Datu Blah T. Sinsuat

Not to be confused with Datu Odin Sinsuat.

Datu Blah T. Sinsuat داتو بلاه تي سينسوات West Upi
Municipality
Flag Seal
Nickname:  Fishing Capital of Maguindanao del Norte
Map of Maguindanao del Norte with Datu Blah T. Sinsuat highlighted
Interactive map of Datu Blah T. Sinsuat
Datu Blah T. Sinsuat Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 7°04′04″N124°01′09″E / 7.067906°N 124.019169°E / 7.067906; 124.019169
Country	Philippines
Region	Bangsamoro
Province	Maguindanao del Norte
District	Lone district
Founded	July 15, 2006
Barangays	13 (see Barangays)
Government   [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
•  Mayor	Raida T. Sinsuat
•  Vice Mayor	Bai Mikhaela Marsha T. Sinsuat
•  Representative	Sittie Shahara "Dimple" I. Mastura
•  Municipal Council	Members Mikhaela Marsha T. Sinsuat Allan M. Sinsuat Datu Bilit S. Sinsuat Shaidin A. Kuga Gamassy J. Mustapha Mantingan T. Talib Datudido A. Mama Aldrin M. Empal
•  Electorate	13,912 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	147.21 km2 (56.84 sq mi)
Elevation	174 m (571 ft)
Highest elevation	1,016 m (3,333 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2024 census) [3]
• Total	152,907
• Density	1,038.7/km2 (2,690.2/sq mi)
•  Households	4,741
Economy
•  Poverty incidence	48.11 % (2021) [4]
•  Revenue	₱ 238.3 million (2022)
•  Assets	₱ 202.9 million (2022)
•  Expenditure	₱ 131.3 million (2022)
•  Liabilities	₱ 1.367 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Maguindanao Electric Cooperative (MAGELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	9602
PSGC	1903830000
IDD  :  area code	+63 (0)64
Native languages	Maguindanao Tiruray Tagalog

Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, officially the Municipality of Datu Blah T. Sinsuat (Maguindanaon: Inged nu Datu Blah T. Sinsuat; Iranun: Inged a Datu Blah T. Sinsuat; Tagalog : Bayan ng Datu Blah T. Sinsuat) and commonly known by its proposed name West Upi, is a municipality in the province of Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 28,243 people. ^[5]

Etymology

Datu Blah T. Sinsuat was named after a legislator of the same name (1908–1981) who was Maguindanao's delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention and was Cotabato's lone representative in the House of Representatives during the 2nd Congress. ^{[6] [7]} The town is also known by the initials, D.B.S. ^[8]

As the town was originally the western coast of the undivided municipality Upi, Datu Blah Sinsuat is also informally known as West Upi. In 2024, there are proposals to officially rename the town as West Upi. ^[6]

History

Formerly a part of the town of Upi, Datu Blah T. Sinsuat became another municipality after a plebiscite on July 15, 2006, and pursuant to the Muslim Mindanao Act No. 198 of the ARMM. ^[9] On October 28, it became a new municipality of the newly created Shariff Kabunsuan province until its nullification by the Supreme Court in July 2008. The orphaned municipality was absorbed by the province of Maguindanao.

This municipality is named after Datu Blah T. Sinsuat (1908–1981), Maguindanao's delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention and Cotabato's Lone District Representative to the 2nd Congress of the Philippines.

Geography

Barangays

Datu Blah T. Sinsuat is politically subdivided into 13 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Matuber
• Pura
• Penansaran
• Tubuan
• Nalkan
• Tambak
• Kinimi
• Resa
• Sedem
• Lapaken
• Meti
• Sinipak
• Laguitan

Climate

Climate data for Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	31 (88)	31 (88)	32 (90)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	31 (88)	30 (87)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (73)	24 (75)	25 (77)	25 (77)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	119 (4.7)	99 (3.9)	132 (5.2)	147 (5.8)	256 (10.1)	291 (11.5)	287 (11.3)	286 (11.3)	228 (9.0)	227 (8.9)	208 (8.2)	135 (5.3)	2,415 (95.2)
Average rainy days	19.2	17.9	20.9	24.6	29.4	29.1	29.7	28.9	27.2	28.5	27.2	22.5	305.1
Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally) [10]

Demographics

Population census of
Datu Blah T. Sinsuat

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2007	22,656	—
2010	16,533	−10.83%
2015	25,024	+8.21%
2020	28,243	+2.58%
2024	152,907	+50.00%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Economy

Datu Blah T. Sinsuat is considered as the "fishing capital" of Maguindanao del Norte. Among the marine fauna caught by fishers include groupers, albacore, and blue marlins. ^[8]

During Siba season, fishers of Datu Blah T. Sinsuat harvests Skipjack tuna off the shore of the town. ^[16]

Poverty Incidence of Datu Blah T. Sinsuat

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 2006 56.90 2009 48.65 2012 66.81 2015 60.95 2018 70.44 2021 48.11 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]

Gross Domestic Product

The Gross Domestic Product of the Municipality (2022) is 9,729,000,000(PHP).

References

1.   Municipality of Datu Blah T. Sinsuat | (DILG)
2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN   0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
3. "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
4. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
5. "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
6. "BARMM lawmakers propose renaming Datu Blah T. Sinsuat municipality to West Upi". Bangsamoro Parliament. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
7. "BTA Parliament Bill No. 328" (PDF). 28 August 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
8. Unson, John (5 November 2023). "Maguindanao del Norte seaside town's once abused territorial seas now fully protected". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
9. "Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 198; An Act Creating the Municipality of Datu Blah T. Sinsuat in the Province of Maguindanao, Providing Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes" (PDF). Regional Legislative Assembly, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
10. "Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, Maguindanao : Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
11. "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
12. Census of Population (2015). Highlights of the Philippine Population 2015 Census of Population. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
13. Census of Population and Housing (2010). Population and Annual Growth Rates for The Philippines and Its Regions, Provinces, and Highly Urbanized Cities (PDF). National Statistics Office . Retrieved 29 June 2016.
14. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Region: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
15. "Province of". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
16. "In Datu Blah Sinsuat town, residents celebrate shoreline harvest of skipjack tuna". MindaNews. 17 May 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
17. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
20. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
21. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
22. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
23. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
24. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.

External links

• Datu Blah T. Sinsuat Profile at the DTI Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine