Legal basis and relation to PD 339
- Presidential Decree No. 596 expressly amends Paragraph 3 of Presidential Decree No. 339.
- Presidential Decree No. 339 provides the municipal creation framework in Sultan Kudarat that is modified by Presidential Decree No. 596.
Legislative purpose and structural intent
- Presidential Decree No. 596 separates specified barangays from the Municipality of Ampatuan and creates them into a new, distinct and independent municipality.
- Presidential Decree No. 596 establishes the new municipality’s seat of government and directs modification of the municipal boundaries of Ampatuan correspondingly.
Created municipality and seat of government
- Presidential Decree No. 596 creates a new municipality known as the Municipality of Esperanza in the province of Sultan Kudarat.
- Presidential Decree No. 596 sets the seat of government of the Municipality of Esperanza in the present site of the Barangay (barrio) of Esperanza.
- Presidential Decree No. 596 directs that the boundary description of the affected municipality must be modified to correspond to the change in barangay composition.
Barangays separated from Ampatuan
- Presidential Decree No. 596 separates the following barangays from the Municipality of Ampatuan, Province of Maguindanao, and constitutes them into the Municipality of Esperanza:
- Ala
- Margues
- Dalapdap
- Ducay
- Esperanza
- Guimalia
- Ilian
- Kangkong
- New Panay
- Numo
- Pamadtingan
- Sagasa
- Salabaga
- Villamor
- Presidential Decree No. 596 makes the Municipality of Esperanza a distinct and independent municipality as constituted by the separated barangays.
Barangays that remain with Ampatuan
- Presidential Decree No. 596 keeps the following barangays as part of the Municipality of Ampatuan, Province of Maguindanao:
- Matagabong
- Kauran
- Mao
- Talisawa
- Saniag
- Tomicor
- Tubak
- Kamasi
- Tukanalogong
- Kaya-kaya
- Sugadol
- Banaba
- Madanding
Boundary modification requirement
- Presidential Decree No. 596 provides that the technical description of the boundary of the Municipality of Ampatuan must correspondingly be modified to reflect the municipal reorganization.
- Presidential Decree No. 596 sets the boundary modification using the following defined course:
- Beginning at the foot of Decalongan Bridge following the Kabulnan River downstream to an imaginary point at the junction of the Kabulnan River and Allah River
- Thence southeast following the Allah River upstream to an imaginary point at Barrio Madanding
- Thence southwest to an imaginary point at the foot of Kakal Bridge along the Cotabato-General Santos National Highway
- Thence southwest to an imaginary point at the boundary of the municipalities of Lebak and old Ampatuan at Barrio Tubak
- Thence Nortwest following the old boundary of the municipalities of Upi and Ampatuan to an imaginary point at the boundary of the municipalities of Upi and Magonoy
- Thence Northeast following the old boundary of the municipalities of Maganoy and old Ampatuan up to the foot of Decalongan Bridge, the point of beginning.