Mapun

Mapun مڤون Cagayan de Sulu
Municipality
Municipality of Mapun
Municipal Hall
Flag
Map of Tawi-Tawi with Mapun highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Mapun Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 6°58′41″N 118°30′47″E / 6.978°N 118.513°E / 6.978; 118.513
Country	Philippines
Region	Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Province	Tawi-Tawi
District	Lone district
Established	February 11, 1904[1]
Barangays	15 (see Barangays)
Government  [2]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Suraida F. Muksin
• Vice Mayor	Hamirin Ilani
• Representative	Dimszar M. Sali
• Municipal Council	Members Rambie T. Sadjiril Omar Mockthar T. Abdulpatta Sagrin D. Sakandal Rasma T. Nur Michael G. Pescadera Charles T. Lao Carl L. Canizares Haripa H. Abdurahim
• Electorate	17,614 voters (2022)
Area [3]
• Total	181.29 km2 (70.00 sq mi)
Elevation	6.7 m (22.0 ft)
Highest elevation	241 m (791 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[4]
• Total	30,038
• Density	170/km2 (430/sq mi)
• Households	4,928
Demonym	Jama Mapun
Economy
• Income class	4th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	38.18 % (2021)[5]
• Revenue	₱ 120.2 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 38.04 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 125.7 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Cagayan de Sulu Electric Cooperative (CASELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	7508
PSGC	157003000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)68
Native languages	Sama Tagalog Sabah Malay

Mapun, officially the Municipality of Mapun (Tagalog: Bayan ng Mapun), is a municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 30,038 people.^[4]

It was formerly known as Cagayan de Sulu until 1984, then as Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi until 1988.^[6]

Mapun is an island municipality in the Sulu Sea^[7] on the south-western extreme of the Philippines, located very close to Sabah, Malaysia as well as to Palawan. The people inhabiting the island are known as Jama Mapun or "people of Mapun". Their local language is Pullun Mapun, which means "Mapun language".

Due to an administrative error in the Treaty of Paris, while the remainder of the Philippines was ceded to the United States, Sibutu and Cagayan de Sulu were retained under Spanish Sovereignty until they were formally ceded to the United States upon the ratification of the Treaty of Washington on March 23, 1901. In 1946, the Philippines became an independent country, including Mapun island as part of it.

Mapun Tawi-Tawi is surrounded by several islets such as:

• Manda
• Boan
• Kinapusan
• Pamilikan
• Lapun-Lapun
• Bintuut
• Muligi

Most of these are located at Barangay Umus Mataha.

Mapun is politically subdivided into 15 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Boki
• Duhul Batu
• Guppah
• Iruk-Iruk
• Kompang
• Liyubud (Poblacion)
• Lubbak Parang
• Lupa Pula
• Mahalu
• Pawan
• Sapah
• Sikub
• Tabulian
• Tanduan
• Umus Mataha

Elementary

Secondary

• Notre Dame of Cagayan (NDC) - a private school located in the border of Barangay Lupa Pula and Barangay Mahalu.
• Mindanao State University (MSU) - a public school located in Mahalu
• Tawi-Tawi Academy (TTA) - a private school located in Barangay Guppah
• Mapun SHS

Tertiary

Mindanao State University Extension - a public school and the only college institution in Mapun. MSU-Extension offers two-year courses.

Majority of those who graduate from high school pursue their studies in other places, most notably Zamboanga City, Palawan, and Bongao. On the other hand, most of the graduates from elementary and high school are forced to stop their studies due to poverty lack of scholarships from the government. Most of them have found a job in neighboring country like Malaysia. Tend to work as a construction workers and fisherman.

Mapun Foundation Day is celebrated by the Jama Mapun every September 5. This week-long celebration starts on September 1, with a parade and then a short program held in Lupa Pula Central School.

Various competitions are held during Mapun Day, which includes singing competitions (in English, Tausug, and Pullun Mapun), dance showdowns (modern dance, folk dance, pangalay, which is a native dance, and lunsay, which is a dance performed during weddings), Azaan competition, Tarasul iban Daman (Mapun's version of declamation and oration), and Leleng, to name a few.

Each Barangay has their own representatives in the various events. However, the most popular is the "Budjang Mapun", which is a beauty contest. Each barangay has its own contestant in this event. The winner of the search for "Budjang Mapun" is usually sent to Bongao as Mapun's representative in Budjang Tawi-Tawi, a similar beauty search held in Bongao every Province Day. Every municipality in Tawi-Tawi has its own contestant.

Poverty Incidence of Mapun

Main source of income from this province are farming and fishing. In a bid to advance competitiveness of Tawi-Tawi in farming industry, this province supplies large companies when it comes on coconut plantation mainly "COPRA". 80% of the land consist of coconut trees, quarterly harvested and to be traded and refined in other places, like Palawan and Zamboanga City.

Rice fields are not known in this area due to lack of water irrigation projects, rice is imported locally from Palawan and Zamboanga City and mostly from Malaysia. Most of the locals use cassava as base on their daily meal.

• List of renamed cities and municipalities in the Philippines

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Mapun Profile at the DTI Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index