Brief History of the Province of South Cotabato
Before the turn of the 20th century, the area to which South Cotabato would be carved was sparsely inhabited. The inhabitants were Muslims, B'laans, Manobos, Tagabilis and other ethnic groups who migrated to this part of Mindanao. They were believed to have come from the same Malayan stock owing to the similarity of their physical structure and language.
The province has a history of pioneering immigrants who undauntedly faced many challenges. On February 27, 1939, pioneers mostly coming from Luzon led by the late General Paulino Santos after whom the bustling City of General Santos was named, arrived and laid the foundation for what was to become the progressive province it is today.
On July 18, 1966, South Cotabato was formed as an independent province from Cotabato.
South Cotabato is a very young province. In four decades, it has attained phenomenal growth. This can be attributed to the ingenuity of the development schemes planned for the province that translate into concrete realities.