K’DATU is a local vernacular understandable among Muslims. T’bulis and Visayans which means rich or precious. Enterprising residents of Region 12 capitalized on the rich resources that abound in the area turning them into precious commodities which are featured in this catalog. These commodities made the entrepreneurs creatively and financially Kdatu.

• Marine Products
• Consumer Manufacture Products
• Fresh Food
• Processed Food and Food Preparation

Region 12 is endowed with rich resources from the seas bounding its western and southern portion as well as the produce from the vast tract of fertile lands. Products from the region hence are generally resource-based as reflected in this catalog.

Sarangani Bay borders the province of Sarangani and General Santos City, Celebes Seas on the southern part of Sultan Kudarat and Illana Bay on the western part of Cotabato City. These, plus other inland water bodies in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat augurs for the development of fishery resources.

General Santos City is hailed as the “Tuna Capital of the Philppines” Cotabato City boasts to have the tastiest crabs in the Philippines, Sarangani prides itself with its export aquaculture industry that include prawns, bangus, sergeant fish, pompano, etc., and Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato’s (Lake Sebu) tilapia is sought after, being grown organically.

The vast fertile lands on the foot of Mt. Apo where North Cotabato is, and Mt. Matutum where South Cotabato is, as well as the tracts of lands in other provinces and cities offer itself to growing various tropical fruits. The biggest plantation operating in the area is the multinational Dole Philippines growing pineapple and asparagus. Fruits in abundance in the region include durian, mangosteen, banana, rambutan, lanzones, marang, mangoes, guavas, papaya and several other fruits.

Recognizing the importance of value-adding, a number of enterprising residents ventured into processing the resources from the seas into dried fish and or tuna value-added products. Fruits are converted to jams, juices, marmalades, pastiles, wine and or filling for cakes and pastries.

Not only is the natural resource rich, even the birthright is with the presence of Maguindanaons, T’bolis, B’laans, Tirurays and other indigenous peoples. Their traditional wears and wares have been offered to the public for sale catching the fancy of local and foreign buyers.

Bags, clothes, head gears, accessories, trinkets, footwear, novelty items and housewares are accentuated by traditional materials with intricate designs like inaul or tinalak reflective of the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous people in the region.

Aligned with the criteria for choosing the One Town One Product (OTOP) for a municipality, the local chief executive logically concurred with the products produced from local resources, capitalizing on local culture and skills.

This Catalog showcases the OTOP in Region 12 that is generally classified as Value-Added Marine, Consumer Manufacture, Processed Food and Food Preparations and Fresh products. This also encompasses the priority industry clusters of the region namely, fresh and processed fruits, crafts, processed marine products and muscovado.

Products included in this catalog are those directly assisted by DTI-12 and are classified as SMEs.