Sarangani, Davao Occidental

'Sarangani Island' redirects here. For the other Philippine island near Leyte also sometimes known as Sarangani, see Limasawa.

Not to be confused with the province of Sarangani.

Sarangani, officially the Municipality of Sarangani (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Sarangani; Tagalog: Bayan ng Sarangani), is a municipality in the province of Davao Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 22,515 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province.^[5]

Sarangani
Municipality
Municipality of Sarangani
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  Gateway to Southern Philippines Hot Springs Capital of Davao Occidental Philippine Backdoor to Indonesia
Motto(s):  Sarangani Bayan Natin, Sarangani Paraiso Natin!
Map of Davao Occidental with Sarangani highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Sarangani Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 5°24′43″N 125°25′19″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Davao Region
Province	Davao Occidental
District	Lone district
Founded	June 11, 1978
Barangays	12 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Adelan B. de Arce
• Vice Mayor	Marciano C. Lagudas
• Representative	Claude P. Bautista
• Municipal Council	Members Arthon M. Gantongan Dionisio D. Wao Jr. Alexis C. Forones Jay William J. Olarte Biyal A. Malong Rodilo P. Dalumpines Steven A. Olarte Jomarie A. Olarte
• Electorate	17,122 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	97.72 km2 (37.73 sq mi)
Elevation	25 m (82 ft)
Highest elevation (Mount Balut)	1,131 m (3,711 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	22,041
• Density	230/km2 (580/sq mi)
• Households	5,718
Economy
• Income class	4th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	41.99 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 142.8 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 265.4 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 119.2 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 25.45 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (DASURECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	8015
PSGC	1108605000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)82
Native languages	Davawenyo Cebuano Sarangani Sangirese Tagalog
Website	www.saranganidavsur.gov.ph

History

On June 11, 1978, the islands of Sarangani and Balut were carved out from the municipality of Jose Abad Santos to form the new municipality of Sarangani, then in Davao del Sur, through Presidential Decree No. 1550 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos.^[6] On October 28, 2013, the municipality was ceded to Davao Occidental as a result of a plebiscite, in which the majority of voters approved the creation of the new province.^[7]

Geography

Map of the Sarangani islands

The municipality consists of two major islands (the eponymous Sarangani Island and Balut Island) and one minor islet (Olanivan Island), collectively called the Sarangani Islands, located just south of mainland Mindanao island in the Celebes Sea. The municipality shares a maritime border with Sangihe Islands Regency of Indonesia.^[8]

Climate

Sarangani has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with moderate to heavy rainfall year-round.

Climate data for Sarangani
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	31.5 (88.7)	31.8 (89.2)	32.4 (90.3)	32.7 (90.9)	32.0 (89.6)	31.1 (88.0)	30.8 (87.4)	31.1 (88.0)	31.4 (88.5)	31.8 (89.2)	31.9 (89.4)	31.7 (89.1)	31.7 (89.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	26.4 (79.5)	26.6 (79.9)	27.1 (80.8)	27.5 (81.5)	27.3 (81.1)	26.6 (79.9)	26.3 (79.3)	26.5 (79.7)	26.7 (80.1)	27.0 (80.6)	27.0 (80.6)	26.8 (80.2)	26.8 (80.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	21.4 (70.5)	21.5 (70.7)	21.8 (71.2)	22.3 (72.1)	22.6 (72.7)	22.2 (72.0)	21.9 (71.4)	22.0 (71.6)	22.1 (71.8)	22.2 (72.0)	22.1 (71.8)	21.9 (71.4)	22.0 (71.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	169 (6.7)	137 (5.4)	119 (4.7)	118 (4.6)	165 (6.5)	168 (6.6)	159 (6.3)	115 (4.5)	114 (4.5)	162 (6.4)	166 (6.5)	160 (6.3)	1,752 (69)
Source: Climate-Data.org[9]

Barangays

Sarangani is politically subdivided into 12 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios. Balut Island

• Batuganding
• Konel
• Lipol
• Mabila (Poblacion)
• Tinina
• Gomtago
• Tagen
• Tucal

Sarangani Island

• Patuco (Sarangani Norte) (includes Olanivan islet)
• Laker (Sarangani Sur)
• Camahual
• Camalig

Demographics

Population census of Sarangani

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1980	11,960	—
1990	15,003	+2.29%
1995	16,648	+1.97%
2000	18,391	+2.16%
2007	20,394	+1.44%
2010	23,290	+4.95%
2015	24,039	+0.60%
2020	22,515	−1.37%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[10][11][12][13][14]

Economy

Poverty incidence of Sarangani

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 2000 60.63 2003 78.67 2006 54.60 2009 72.12 2012 65.89 2015 59.53 2018 35.47 2021 41.99 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

Government

Municipal officials 2022-2025:

• Mayor: Adelan B. de Arce
• Vice Mayor: Mariano C. Lagudas
• Councilors:
  • Arthon M. Gantongan
  • Dionisio D. Wao Jr.
  • Alexis C. Forones
  • Jay William J. Olarte
  • Biyal A. Malong
  • Rodilo P. Dalumpines
  • Steven A. Olarte
  • Jomarie A. Olarte