Datu Montawal

Datu Montawal is a municipality in the province of Maguindanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro region of the Philippines. The locality was created in 2000 from territory formerly belonging to the municipality of Pagalungan. Its original legal name was Pagagawan, established through Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 95 on July 18, 2000. A subsequent regional law, Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 152, approved on June 9, 2003, sought to rename the municipality Datu Montawal. The municipality is identified in contemporary references and public usage as Datu Montawal, but the legal validity of the renaming has been questioned. Philippine law requires a plebiscite in the affected political unit before a local government unit's name change can take effect. Available reference material indicates that no such plebiscite was conducted for the change from Pagagawan to Datu Montawal. On that basis, the municipality's legally effective name may remain Pagagawan, while Datu Montawal functions as the commonly used designation. This distinction is an important part of the locality's administrative history. Datu Montawal is divided into 11 barangays: Balatungkayo, also known as Batungkayo, Bulit, Bulod, Dungguan, Limbalud, Maridagao, Nabundas, Pagagawan, Talapas, Talitay, and Tunggol. Barangays are further organized into puroks, with some containing sitios. The municipality forms part of the rural local-government structure of Maguindanao del Sur and serves its resident communities through municipal administration and public services. According to the 2024 census figure cited in the reference material, Datu Montawal had a population of 42,181. The municipality's profile is primarily administrative and civic rather than commercial: it is not a consumer brand, corporation, or product label. Its public identity is connected to local governance, territorial administration, barangay services, and participation in Philippine statistical and local-government systems. Reference sources associated with the municipality include the Philippine Standard Geographic Code, census information, the Local Governance Performance Management System, and the Department of Trade and Industry's Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index.

Datu Montawal is a municipality in the Philippine province of Maguindanao del Sur. Its administrative history begins with the creation of the locality as Pagagawan, a new municipality formed from territory taken from Pagalungan. The creation was authorized by Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 95 on July 18, 2000. This placed the locality within the autonomous regional legislative framework then applicable to Muslim Mindanao. On June 9, 2003, Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 152 sought to change the municipality's name from Pagagawan to Datu Montawal. The new name is associated with the municipality's current public and reference identity. However, Philippine local-government law requires a name change to be approved through a plebiscite held in the directly affected political unit. The available reference material states that no plebiscite was conducted for this renaming. Consequently, the change may be unofficial or legally ineffective, and the municipality may continue to be referred to by its legal name, Pagagawan, despite widespread use of Datu Montawal. Administratively, the municipality is divided into 11 barangays: Balatungkayo, Bulit, Bulod, Dungguan, Limbalud, Maridagao, Nabundas, Pagagawan, Talapas, Talitay, and Tunggol. Balatungkayo is also identified as Batungkayo. As in other Philippine municipalities, barangays are subdivided into puroks, and some contain sitios. These subdivisions provide the local framework for community representation and delivery of government services. The municipality is part of Maguindanao del Sur and operates within the broader Philippine system of provincial, municipal, and barangay governance. Public reference materials connect it with national geographic coding, census documentation, local-governance performance monitoring, and municipal competitiveness profiling. The available material does not identify a private owner, commercial parent, corporate group, or product portfolio because Datu Montawal is a territorial local-government unit rather than a commercial brand. Population information cited for the municipality gives a 2024 census population of 42,181. Other detailed demographic, economic, climate, and administrative indicators require consultation of the relevant Philippine government datasets and official local-government records. The municipality's principal significance is therefore civic and geographic: it represents a distinct local administrative area whose modern history includes both its formation as Pagagawan and the unresolved legal status of its later designation as Datu Montawal.

• 2024

  Population recorded in census

  [1]Datu Montawalen.wikipedia.org

  The cited 2024 census figure for the municipality is 42,181 residents.

• 2003

  Renaming law approved

  [1]Datu Montawalen.wikipedia.org

  Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 152 sought to rename Pagagawan as Datu Montawal. The change is disputed because the required plebiscite was reportedly not held.

• 2000

  Creation of Pagagawan municipality

  [1]Datu Montawalen.wikipedia.org

  Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 95 created the municipality of Pagagawan from territory formerly administered by Pagalungan.

A rural Philippine municipality and local-government unit in Maguindanao del Sur, with a public identity centered on territorial administration, barangay governance, and community services.

• 2003

  Proposed change from Pagagawan to Datu MontawalOther

  Background

  A regional autonomy law sought to change the name of the municipality created as Pagagawan in 2000.

  Action taken

  Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 152 designated the municipality as Datu Montawal.

  Aftermath

  Because no plebiscite for the name change was reportedly conducted, the designation is described as unofficial or lacking legal basis, and Pagagawan may remain the municipality's legally effective name.

  Source

1. 1Datu Montawalen.wikipedia.org