Leaving a legacy seems to be in vogue these days as a Mangudadatu is now making his mark by steering Sultan Kudarat to be one of the world’s top producers of the well-loved beverage, coffee.

At the age of 28, Sultan Kudarat Governor Datu Pax Ali Sangki Mangudadatu carries the responsibility of maintaining peace and order, serving the people of Sultan Kudarat, and generating revenue for the local government to sustain the needs of his nearly 1 million constituents.

At 28 years old as of November 2025, he is one of the youngest governors in the Philippines and has navigated a rapid political ascent. 

He traces its roots to the royal lineages of pre-colonial Mindanao sultanates. He grew up in Purok Garden, Barangay Tamnag, Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat. 

He holds a Master’s degree in Public Safety Administration, which backed his focus on governance reforms and community safety. 

Prior to entering politics, he engaged in local advocacy, leveraging his family’s influence to support community initiatives in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat.

He is the son of former Sultan Kudarat Governor Suharto “Teng” Tan Mangudadatu. 

Suharto succeeded his father as governor and is recognized for his role in provincial development.

Sultan Kudarat is known for its coffee, with more than 20,000 coffee farmers waiting for the right market to shine and to sustain their livelihood.

“That is why we are really looking for interventions, not only coming from the public sector, but also the private sector, to help us upgrade the status of our coffee,” the governor said. 

“We indeed need the introduction of good agricultural practices, or interventions that will come from the provincial and the national government,” said Mangudadatu at the sidelines of the culmination ceremony of Project Coffee++ last week at the Sultan Kudarat Convention Center in Tacurong City.

Coffee farmers’ ray of hope

Mangudadatu said he is counting on the promise of Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel that the coffee industry of Sultan Kudarat will get priority at the Department of Agriculture (DA) and would benefit from the DA’s 2026 budget.

“It’s a big thing for us. This (DA’s priority) would give greater meaning to Sultan Kudarat’s status as the Coffee Capital of the Philippines. Aside from that, it would initiate a program to locate other coffee farms in the ancestral domain. We want to include our indigenous people in providing interventions, as they are one of those being left behind,” he said.

He said another problem coffee farmers face is a shortage of planting materials, which is why the partnership with multinational unit Nestle Philippines was established to sustain the supply of coffee seeds to farmers.

Nestle Philippines said 80 percent of its locally-sourced coffee comes from Sultan Kudarat.

“Coffee will always be a tool against poverty. It is a poverty alleviation program. We’ve got thousands of families who depend on coffee for their livelihood. And how are we going to make it easier for them? Perhaps it’s the additional support from DA, such as fertilizers for coffee farmers, just like the support given to the farmers of other crops like rice and corn,” Mangudadatu explained.

Another intervention for coffee farmers, according to Mangudadatu, is the establishment of various processing centers to introduce sorting technology in the province, and the construction of farm-to-market roads or bridges, as most IP coffee farmers plant their crop in the upland or mountainous parts of Sultan Kudarat.

“From the provincial government side, I can personally say that we indeed need a massive infrastructure program so that farmers can bring their products to the provincial capital,” he said.

“Our people should always be given a stage where they can perform, a microphone so that they can be heard, and a spotlight so that they can be recognized for their efforts and contributions to the enduring progress and glory of our beloved Sultan Kudarat,” according to Mangudadatu.

Rise starts 2023

In 2023, Sultan Kudarat emerged as the leading coffee producer in the Philippines, surpassing the combined output of Batangas, Cavite and Bukidnon.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Region 12 showed that Sultan Kudarat accounts for 35 percent of the country’s total coffee supply. Of the 26,172 hectares of coffee farms in the region, 78 percent, or 20,437 hectares, are located in Sultan Kudarat.

The province also has the highest number of coffee trees in the region, with an estimated total of approximately 19 million.

Tiu-Laurel promised that the Marcos administration would provide additional funding for Sultan Kudarat and Bukidnon coffee farmers beginning next year, via the Competitiveness Enhancement Measures Fund (CEMF).

The revised CEMF guidelines is expected to be released in the next two weeks.

“We are making it more accessible to farming communities and stakeholders. We are just tweaking its limit from P50 million to P200 million because we have to scale up fast. Maybe, at least 70 percent of the budget would be allocated to coffee. If it’s P1 billion, then P700 million would go to coffee,” he told reporters.

Tiu Laurel said the Philippines is importing 200,000 tons of coffee and that, to support domestic needs, coffee farmers need to plant at least 200,000 hectares, based on an average of 1 ton per hectare.

“Here is Sultan Kudarat, our target is to plant 32,000 hectares. Yes, we are far from the targets, as we do not intend to plant that 200,000 tons. At least 80 to 90 percent of it, but not during the term of President Marcos Jr. We are just fixing the future of our farmers,” he said.  

The DA earlier announced that Filipino farmers affected by imports, especially coffee and poultry producers, will receive P1 billion in support this year.

The latest data from the PSA showed that the country produces about 60,000 metric tons of green coffee beans annually, roughly a third of local demand.

A typical Filipino coffee drinker consumes about 3.05 kilos per year, a figure expected to rise to 3.78 kilos by 2026.