Barira

Establishment

Barira was established through Presidential Decree No. 1188, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos on August 29, 1977, when ten barangays, two of them partially, and 45 sitios of Buldon were separated. The seat of government was designated at Sitio Pedtad, Barangay Lipawan.^[6]

The Economic Development Corporation, which was established in 1951 by President Ramon Magsaysay, opened in Barira a resettlement area for former Huk members. It was administered first by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) until being turned over to the Department of Agrarian Reform in 1972.^[7]

Barira is among the municipalities inhabited mainly by the Iranun people, along with Buldon and Matanog;^[8] and while the municipality is where Camp Abubakar, the main headquarters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), is situated,^[9] much parts of the other two had also constituted the camp since the 1980s.^[8][9] The local government units had held office either in Cotabato City or in Parang since the Marcos presidency; a municipal building was said constructed by early 2000s.^[8]

2000 battles and the fall of Camp Abubakar

Barira was the site of the last of the series of battles that led to the camp's fall on July 9, 2000, ending almost five months of military offensives in the central Mindanao area. On July 1, AFP launched Operation Terminal Velocity, leading to the capture of a number of rebel facilities within the Abubakar complex, with 12 counter-insurgents and 23 MILF fighters reportedly killed.^[9]

Post-battle

The town was part of the province of Shariff Kabunsuan from October 2006 until its nullification by the Supreme Court in July 2008.

Barangays

Barira is politically subdivided into 14 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Barira (Poblacion)
• Bualan
• Gadung
• Korosoyan
• Lamin
• Liong
• Lipa
• Lipawan
• Marang
• Nabalawag
• Panggao
• Rominimbang
• Togaig
• Minabay

Climate