Long before the Spanish occupation in the Philippines, the area where the municipality of Tantangan is to be carved out is already populated. The area is located at the mouth of a big river called LUAYAN and empties its water into a very big lake. The lake is connected to another river which flows northward and empties to the sea where Cotabato City is now located, thus the main transport system during those times is through “banca” and the bigger ones called “lantsa” made of wood. The first inhabitants were the Muslims whose origin are traced to Sultan Kudarat who occupied the lake shores under the leadership of Datus Guialudin Piang, Mangabpel, Mabinay, Bakal, and Buto; and the B’laans who thrived into the mountainous hinterlands under the leadership of Datus Tumanggong, Sagot, Landayang, and Mayada. The two tribes differ in ways, customs, traditions, culture, and beliefs but they all co-exists harmoniously in the area under the overall leadership of Rajah Buayan of the Kutang Bato Empire. As such, the leaders of the different “balangays” along the lake shores were called by their federal leader based in Luayan through the use of “Kulitangtangan”, a bell so enormous its ringing could be heard in quite a distance. This device latter served as the basis and origin of the name of the place as “Tangtangan” by the first Ilocano settlers from Luzon, which, in later years refined into “Tantangan”. As the years went by, the big lake shrunk and what remained is now the “BuluanLake”. Subsequently, Luayan was depopulated as the inhabitants followed the shrinking of the lake and the B’laans remained in the mountainous hinterlands.

On the early 1920s, the first settlers from Luzon began to arrive in Mindanao. It is however in the year 1935 when the settlers led by then General Paulino Santos that the first recorded migrant of Tantangan was seen in the person of Juan Balite. He preferred to stay behind in Tantangan from the rest of the group (Ilocano Homeseekers Group) who went northward into what is now the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and North Cotabato. With the news of bounty, relatives and friends of the settlers from Luzon and Visayas came to Mindanao in waves and in a very short period of time, development went into an unprecedented scale. Development however was disrupted in the early 1950’s because of rodent and grasshopper infestation on crops where some went back to their old homes. Most persevered, and development was spurred again so that municipalities were created very fast and in 1952, the municipality of Tacurong was separated from Buluan. The people in the southern portion of Tacurong however craved for independence and in 1955, a petition for the creation of a separate municipality was made under the leadership of Antonio Caballero together with Enrico Gabo, Ludovico Biñas, Armando Cocjin, Rosendo Balite and Amador Bello, Sr.. The petition however failed despite all documents were in order because then President Ramon Magsaysay died on a plane crash before he could sign the Executive Order creating the Municipality of Tantangan. A second attempt was made in 1960 by the group of Domingo Torres, Sr., Atty. Benjamin Fajardo, Atty. Bienvenido Eugenio, Amador Bello, Sr., and Alfredo Garingo who made representations before the Cotabato Provincial Board and made follow-up in Malacañang. It was a victorious move and in January 27, 1961, Executive Order Number 415, series of 1961 was signed by then President Carlos P. Garcia creating the Municipality of Tantangan out of the southern portion of the Municipality of Tacurong. Proclamation of the municipality was made personally by President Carlos P. Garcia on August 8, 1961 who came to Tantangan amidst the thundering applause of the people gathered in the occasion.

During its creation, the Municipality of Tantangan encompasses an area of 32,000 hectares. The regular barrios and sitios comprising the municipality were: Tantangan (Poblacion), Upper Mangilala, Dumadalig, Bukay Pait, New Iloilo, San Felipe, Tacob, Liken, Puti, Lumangket, Koloncilal, Tinongkop, Libas, Maibu, Dungnan, Upper Luayan, Antong (New Lambunao), and Kabuling. Today, the town is composed of 13 regular barangays with 107 puroks and sitios as follows: Tantangan (Poblacion), Bukay Pait, Cabuling, Dumadalig, Libas, Magon, Maibo, Mangilala, New Cuyapo, New Iloilo, New Lambunao, San Felipe, and Tinongcop. It is presently bounded on the north by Tacurong City; on the east by the Municipalities of President Quirino and Lutayan (all of the Province of Sultan Kudarat); on the south by Koronadal City (the capital City); and on the west by the Municipalities of Banga and Norala (all of the Province of South Cotabato).

The first appointed Municipal Mayor was Honorable Domingo M. Torres, Sr. who served for 19 years until 1981. He was succeeded by Honorable Alejandro D. Lagos, Sr. who served from 1981 until 1986. He was succeeded by Honorable Liberato Delizo, Jr. who was installed by the Provisional Government of the Philippines as a result of the People Power Revolution at EDSA in February, 1986. Honorable Alejandro D. Lagos, Sr. won as Municipal Mayor in 1987 and was succeeded by his Vice Mayor, Honorable Arnold B. Garingo due to his death on May 20, 1989. Mayor Arnold B. Garingo was succeeded by Honorable Dardanilo N. Dar in the synchronized national and local elections on May, 1992 and served as Mayor for three (3) consecutive terms until 2001. Mayor Dar was succeeded by Honorable Salvador G. Lagos, Jr. and served for three (3) consecutive terms until 2010. Mayor Lagos was succeeded by Honorable Arnold B. Garingo who served from 2010 to 2013, and Mayor Garingo was succeeded by Honorable Benjamin V. Figueroa, Jr. who served for three (3) consecutive terms from 2013 to 2022. He was then succeeded by Hon. Timee Joy G. Torres-Gonzales on July 1, 2022 up to the present.

THE KULITANGTANG FESTIVAL

Kulitangtang Festival is the official name of the fiesta celebration of the Municipality of Tantangan. Tantangan is derived from a Maguindanaon word Kulitangtang which is a tem for a bell or musical instrument of the early inhabitants of the place.

The history of Tantangan tells that there are three version how the place got its name. The frst version is folklore about a certain sultan who presented his daughter to mary a man who can present to him the shining pearl that is coming afloat during night-time in the lake area. Luayan area during the time is said to be under lake water, and a commoner however failed because the pear said to be elusive, but he promised himself saying the words "Di ko pagandan taman na di ko makwa'.The second version is related to the native variety of castor plantthat grows abundantly anywhere in the area during the arrival of the settlers and the native name of the plant is "Tangantangan".

The third version is about a bell used by the Datu's of both the Lowlands and Uplands to signal and invite guest of an impending event that will transpire in the villages of Luayan. The bell is so enormous that its ringing can reach very far as it echoed to the hills and lowlands, and reverberates with the cascades of the lake water.

These three versions resemble the sounds, denote the rhymes, and represent the values, traditions, and cultures of all Tantangeños, and the Kultangtang Festival is conceptualized.

Tantangan is inspired by every Tantangeños who is determined, brilliant, God Loving, and Peace minded who has contributed to making the Municipality into a positive light through the efforts of the past and present Leaders, Tantangan is gaining accelerated development and believing that the Municipality is like a dazzling bell ringing for a more vibrant and brighter future.