The Municipality of Tipo-Tipo is one of the seven municipalities created by virtue of the Presidential Decree Nos. 356, 593 and 840, converting the Island City into a province. Among the decrees it is PD 840, dated December 11, 1975. However, which brought major changes as it amended PD 593 by providing only seven (7) municipalities out of the initial ten (10) nationalizing that “in order to render its territorial partition more complementary to the size of the area and more responsive to the pacification, rehabilitation and total development of the province”. Prior to the creation of the municipality, however, the town of Tipo-Tipo is one of the barrios of the then District of Lamitan of the defunct City of Basilan. Said town, was even proposed to be the fourth district of Basilan. On December 20, 2005 the municipality is divided into three municipalities namely Al- Barka (MMA Act No. 191), Ungkaya Pukan (MMA Act. No. 190) and the Tipo-Tipo as the mother municipality comprising 11 barangays of Badja, Baguindan, Banah, Bangcoang, Bohebaca, Bohelebung, Bohetambak, Lagayas, Limbo-Upas, Silangkum and the Tipo-Tipo Proper. Tipo-Tipo got its name from the Yakan word called Pag “Tipun-Tipunan”, meaning a meeting place where settlers and traders usually either barter or sell their goods/produce. It is, however, the non-Yakan speaking traders who due to difficulty in pronouncing the words, simply says Tipo-Tipo for facility, that were responsible for its present name. Other version reflects the tree of the place. The town proper is characterized by a kind of tree that thrived in the said place known as Tipu-Tipu tree adjacent to the town proper. During the olden days, settlers and the inhabitants of the place had opted to make the tree as the site of their trading center. The above versions are indicative of the ethnic origins of the people who came to settle in the municipality. The first Municipal Mayor appointed upon the creation in 1975 was Hadji Abduca Osani. He held the position until 1979 when Ustadz Kasim Ismael, Al-Hadz who was appointed by the President Marcos, succeeded him. The present Municipal Executive was elected in the national and local elections of 2014
SUCCEEDING AND PRESENT /MUNICIPAL MAYORS
First Appointed | Abduca Osani | 1975-1979 |
Appointed | Ustadz Kasim Ismael | 1979-1980 |
First Elected | Ustadz Kasim Ismael | 1980-1986 |
Appointed, OIC | Bonnie Balamo | 1986-1987 |
Appointed, OIC | Dr. Avelino Ilimin | 11/16/87 to 02/02/88 |
Elected | Madz T. Maturan | 1988-1992 |
Elected | Al-Rasheed Sakkalahul | 1992-1995 |
1st Term Elected | Joel T. Maturan | 1995-1998 |
2nd Term Elected | Joel T. Maturan | 1998-2001 |
3rd Term Elected | Joel T. Maturan | 2001-2004 |
Elected | Madz T. Maturan | 2004-2007 |
Elected | Ingatun Lukman G. Istarul | 2007-2016 |