Official Seal of the City of General Santos

Official Name: General Santos City

Other names: Dadiangas, Gensan

Income Classification: 1st Class City (Highly-urbanized City)

Region: XII (SOCCSKSARGEN)

Province: South Cotabato (administered independently but grouped under South Cotabato, geographically)

Area: 190.29 sq. mi.

Area Elevation: 49.2 ft. above sea level

Population (2010): 538.086

Pop. Density: 2,800/sq. mi.

Language(s): Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Tagalog, English

Demonym: Generals / Heneral

Postal Code: 9500

Dialing Code: 083 or 83

Official Website: www.gensantos.gov.ph

Being dubbed as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines, General Santos is located at the southernmost part of the Mindanao Island in the Philippines. The city's major economic source is agriculture and fishing industry.

The city is also the economic hub of the entire Region XII, making it the one-stop destination of the south. The city also houses two (2) Universities and several educational institutions.

The city is also the shopping capital of the region, here are the most popular shopping destinations in the city:

• KCC Mall of Gensan
• SM City General Santos
• Robinsons Place General Santos
• Veranza Mall
• Gaisano Mall of Gensan

If you are travelling in the city, there are hotels that you can choose from the 1-star to 4-star hotels, for more details, please download TripAdvisor on Play Store (for Android) and Appstore (for iOS devices).

If you are planning to study in General Santos, the city houses two (2) Universities namely Notre Dame of Dadiangas University and Mindanao State University.

If you're looking for a foodtrip around the city, there is a place in Lagao that you can visit and eat, Tiongson Arcade offers a wide variety of seafood and other local dishes!

How to go to General Santos?

via Air: General Santos International Airport (GES)

Cebu Pacific Air offers flights to General Santos from:

Manila (MNL)

Cebu (CEB)

Iloilo (ILO)

Philippine Airlines offers flights to General Santos from:

Manila (MNL)

Iloilo (ILO) through PAL Express (owned and operated by Philippine Airlines)

Tigerair Philippines offers flights to General Santos from:
Manila (MNL)

via Land: General Santos Integrated Bus Terminal (Bulaong Terminal)
Yellow Bus Line offers travel to General Santos from:
Davao City
Koronadal City and South Cotabato
Isulan and Sultan Kudarat (including Tacurong City)
Digos City

Husky Bus Line offers travel to General Santos from:
Cotabato City
Koronadal City
Isulan, SK
Tacurong City

Holiday Bus Line offers travel to General Santos from:
Koronadal City and South Cotabato
Davao City

via Sea: Port of General Santos
There are daily and weekly travels from Manila to General Santos, though not yet confirmed.
Tip: Visit the website of the 2GO Travel to know more.

Source: LGU General Santos, Wikipedia, 2GO Travel website

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General Santos City proposed as separate legislative district

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – South Cotabato officials are pushing for the separation of this city into a separate legislative district before the May 2013 midterm national and local elections.

Current legislative districts of South Cotabato province and General Santos City

Rep. Daisy Avance-Fuentes (South Cotabato, 2nd District) said Friday they are presently working for the referral to the committee on local government of House Bill (HB) 6038 or “an act reapportioning the composition of the first (1st) and second (2nd) legislative districts in the province of South Cotabato and thereby creating a new legislative district from such reapportionment” when Congress resumes its sessions next week.

She said they expect the committee to immediately schedule the hearings for the proposed measure, which was filed by Rep. Pedro Acharon Jr. (South Cotabato & Gen. Santos City, 1st District) last March 19. “Right now, our target is to have this bill passed and hold the first elections for the reconfigured districts in [May] 2013,” she said.

Fuentes, who is the bill’s co-author, said the measure mainly provides for the reapportioning of the present composition of South Cotabato’s first and second congressional or legislative districts.

She said the reconfiguration will pave the way for the creation of a separate or lone congressional district for this city.

 

The first district presently comprises this city and the municipalities of Tupi, Tampakan and Polomolok in South Cotabato. The second district is composed of Koronadal City and the municipalities of Tantangan, Banga, T’boli, Surallah, Sto.Nino, Norala and Lake Sebu in South Cotabato.

Under HB 6038, Fuentes said South Cotabato’s first district will be reshaped into the towns of Polomolok, Tupi, Tampakan and T’boli. Koronadal City and the six remaining towns will compose the province’s second district.

“We decided on this reconfiguration with the consideration of pushing later on for the creation of another separate district for Koronadal City,” she said.

Proposed reapportionment for South Cotabato province and General Santos City

Koronadal, which is a component city of South Cotabato, is the province’s capital and the seat of Region 12 or the Soccsksargen Region.

The city, which has a population of 538,086 based on the 2010 census, has long been classified as an independent and highly-urbanized locality but it has remained a part of South Cotabato’s first
congressional district.

It was originally a component of the undivided Cotabato empire province until Congress approved its charter in 1968.

Based on the 2010 census, the municipalities of Tupi, Tampakan and Polomolok of South Cotabato posted a combined population of 236,370, which is short of the 250,000 population requirement for the creation of a new congressional district.

The authors carved out T’boli town, which has a population of 79,175, from the second district to complete the population requirement.

Early last year, the South Cotabato provincial board passed Resolution No. 5, which sought for the separation of General Santos City from the province’s legislative configuration and the re-apportionment of the area’s existing districts.

Vice Gov. Elmo Tolosa, co-author of the resolution, said the proposal would significantly benefit the province in terms of increased allocation from the congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund
or PDAF and guaranteed representation at the House of Representatives for local constituents.

Tolosa said they believe that being a first class province, there’s a need for South Cotabato to have more representation in Congress to cope with its rapid growth in terms of economic and social development.

With a population of 827,200 based on the 2010 census, the province’s total population was projected to reach around 851,000 this year based on its annual average growth rate of 1.46 percent.

Source: MindaNews

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BayanTel's Lola Techie meets SOCCSKSARGEN Bloggers

GENERAL SANTOS CITY - Bayan Telecommunications (Bayan) brings it's popular brand ambassador and the 'Net Generation's favorite lola - Lola Techie - to the vibrant and bustling city of General Santos to take part in a series of activities in conjunction with the city government's computer literacy training program for senior citizens.

Bayan has partnered with city government of General Santos thru it's S.H.E.E.P. - Computer Literacy Program (SHEEP-CLP) and the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (abbrev. OSCA) in its mission to continue propagate its award-winning Teach Lola advocacy campaign that is geared towards encouraging the older generation to connect with present Internet Generation by breaking the digital divide spawned by the generation gap by way of learning computer skills that will get them connected to world via the World Wide Web.

Lola Techie featuring the SOCCSKSARGEN Bloggers

In a culmination program organized by the city government's SHEEP-Computer Literacy Program and the OSCA dubbed "Lola Techie salutes the Generals" held at the atrium of Robinsons Place mall, Bayan's likeable Lola Techie lead the roster of special guests from both Bayan and the city government of General Santos spearheaded by Mayor Darlene Magnolia Antonino-Custodio, in presenting the certificate of completion to the more than 100 participants who have undergone the three-day computer literacy workshop.

As the inspirational speaker at the event, Lola Techie told the GenSan's senior citizens graduates of the program to never stop learning and asked them to continuously keep abreast with the changing times by way of mastery of the use of computers as a medium of communication.

She cited Bayan and the City Government of General Santos for their untiring commitment in helping the senior citizens, whom she said comprises now the majority of the nation's population, become more useful and productive citizens of our society.

Lola Techie said she is glad that Bayan as a service provider and technology company continues to bring to the market product and services like different DSL internet packages and bundles that are affordable, reliable and easy to use.

Wacky pose with Lola Techie ☺

She also provided words of encouragement to the audience gathered by telling them not to look at their old age as a hindrance to be able to connect with today's younger generations as well as the coming future generations, but rather see it as a vital tool to connect with the present generation because of the vast learning experiences that they can offer to them from all that they have gone thru their lives.

A highlight of the program was the turn-over by the City Mayor's Office of five (5) brand new computer sets and Bayan Telecommunications' donation of internet connection to the OSCA in support of the City Government's computer literacy program.

The said donation will be used to continue offering of FREE training on basic computer operations and Facebook to interested and bona fide senior citizens of the city.

SOCCSKSARGEN Bloggers inspired Lola Techie to own and create a blog on her own. Let's wait for that. ☺

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South Cotabato Officials want separate Congressional District for General Santos City

South Cotabato officials want a separate congressional district for General Santos City. The ten-town, one-city province presently has two disctricts, with GenSan in the first.

In a resolution, the 13-person provincial board urged South Cotabato Representatives Pedro Acharon Jr. (1st district) and Daisy Avance-Fuentes (2nd dstrict) to push before the House of Representatives the immediate restructuring of the province’s current legislative set-up to complement the area’s socio-economic advances during the past years.

Board member Ernesto Catedral, chair of the board’s committee on justice and legal matters, said the move mainly seeks the separation of this city from the province’s first congressional district since it is already a chartered and highly-urbanized city.

General Santos City “has long been an independent or chartered city yet it remains a component city of the province in terms of congressional representation. I think it’s about time that this is properly threshed out because it also affects the development of the province,” Catedral said.

The city’s charter was approved by Congress 1968 but it has remained a part of South Cotabato’s first district, along with the municipalities of Polomolok, Tupi and Tampakan.

South Cotabato’s first congressional district is represented by Acharon, who is a former mayor of this city. The incumbent mayor, Darlene Antonino-Custodio, held the post for nine years or three until last year.

Catedral said that based on initial studies made by his committee, the three municipalities in the first district are already eligible in terms of the required income and population to comprise a
congressional district.

The towns of Polomolok and Tupi, which hosts the pineapple plantations of multinational firm Dole Philippines and other industrial companies, are presently among the province’s top income earners.

Tampakan town is currently the main base of foreign-backed mining firm Sagittarius Mines Inc., which is pursuing a large-scale copper and gold mining project in the area.

In the event General Santos City becomes a separate congressional district, Catedral said Polomolok, Tupi and Tampakan may automatically compose the first district, while maintaining a status quo in the second district.

The second district presently covers Koronadal City and the municipalities of Tantangan, Banga, Surallah, Norala, Sto. Nino, T’boli and Lake Sebu.

“We’re still studying this proposal but it so far appears very promising, considering the significant progress that we’ve gained these past years in the socio-economic and political fronts,” he said.

Catedral did not provide details of the realignment under the proposed three-district system but several proposals earlier came out regarding the possibility of creating a separate congressional district for Koronadal City and nearby Tantangan town.

The proposal cited the creation of another district for the municipalities of Banga, Surallah, Norala, Sto. Nino, T’boli and Lake Sebu, which currently comprise South Cotabato’s upper valley area.

“This will be a major break for the province once it materializes, given the prospects of having separate development funds for each district and enhanced representation in Congress,” he added.  

Source: MindaNews

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