South Cotabato

T'boli and the Lake Sebu Highlands

The T'boli people have occupied the highlands around Lake Sebu for as long as their oral history reaches. They were not conquered by the Spanish — the highlands of southern Mindanao remained beyond effective colonial control throughout the 350-year Spanish period. It was American administration and subsequent settlement that brought the most significant disruption to their territorial domain.

South Cotabato's cultural identity centers on the T'boli people and their living heritage — the t'nalak cloth, the hegelung two-stringed lute, the brass ornaments of the Lake Sebu highlands. But the province is also home to B'laan, Ubo, and Maguindanaon communities, as well as the Christian settler majority that has shaped the lowland towns since the American period.

T'nalak Weaving

T'nalak is woven on a backstrap loom from abaca fibre that has been treated with natural dyes — traditionally black and red against the natural beige of the abaca. The resist-dyeing process requires tying sections of the fibre before dyeing to preserve the pattern — a technique that predates written documentation and that continues unchanged in the Lake Sebu highland villages.

T'nalak Festival

The T'nalak Festival, held annually in July, celebrates the heritage of the T'boli people with street dancing, cultural performances, and a t'nalak weaving competition. Weavers from across the Lake Sebu highlands bring their work. The festival has grown from a local celebration into a national cultural event that draws visitors from across the country.

South Cotabato's food reflects its diversity — the tilapia and snakehead fish of Lake Sebu, the pork and chicken dishes of the Visayan and Ilocano settler communities, and the traditional preparations of the T'boli highlands that use forest ingredients unavailable in lowland markets.

South Cotabato is linguistically diverse. Cebuano and Hiligaynon are the dominant languages of the lowland settler communities. The highland indigenous communities speak T'boli and B'laan, both of the Bilic branch of the Philippine language family, and Ubo Manobo. Hiligaynon is the most widely spoken language overall, followed by Cebuano, which is the majority language of General Santos, Polomolok, Tampakan and Tupi.

T'boli Language

T'boli is spoken by approximately 100,000 people in the Lake Sebu highlands and surrounding areas. It encodes a rich oral tradition — the tudbulul epic, sung by specialist performers, tells the history and cosmology of the T'boli world over performances that can last for days. The language is closely tied to the t'nalak weaving tradition — the names of patterns, the ritual vocabulary of the weaver's communication with Fu Dalu, and the social categories related to weaving skill all exist in T'boli and not in Filipino or Cebuano.

South Cotabato is reached via General Santos City or Koronadal. Lake Sebu is about two hours from General Santos by road — through the lowland plains of Koronadal and then up into the highlands. The lake itself is worth at least a full day.

Mount Matutum, an active stratovolcano 2,286 meters high, is the highest point in South Cotabato. Its forested slopes, home mainly to B'laan communities, shelter endangered species including the Philippine eagle and the Philippine tarsier. Lake Sebu, in the Allah Valley highlands, is one of the country's important watersheds.

Philippine Eagle

Pithecophaga jefferyi

Critically Endangered

The national bird and one of the world's largest eagles, found only in the Philippines. It is among the endangered species recorded on the forested slopes of Mount Matutum.

Field note: Report sightings, and never disturb a nest. Killing a Philippine eagle carries a prison term under the Wildlife Act.

Philippine Tarsier

Carlito syrichta

Near Threatened

A tiny nocturnal primate with huge eyes. Mount Matutum's forests are one of the places in South Cotabato where it has been recorded.

Field note: Do not handle tarsiers or use camera flash. They are easily stressed.