PROFILE

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISION

The city of Tacurong is located at the geographical coordinates 6 degrees 41 minutes and 42.583 seconds latitude, 124 degrees, 40 minutes and 29.818 seconds longitude.  It is bounded by the municipalities of  Lambayong,  to the north;   Isulan to the west;  Pres. Quirino to the east;  and by Tantangan of South Cotabato Province to the south.

The city of Tacurong is presently composed of 20 barangays most of which are agricultural-based, namely:
 1. Poblacion - 257 Has.   11. New Carmen - 289 Has.
 2. Alejandro H. Eliseo - 941 Has.  12. New Isabela - 295 Has.
3. Baras - 756 Has.   13. New Passi - 1,560 Has.
 4. Buenaflor - 520 Has.   14. Rajah Muda - 1,310 Has.
 5. Calean - 483 Has.   15. San Antonio - 300 Has.
 6. Demetrio Ledesma - 347 Has,  16. San Emmanuel - 734 Has.
7. E. J. C. Montilla - 2,220 Has.  17. San Pablo - 339 Has.  8. Griño - 640 Has.   18. San Rafael - 194 Has.
 9. Kalandagan - 2,533 Has.  19. Tina - 514 Has.  
 10. Lancheta - 511 Has.   20. Upper Katungal - 577 Has.

Barangay Poblacion is the seat of the city  government  and  center  of  most of  the economic,  cultural and  political  activities of  the city.   Although  most of the  barangays are agricultural-based,   some barangays those that are adjacent to Barangay Poblacion are already becoming commercial,  residential and industrial centers.

DEMOGRAPHY:

POPULATION, SIZE, GROWTH and TREND
 As of 2000 census on population, the city of Tacurong has a total population of 76,424, of which, 76,325 or 99.87% is household population, This indicates an addition of 6,602 persons to the population enumerated by the census in 1995 which was 69,822. This puts the geometric growth rate of the population between 1995 and 2000 at 1.93 percent annually. Barangay Poblacion, being the urban center is the most populated area with 17,005 residents followed by Barangay New Isabela with 8,965 residents while Barangay San Rafael represents the least populated area with 801 persons or 1.05 percent of the total population.
 Of the eleven municipalities and a city in the province of Sultan Kudarat, the city of  Tacurong is the largest in terms of population size comprising 13.4 percent of the total population of the province while comprising only 2.65% of the total land area of the province. Several factors contributed to the large population of the city of Tacurong. First, its being the center of finance, trade and commerce, and rest and recreation in the Central Mindanao area, the city play host to the large number of people who come to do their business and presents livelihood opportunities for the jobless. Second, the presence of basic services and facilities attracts the people from other municipalities to reside in the city; and third, the stability of peace and order situation of the city.

URBAN- RURAL DISTRIBUTION
 The urban dwellers from Poblacion, Barangay San Pablo, Barangay New Isabela and Barangay San Emmanuel represent 48.02 percent of the total population while the rural population is placed at 51.98 percent or 39,727 residents

POPULATION DENSITY
 The city of Tacurong has a population density of 498.20 persons per square kilometer.

AGE – SEX DISTRIBUTION
 Based on 2000 census, male population comprised 50.59 percent of the total population or 38,663 residents while female population was 49.41 percent or 37,761 of the total population.
 Basing on the age structure, it can be observed that the city’s population is predominantly young. The 50,440 or 66 percent belongs to 0-24 age level which has the largest share; 19,343 or 25.31 percent represents 25-49 age bracket; and 50 years and above age bracket which has the lowest share of 8.69 percent or 6,641 of the total population.

MOTHER TONGUE/ETHNICITY
 Ilonggo is the mother tongue of 53,780 persons or 70.37 percent of the total population. About 11,838 or 15.49 percent have Ilocano as their mother tongue while the remaining 14.14 percent of the population are distributed to the different categories such as Cebuano (4.33%), Maguindanao (3.69%), Tagalog (3.61%) and others (2.51%).

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
 The most dominant religion in the city is Roman Catholic with 58,371 believers representing 83.60 percent of the total population. About 5.18 percent or 3,616 are Islam believers while other denominations account for 11.22 percent.

LITERACY AND HIGHEST EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
 According to the 1995 census, of the total population 5 years old and over, around 58,030 or 95.72% were reported literate while 2,593 or 4.28% were illiterate.
 In terms of highest educational attainment, approximately 21,654 persons or 35.72% of the population 5 years old and over were reported to have graduated from elementary or have had attended some graduates or have had some secondary education. Those who obtained post secondary education numbered 1,568 or 2.59%. college undergraduates were recorded to reach 5,049 or 8.33% while academic degree holders summed up to 6,397 or 10.55%. Of the latter, 43.50% are male while the other 56.50% are female.

PHYSICAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES:
TOPOGRAPHY
           The  terrain  of  the city  is  mostly  plain, about 84%  and the slope ranges from 0-8%.  The sloping areas are located at the  southeastern  portion  of   the  city.  The  plain areas are drained by a number of streams and creeks running south to north.          
           There are two soil types in the city, the banga sandy loam type and the timaga clay loam type.  Fifteen of the barangays have the banga sandy loam type which is suited for corn and other crops.  Five barangays have the timaga loam type which is generally suited for rice production.

CLIMATE
 Tacurong  falls under the fourth type of climate characterized by an even distribution of rainfall.  The average annual rainfall is 127.64 milimeter.  The average temperature ranges from 27.36 to 27.56 degrees Celcius.  Relative humidity  averages 80 degrees.

NATURAL RESOURCES
 Except for its fertile land and a number of streams and creeks, Tacurong has few natural resources since it is an inland town with almost plain terrain.  There are no forest areas except a 298-hectare reforestation  site in Barangay New Passi.  There are also some areas which could be developed into fish ponds.  Barangay Kalandagan which is hilly is a good prospect for cattle breeding and cattle raising.  It is also a good source of clay  for making pots and  of quarry materials.

LAND USE

The land area of the city is devoted to the following uses: residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial and open spaces. A vast expanse of 13,723.14 hectares or 89.46% is devoted to agriculture. Residential area accounts for the 3.71% of the total land area. Approximately, 36.8416 hectares and 86.0462 hectares of the land are classified as commercial and industrial areas respectively. About 13.39% of the total land area is classified as open space which are intended for recreational facilities, water, and areas utilized for transport facilities.

ECONOMY
Commerce and Industry
Years ago, the city depended for its source of Livelihood from agricultural and only part of the town income from a Commercial establishments. However, the influx of migrant part of the archipelago and evacuees from the neighboring place due to Sporadic disturbance caused by lawless elements, changed the Course of the city in its struggle for economic development From agriculture to commerce and industry. The increase of small Investors engaged in small scale industries such as furniture making,  Candy factory, balut making, candy factory and vInegar making is a visible proof of a commercial and industrial trends of the city.

Presently; Tacurong has thirteen (13) banking institutions serving the financial/monetary needs of the residents of the locality and neighboring areas. These banks are 1. ALIIED BANK, 2. BPI-FAMILY BANK, 3. DBP, 4. FEBTC, 5. LAND BANK, 6. METROBANK, 7. PCI-Equitable Bank, 8. RURAL BANK OF TACURONG, 9. PENBANK, 10. Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), 11. RURAL BANK OF PRES. QUIRINO, 12. RURAL BANK OF PIGCAWAYAN., and 13. NETWORK

The main industry found in the city is rice and corn milling and trading. There are nineteen (19) medium to large scale rice mills operating thirty units and two corn mills operating three units in the locality including the giant National Food Authority-Southern Philippines Grains Complex (NFA-SPGC) silo (Mechanical Drier) and rice mill, the second largest in Asia.

The NFA-SPGC includes a number of large warehouses and has a milling capacity of twenty tons per hour. It also has a daily palay dispersal volume of 52,345 or 50-kg bags per day.
The city has an agricultural crop production of 47,237.97 metric tons for all crops with 6,167.25 hectares planted. The annual rice production is 21,240 metric tons on 3,728 hectares planted, some 48% of which are irrigated. The annual corn production is 3,556.7 metric tons on 855.75 hectares planted.

The city also produces African palm oil, which is shipped to Manila to be used in the plastics and soap making industry and other chemical industries. The annual yield is 22,980 metric tons on 1,034 hectares planted.

There are also various small-scale industries like metal craft, food processing, furniture, ceramics, handicrafts, garments, pottery, vinegar making and balut making.

There are at present 1,041 registered business establishments in the community. Among these are the big shopping malls including the Tacurong Fit Mart, MS City Corporation, Kimsan Plaza Corporation, Kennedy Shopping Center and Swana Mercantile. There are also a number of large to medium scale hardware/convenience stores, specialty/novelty shops, restaurants/refreshments, parlors, fast food and other types of business establishments. These establishments cater to the needs of both the residents of the locality and the neighboring areas. There are also eleven (11) large appliance centers including the branches of some big-name ones such as EMCOR Appliance, Imperial Appliance Plaza, Quality Home Appliances and Better Homes Appliances Corporation.

The city has also five gasoline stations to cater to the needs of the motorists and the riding public.
 
There is also the nearly completed construction of the Integrated Bus Terminal which sits on a 2.5- hectare lot in Barangay New Isabela and also a plan for the construction of a modern and integrated slaughter house and auction market. 
 
The new public market, which was completed last December 5, 1996, replaced the old public market, which was razed by fire last December 1989 resulting to the destruction of 75% of the market.  The construction was made possible through a P 29 Million Loan from the World Bank through the Program for Essential Municipal Infrastructure Utilities, Maintenance and Engineering Development (PREMIUMED) and a grant of P 14 Million from the National Government.  The new 10-Million Peso wet market (agora type) which was completed earlier was financed by the local government with assistance from the national government.  
SOCIAL SERVICES
EDUCATION
 As the center of learning in the area,  the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) Division Office is located in Tacurong.  There are a total of 92 learning institutions from day care to tertiary level.  Among these are 47 Day Care Centers, 29 elementary schools, 11 high schools, and 9 tertiary schools.

Of the 29 elementary schools,  22 are public and  7 are private.  The secondary schools are composed of 5 public, 1 national, and  5 privately owned.  The tertiary level includes the Sultan Kudarat Polytechnic State College (SKPSC); Sultan Kudarat Educational Institution (SKEI), a nursing and midwifery school;   two private colleges offering various courses;  and three vocational and computer schools

All these serve not only the school-going age population of the locality but also those of the neighboring areas.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION
 There are nine hospitals and 13 medical clinics of various specialties presently located in the locality including 28 private medical practitioners, 60 nurses and 80 midwives, which complement the local health unit and barangay health centers.  There are also 14 dental clinics and 12 optical clinics

There are nine pharmacies currently in operation in the city including the branches of two branches of Mercury Drug and Rose Pharmacy.

The local health unit of the local government unit of Tacurong located at Barangay Poblacion offers free services to the public particularly the needy ones.  It has an ambulance for use in emergencies. The Association of Barangay Chairmen has also an ambulance for use by the constituents of the city.  It also has numerous Volunteer Rural Health Workers who offer free services to the different barangays.
HOUSING
The Tacurong Habitat for Humanity was able to build houses for the poor at the Tacurong Resettlement Site provided by the Local Government of Tacurong, which was developed by the National Housing Authority. There are already about 100 families living in the homes built by Habitat. There were also 40 housing units built at the resettlement site funded out of the Lingap Para sa Mahirap Fund of Honorable Angelo O. Montilla, Representative of the Lone District of Sultan Kudarat. Said houses were already awarded to deserving families.
Housing orientation and value formation was conducted to 418 beneficiaries for socialized housing to make them aware and ready of their responsibility as homepartners at the resettlement site

INFRASTRUCTURE and UTILITIES
 
Roads
There is a total of 181.244 kilometers of national, provincial, city and barangay roads in the locality. Of this kilometerage of  roads, 20.970 are national, 31.950 are provincial, 18.020 are city roads, and 110.804 are barangay roads. The national  highways of Tacurong are the Dulawan - Koronadal Road and the Kidapawan – Allah Junction road, both of which total to 19.71 kilometers. The Dulawan – Koronadal Road has a length of 11.95 kms., a standard width of 60 meters and a 0%-1% gradient at km. 235+069+244+000-247+385. This road connects Tacurong City to South Cotabato Province to the south and the Municipality of Lambayong to the north. The National Highway is a well-paved system stretching from Cotabato City to Makilala in Cotabato Province.  The portion of the National Highway fronting the commercial district is a four-lane concrete road with a total length of 1 km. and is undergoing expansion.   Alunan Highway is also concrete from the boundary with Lambayong to Gen. Santos City.  The streets surrounding the newly constructed public market also have four lanes.  A number of  streets in the poblacion are already concrete and many more are in the pipeline for concreting. The construction of the drainage system especially in the poblacion is also on going.

The provincial roads have a total of 31.950 kilometers in length with each road having a standard width of 30 meters and a road-of-way of 15 meters. All roads have earth surfacing except the highway junction – Rajah Muda road that is graveled. The roads around the poblacion has a total of 18.020 kilometers in length with each road having a standard width of 20 meters. The barangay roads have a total length of 110.804 kilometers. Mostly their condition is poor and it needs improvement of surfacing materials. These roads inter-connects the different barangays of the city.

Existing Roads by Length, Type of Pavement and Percent (%) Distribution
Road Length in Kms. General Type of Pavement (Length = Km.)

Bridges
There are (5) bridges along the National Highways of Tacurong City. These are the Calean Bridge, Kalandagan Bridge, New Carmen Bridge, and San Antonio-Bilumin Bridge along the Dulawan – Koronadal Road and the Katungal Bridge along the Kidapawan – Allan Junction Road.  All are of the RCDG Type with width of 6.0 meters and with length varying from 5.0 to 10.0 meters.

Inventory of Bridges by Location, Type, Capacity and Dimension