Eight New Municipalities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Release Date:Pursuant to Bangsamoro Autonomous Act Nos. 41 to 48 dated 15 September 2022 and ratification through a plebiscite conducted on 13 April 2024, the eight newly created municipalities in Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), namely, Pahamuddin, Kadayangan, Nabalawag, Old Kaabakan, Kapalawan, Malidegao, Tugunan, and Ligawasan were reflected in the Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) (see summary of changes in the PSGC masterlist for the composition of barangays of the eight new municipalities).
The eight new municipalities were previously provided with interim municipality names in the PSGC, that is, Carmen Cluster, Kabacan Cluster, Midsayap Cluster I, Midsayap Cluster II, Pigcawayan Cluster, Pikit Cluster I, Pikit Cluster II, Pikit Cluster III, pursuant to BARMM Executive Order No. 001, Series of 2020, and in consultation with Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) officials.
Moreover, these eight interim area clusters were provided with interim province name “Interim Province Code for 63 barangays of BARMM based on the PSA Board No. 13, Series of 2021”. Hence, the PSGC updates also include the change of interim province name into Special Geographic Area.
As a result of these changes, the total number of municipalities increased from 1,485 to 1,493. The latest number of local government units is detailed in the table below:
Geographic Level | Total Number (as of 30 April 2024) |
| Region | 17 |
| Province | 82 |
| Highly Urbanized City (HUC) | 33 |
Other Cities · Independent Component City (ICC) · Component City (CC) | 116 5 111 |
| Municipality | 1,493 |
| Barangay | 42,004 |
You can access and download the updated masterlist at https://psa.gov.ph/classification/psgc/.
The compilation and updating of the PSGC is a collaborative effort between the PSA and its interagency Technical Working Group on Geographic Code (TWGGC), which includes the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), Land Management Bureau (LMB), and the Land Registration Authority (LRA).
For further inquiries, you may contact the Statistical Classifications Division of the Standards Service at scd.staff@psa.gov.ph.
CLAIRE DENNIS S. MAPA, PhD
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General
