Area rank 57th out of 81 Capital Malita, Davao Occidental | Founded October 28, 2013 Time zone PHT (UTC+8) Municipalities 5 | |
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Spoken languages CebuanoTagalogEnglish | ||
Welcome to davao occidental the 81st province of the philippines
Davao Occidental (Cebuano: Kasadpang Dabaw, Filipino: Kanlurang Dabaw) is the 81st and newest province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. 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.
Contents
- Welcome to davao occidental the 81st province of the philippines
- Creation
- Geography
- Administrative divisions
- Demographics
- References
According to Article IX Section 48 of the provincial charter, the first set of elective officials were elected on May 9, 2016, the next local elections following the foundation of the province.
Creation
Davao Occidental was created through Republic Act 10360 enacted on July 23, 2013, comprising five of the eight municipalities that constitute the 2nd district 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. A plebiscite was held on October 28, 2013 along with the barangay elections and the majority of votes cast were "Yes", ratifying the province.
The motive of creating 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, 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. However, Davao del Sur Representative Marc Douglas Cagas considered the creation of the province as nothing more than gerrymandering and political convenience.
Government officials of Davao del Sur with assistance from the Department of Interior and Local Government exercised jurisdiction over the Davao Occidental until the elected local officials of the 2016 elections assumed office.
Geography
Davao Occidental covers a total area of 2,163.45 square kilometres (835.31 sq mi) occupying the southwestern tip of the Davao Region in Mindanao. The province is bordered on the northwest by Davao del Sur; west by Sarangani and northeast by the Davao Gulf.
Administrative divisions
The province comprises 5 municipalities, all encompassed by a lone legislative district.
Demographics
The population of Davao Occidental in the 2015 census was 316,342 people, with a density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometre or 390 inhabitants per square mile.