Lanao del Sur (; Meranaw and ; Jawi (Batang Arab): ), officially the Province of Lanao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The capital is the city of Marawi (the most populous in the province), and it borders Lanao del Norte to the north, Bukidnon to the east, and Maguindanao del Norte and Cotabato to the south. To the southwest lies Illana Bay, an arm of the Moro Gulf.

Situated in the interior of Lanao del Sur is Lake Lanao, the largest lake in Mindanao.

Etymology

"Lanao" means "lake", derived from ranao. The province, situated at basin of Lake Lanao, is known as the land of the "Maranaos" (which means "the "people of the lake").

History

Early history

Prior to the arrival of Islam, the region already had a sophisticated culture, as embodied in various Maranao epics, chants, and recorded history. The people of Lanao used to adhere to Hinduism, polytheist animism, and Buddhism. During this era, various cultural icons developed, such as the torogan, the singkil dance, the darangen epic, the unique Maranao gong and metal craft culture, the sarimanok, the okir motif, and an indigenous suyat script.

Spanish colonization

In April 1639, Spanish conquistador Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera conducted an expedition near Lanao along with troops consisting of Christianized Filipinos. In 1640, the Spanish created a garrison near Lanao but was attacked by indigenous Maranaos. In 1689, the Spaniards discovered a settlement named Dansalan at Lake Lanao's northern end. Lanao was the seat of the Sultanate of Lanao.

thumb|left|upright=0.8|[[Lanao (province)|Lanao province map in 1918]]

Division

In 1959, Lanao was divided into two provinces, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, under Republic Act No. 2228. Marawi was designated as the capital of Lanao del Sur. The city was renamed the "Islamic City of Marawi" in 1980, and is currently the Philippines' only city having a predominantly Muslim population. The division never took place due to the declaration of Martial law in the Philippines on September 21, 1972, which disrupted the elections for 1973.

Inclusion to the ARMM

In a 1989 plebiscite, Lanao del Sur voted to join the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but the city of Marawi voted to remain outside the ARMM.

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Most of the people of Lanao del Sur are practitioners of Islam.

Economy

Education

  • Mindanao State University, located in Marawi City
  • Mindanao State University – Lanao National College of Arts and Trades, located in Panggao Saduc, Marawi City
  • Jamiatu Muslim Mindanao, located in Matampay, Marawi City
  • Jamiatul Philippine Al-Islamia, located in Bangon, Marawi City
  • RC - Al Khwarizmi International College Foundation, Inc., located in Basak Malutlut, Marawi City
  • Adiong Memorial State College, located in Ditsaan-Ramain, Lanao del Sur
  • Lanao Agricultural College, located in Lumbatan, Lanao del Sur
  • Philippine Muslim Teachers' College, located in Buadi Sacayo (Green), Marawi City
  • Adiong Memorial College Foundation, Inc., located in Wao, Lanao del Sur
  • Philippine Engineering and Agro-Industrial College, Inc., located in Lomidong, Marawi City
  • Balabagan Trade School, located in Balabagan, Lanao del Sur
  • Iranun Foundation College, Incorporated, located in Kapatagan, Lanao del Sur
  • Lanao Central College, Incorporated, located in East Basak, Marawi City

Hospitals

Public

  • Amai Pakpak Medical Center
  • Marawi City General Hospital
  • Mindanao State University Medical Services and Hospital (University Infirmary)
  • Balindong District Hospital, located in Brgy. Salipongan, Balindong, Lanao del Sur
  • Unayan District Hospital, located in Brgy. Pagalamatan, Binidayan, Lanao del Sur
  • Dr. Serapio B. Montañer Jr. Al Haj Memorial Hospital, located in Brgy. Mabul, Malabang, Lanao del Sur
  • Wao District Hospital, located in Brgy. Western Wao (Pob.), Wao, Lanao del Sur
  • Tamparan District Hospital, located in Brgy. Picarabawan, Tamparan, Lanao del Sur

Private

  • Dr. Abdullah Hospital Foundation, Inc.
  • Marawi Midtown Hospital
  • Al-Shiek Hospital
  • Sala'am Hospital Foundation, Inc.
  • Ranao Doctors Polyclinic
  • Mindalano Specialist Hospital Foundation, Inc.
  • Hijrah Specialist Hospital, located in Brgy. Marawi Poblacion, Marawi
  • Hijrah Hospital, located in Brgy. Daanaingud, Marantao, Lanao del Sur
  • Tamparan Medical Foundation Inc. Hospital, located in Brgy. Picarabawan, Tamparan, Lanao del Sur

UNESCO Designations in Lanao del Sur

UNESCO has inscribed one Maranao element, the Darangen Chants of the Maranao People of Lake Lanao, in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. The element was earlier inscribed in the UNESCO Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Representative List in 2005. The organization has also designated the Old Town of Tugaya as a UNESCO Home for Culture and Heritage. UNESCO has recommended for the nomination of Tugaya and all of Lanao del Sur's traditional crafts heritage in Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, following reports made in 2014 and 2015. The Philippine ambassador to UNESCO and France noted that it will be better to inscribe Maranao's traditional crafts in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding as they have been endangered due to the 2017 Battle of Marawi. The nomination is being finalized by the Philippine government, as announced in 2018. The torogans of Lanao are also recommended by UNESCO to be nominated in the World Heritage List once proper documentation and restoration has been completed. Two torogans have been bought by a controversial heritage resort company, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, and were transported to Bataan, sparking a provincial campaign to get back the two royal houses to their ancestral homeland.

References

  • Philippine Census Information
  • Local Governance Performance Management System