Ilian became a barangay in the same period that the municipality of Matalam, North Cotabato was created in 1961. The first known occupants of the place were the family and relatives of Datu Odin Basalon. It was in the early 1950s that other Muslims arrived and settled in the place. For Maguindanaons, the name “Ilian” refers to a peace-loving community.

In 1986, however, the place became a battleground between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), prompting all residents to flee. The armed conflict had left the barangay with a school building and a barangay hall that needed major repairs. All other physical infrastructure were destroyed.

Though the community had borne the brunt of armed conflict, it opened its doors to people displaced by sporadic armed conflicts in the province.

In the 2000 ‘all-out-war’, Ilian became a major host for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), International Committee of Red Cross and United Nations Multi-Donor Programme extended relief and rehabilitation.

In 2002, UNMDP helped Ilian develop its barangay development plan which was later updated by a local NGO, the Mindanao Land Acquisition, Housing and Development Foundation, Inc. On the same year, it declared itself as a Peace and Development Community. A PDC may consist of a barangay or a barangay and adjacent households marked by a convergence of peacebuilding and development activities. It is a marginalized conflict-affected community, which becomes actively engaged in a process of mainstreaming with the help of development partners.

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