Maluso

Maluso
مالوسو
Municipality of Maluso
Gaunan Island, off the coast of Port Holland, Maluso, circa 1926
Map of Basilan with Maluso highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Maluso
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 6°32′46″N 121°52′12″E / 6.546°N 121.87°E / 6.546; 121.87
CountryPhilippines
RegionBangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
ProvinceBasilan
District Lone district
Barangays20 (see Barangays)
Government
  TypeSangguniang Bayan
  MayorHanie A. Bud
  Vice MayorAl-Mashor A. Yasin
  RepresentativeMujiv S. Hataman
  Municipal Council
Members
  Electorate30,398 voters (2025)
Area
  Total
168.46 km2 (65.04 sq mi)
Elevation
42 m (138 ft)
Highest elevation
874 m (2,867 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)
  Total
45,730
  Density270/km2 (700/sq mi)
  Households
7,195
Economy
  Income class4th municipal income class
  Poverty incidence
59.80
% (2021)
  Revenue204.6 million (2022)
  Assets453.8 million (2022)
  Expenditure193.7 million (2022)
  Liabilities417.1 million (2022)
Service provider
  ElectricityBasilan Electric Cooperative (BASELCO)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
7303
PSGC
IDD:area code+63(0)62
Native languagesYakan
Chavacano
Tagalog

Maluso, officially the Municipality of Maluso (Tausūg: Dai'rah Lupah Maluso; Chavacano: Municipalidad de Maluso; Tagalog: Bayan ng Maluso), is a municipality in the province of Basilan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 45,730 people.

It is geographically situated in the Province of Basilan, on the southwestern part of the island, in close vicinity to Sulu group and Banguingui Isles, making it the third most populous town after Isabela City and Lamitan City, in terms of people living in semi-urban areas. Maluso has beautiful beaches, rivers and dynamic mangrove areas, and also home to different ethnolinguistic tribes such as Yakan, Iranun, Banguingui and Tausug, peaceably living with kolono groups from different parts of Luzon and Visayas who migrated during the commonwealth era, mostly settled permanently later on. Maluso is one of the core member of Western Basilan Alliance, a group of five municipalities consisted of Maluso, Hji. Muhtamad, Lantawan, Sumisip and Tabuan-Lasa LGUs, sponsored and capacitated by the Spanish government aid agency AECID-funded "MILAB 2" Project, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Basilan.

On July 1, 2022, it launched its own Flagship program dubbed as “Marayaw Maluso: Peace and Eco-Tourism Hub of Southern Philippines", primarily focused on three major key areas of peace, environment and tourism. Maluso is home to Maluso River, locally known as “Subah Maluso”, historically tied with its humble beginnings centuries ago, and a known source of freshwater from European sailors and adventurers of the past.