Glan, Sarangani

In the classical era, Glan used to be a vast rainforest zone, home to the B'laan and Menuvu Ubo ethnic groups. When Islam arrived in the 13th century in Maguindanao, a surge of migrants arrived, namely the Magindanawon who were part of the newly established Sultanate of Maguindanao and the T'boli people who were fleeing from the Muslims. Glan became a concoction of these four ethno-linguistic groups for centuries until the total collapse of the Sultanate of Maguindanao. When the Spaniards arrived, they established numerous ancestral houses in Glan and used the area as a base against Muslim pirates from the west and south. Much of the indigenous groups did not support the Spanish, but were forced to make labor in fear of guns and cannons used by the Spanish. Eventually, the Americans came after the American-Spanish War. The Americans imposed the entire island of Maguindanao as a single province. Glan became a strategic location in the south until World War II. After the surrender of all regular forces in the Philippines in 1942, Glan was apparently not occupied for some time by the Japanese. On May 2, 1943, 170 Japanese and supporting forces landed. These landings were fiercely contested by guerrilla forces, who, outnumbered and outgunned, retreated from the area.[5] When the Americans left and the Philippine Republic was established, a continuous surge of Sebwano migrants from the Visayas poured in Glan, especially during the martial law era. The migration was used by the government to curb any form of secession from indigenous groups in Mindanao. The migration stopped after the People Power Revolution that restored democracy in the Philippines. Glan today is classified as a heritage town by numerous Filipino culture experts.

Glan is politically subdivided into 31 barangays.

The municipality is classified by members of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as a heritage town. However, no ordinance or law has yet to be legislated for protection of Glan's heritage structures and colonial roads. A Vigan-type ordinance has been suggested by the Heritage Conservation Society, so that the town may be added to the Philippines UNESCO Tentative List in the future.

• Glan Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Glan Municipal Profile at the Province of Sarangani Official Website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System