoming the fourth town of the then Empire Province of Cotabato, which was then composed of the municipalities  of Cotabato (now Cotabato City), Dulawan (later named Datu Piang) and Midsayap.

            Kidapawan then had 12 barangays created along with it, namely: Birada, Ginatilan, Indangan, Linangcob, Luvimin, Manongol, Marbel, Mateo, Meohao, Mua-an, Perez, and Sibawan. From the original land area of 273, 262 hectares, Kidapawan retained only 34,007.20 hectares when four municipalities were created from it namely: Magpet (June 22, 1963, R.A. 3721), Matalam (Dec. 29, 1961, E.O. 461), M’lang (Aug. 3, 1951, E.O. 462) and President Roxas (May 8, 1967, R.A. 4869).

            Prior to its convention to a Municipality, five appointed District Mayors had served Kidapawan. The first was Datu Siawan Ingkal, tribal chieftain of the Manobos, who headed the Civilian Emergency Administration when World War II broke out. He was then followed by Felimon Blanco, Ceferino Villanueva, Jacinto Paclibar, and Alfonso Angeles Sr., who became the first elected mayor of the municipality.

            Kidapawan became the provincial capital of North Cotabato pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 341 dated 22 November 1973, with the provincial seat of government located in one of Kidapawan’s barangays, Amas. Later, Batas Pambansa No. 660 dated 19 December 1983 renamed the Province of North Cotabato just plain Cotabato. By the time it became the province’s capital, Kidapawan had already 40 barangays under its geopolitical jurisdiction.

            The name Kidapawan was derived from two Ubo-Manobo words “Tida”, meaning “spring”, and “Pawan”, meaning “highland”, hence Tidapawan “ Highland Spring”. The original inhabitants were Manobos. The influx of Christian settlers from Luzon and the Visayas has resulted in the evolution of the word Tidapawan to Kidapawan.