The City of General Santos is usually abbreviated as GenSan. It is located in the south of the Philippine island of Mindanao and it was named after Gen. Paulino Santos, who was a Commanding General of the Philippine Army and one of the city's pioneering settlers.

The city was founded in 1903 as Makar and in 1947, its name was changed to Buayan. In 1954 it was renamed General Santos.

A statue of the general can be seen in the city park.

There is little of interest to travellers, but there are many hotels and restaurants in the city. General Santos is 1,070 km southeast from Manila.