Davao Occidental

Davao Occidental
Province

Map of the Philippines with Davao Occidental highlighted
Coordinates: 06°05′N 125°40′E / 6.083°N 125.667°ECoordinates: 06°05′N 125°40′E / 6.083°N 125.667°E
Country Philippines
Region Davao (Region XI)
Founded October 28, 2013
Capital Malita
Government
 • Governor To be determined2016 elections
 • Vice Governor To be determined2016 elections
Area[1]
 • Total 2,163.45 km2 (835.31 sq mi)
Population [2]
 • Total 293,780
 • Density 140/km2 (350/sq mi)
Divisions
 • Independent cities 0
 • Component cities 0
 • Municipalities 5
 • Barangays 105
 • Districts Lone District of Davao Occidental
Time zone PHT (UTC+8)
Spoken languages Cebuano, Tagalog, English

Davao Occidental (Cebuano: Kasadpang Dabaw and Filipino: Kanlurang Dabaw), is the 81st and newest province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao.[3][4][5] Its capital is the municipality of Malita. To the east lies the Davao Gulf. It also shares a water border with the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi to the south.

According to Article IX Section 48 of the provincial charter, the first set of elective officials shall be elected on May 9, 2016, the next local elections following the foundation of the province.

Creation

By virtue of Republic Act 10360 enacted on July 23, 2013, the province is the newest in the country, carved out from the southern part of Davao del Sur. RA 10360 was passed by the House of Representatives and Senate on November 28, 2012, and December 5, 2012, respectively, and signed by President Benigno Aquino III on January 14, 2013.[3][6] A plebiscite was held on October 28, 2013 along with the barangay elections and the majority of votes cast were "Yes", ratifying the province.[4]

The motive to create the province was to boost the economic condition and social progress of the municipalities. Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who sponsored the creation of Davao Occidental, said that the distances of Digos City, Davao del Sur's provincial capital, to other municipalities in the second Congressional District are far-off that impairs the effective delivery of basic services, as well as the access to government offices.[7] However, Davao del Sur Representative Marc Douglas Cagas considered the creation of the province as nothing more than gerrymandering and political convenience.[8]

So far, it is the youngest province in the Philippines.

Subdivisions

The province consists of 5 municipalities or towns, namely:

Municipality No. of
barangays 		Area (km²)[1] Population
(2010)[2] 		Pop. density
(per km²)
Don Marcelino
15 407.30 41,942 103
Jose Abad Santos
26 600.06 69,631 116
Malita (capital)
30 883.37 109,568 124
Santa Maria
22 175.00 49,349 282
Sarangani
12 97.72 23,290 238

Demographics

Population census of Davao Occidental
YearPop.±% p.a.
1990 209,429—    
1995 219,825+0.91%
2000 254,512+3.19%
2007 272,570+0.95%
2010 293,780+2.76%
Combined census data of Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos,
Malita, Santa Maria and Sarangani

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Province: Davao Occidental". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay: as of May 1, 2010". 2010 Census of Population and Housing. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sec. 46, RA 10360 The Province of Davao Occidental shall be created, as provided for in this Charter, upon approval by the majority of the votes cast by the voters of the affected areas in a plebiscite to be conducted and supervised by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) within sixty (60) days from the date of the effectivity of this Charter.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cayon, Carina L. (30 October 2013). "DavSur voters approve of Davao Occidental". Philippine Information Agency. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  5. ↑ https://ph.news.yahoo.com/davao-occidental-ph-81st-province-174924758.html
  6. ↑ "COMELEC to conduct plebiscite for the creation of Davao Occidental". Official Gazette. COMELEC. September 18, 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Davao Occidental Province Soon To Be Realized". Senate of the Philippines. May 16, 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  8. ↑ Regalado, Edith (January 24, 2013). "‘Creation of Davao Occidental just for political convenience’". philSTAR.com. Retrieved 7 November 2013.

External links

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