Davao Occidental | |
|---|---|
 Balut Island inSarangani | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Etymology:Davao Occidental (i.e., "Western Davao") | |
 Location in the Philippines | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
| Coordinates:6°05′N125°40′E / 6.08°N 125.67°E /6.08; 125.67 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Davao Region |
| Founded | 28 October 2013 |
| Capital and largest municipality | Malita |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Franklin P. Bautista (PFP) |
| • Vice Governor | Lorna Bautista-Bandigan (Lakas) |
| • Congressman | Claude P. Bautista (Lakas) |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,163.45 km2 (835.31 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 57th out of 81 |
| Highest elevation | 1,624 m (5,328 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[2] | |
• Total | 317,598 |
| • Rank | 65th out of 81 |
| • Density | 146.802/km2 (380.214/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 59th out of 81 |
| Demonym(s) | West Davaoeño West Dabawenyo West Dabawnon |
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | 0 |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 105 |
| • Districts | Legislative district of Davao Occidental |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PHT) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)82 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-DVO |
| Spoken languages | |
| Income classification | 4th class |
| Website | davaooccidental |
Davao Occidental (Cebuano:Kasadpang Dabaw;Filipino:Kanluraning Davao), officially theProvince of Davao Occidental (Cebuano:Lalawigan sa Kasadpang Dabaw, Lalawigan sa Davao Occidental;Filipino:Lalawigan ng Kanluraning Davao, Lalawigan ng Davao Occidental), is aprovince in thePhilippines located in theDavao Region inMindanao.[3][4][5] Its capital is the municipality ofMalita, the most populous town in the province. To the east liesDavao Gulf. It also shares a maritime border with the Indonesian province ofNorth Sulawesi to the south.
Spain 1521–1898
United States of America 1898–1942
Japan 1942–1945
Philippines 1946–present
Davao Occidental was part of aSultanate of Maguindanao but for theSarangani, it was later became part ofBuayan Sultanate.
What is now Davao Occidental was once a part of the now-defunctDavao Province which encompasses the entirety of present-dayDavao Region. Section 1 ofPhilippine Commission Act No. 164 dated December 10, 1904 indicated that much of its area as far as what is nowMalita once belonged to the municipality ofSanta Cruz. The original chief inhabitants of the area were the indigenousLumad tribes including the Matigsalugs and Tagakaulos. Around the early 1900s onward, migrants fromLuzon and theVisayas settled in the area, many of whom intermarried with the indigenous people; as decades progressed, the descendants of the migrants became the majority of the population.
The municipality of Malita was founded on November 13, 1936 per Proclamation No. 64 signed by President Manuel Quezon.[6] It was the first town to be established in the area of what is now Davao Occidental and would later serve as its provincial capital. More towns in the area are established later:Trinidad (now Jose Abad Santos) in 1948,Sta Maria in 1968,Don Marcelino in 1979, andSarangani in 1980.
On May 8, 1967, Davao Province was split into three provinces, one of them beingDavao del Sur which included the municipalities of what would later comprise Davao Occidental.
Davao Occidental was created throughRepublic Act No. 10360 enacted on July 23, 2012, comprising five of the eight municipalities that constitute the2nd district ofDavao del Sur. The law was passed by theHouse of Representatives andSenate on November 28, 2012, and December 5, 2012, respectively, and signed byPresidentBenigno Aquino III on January 14, 2013.[3][7] Aplebiscite 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 of creating the province was to boost the economic condition and social progress of the municipalities. SenatorBongbong Marcos, who sponsored the creation of Davao Occidental, said that the great distance ofDigos, Davao del Sur's provincial capital, to other municipalities in the 2nd congressional district, were impairing the effective delivery of basic services, as well as access to provincial government offices.[8] However, Davao del Sur Representative Marc Douglas Cagas considered the creation of the province as nothing more thangerrymandering and political convenience.[9]
Government officials of Davao del Sur, with assistance from theDepartment of the Interior and Local Government, exercised jurisdiction over the Davao Occidental until the elected local officials of the2016 elections assumed office on June 30, 2016.[10][11]
Our Lady of the Rosary ofMalita is the patroness and protectress of the province since October 7, 2024, through the Resolution No. 82-2024 released by the Provincial Government Office of Davao Occidental on September 11, 2024. It was also recognized canonically when BishopGuillermo Afable of theDiocese of Digos issued a decree on 24 April 2025.[12] The devotion started during the 19th century which further propagated through its canonical (rather, episcopal) coronation that took place on October 7, 2022.[13]
Davao Occidental covers a total area of 2,163.45 square kilometers (835.31 sq mi)[14] occupying the southwestern tip of theDavao Region inMindanao. The province is bordered on the northwest by Davao del Sur; west bySarangani and northeast byDavao Gulf.
The topography of Davao Occidental is hilly, rugged and sloping, with nearly the whole province consisting of mountains. Its eastern shoreline consists of cliffs and beaches with hills immediately on their backs. Coconut trees and hardwood trees mostly dominate the provincial mainland.
The municipality ofSarangani, which includeBalut and Sarangani Island, are a group of islands that constitute the insular portion of Davao Occidental.
The province of Davao Occidental is governed by a governor and a vice governor. The whole province is a lonecongressional legislative district.[14] The municipality ofMalita, the largest and most populous in the province, serves as the provincial capital and the place where the provincial officials of Davao Occidental convene.
The province comprises 5municipalities.
| Municipality [i] | Population | ±% p.a. | Area[14] | Density | Barangay | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2020)[2] | (2015)[15] | km2 | sq mi | /km2 | /sq mi | |||||||
| 6°12′02″N125°41′40″E / 6.2005°N 125.6945°E /6.2005; 125.6945 (Don Marcelino) | Don Marcelino | 14.4% | 45,540 | 44,554 | +0.42% | 407.30 | 157.26 | 110 | 280 | 15 | ||
| 5°54′46″N125°38′39″E / 5.9129°N 125.6441°E /5.9129; 125.6441 (Jose Abad Santos) | Jose Abad Santos | 23.1% | 73,381 | 76,332 | −0.75% | 600.06 | 231.68 | 120 | 310 | 26 | ||
| 6°24′40″N125°36′30″E / 6.4110°N 125.6082°E /6.4110; 125.6082 (Malita) | Malita | † | 37.3% | 118,197 | 117,746 | +0.07% | 883.37 | 341.07 | 130 | 340 | 30 | |
| 6°33′13″N125°28′27″E / 6.5537°N 125.4742°E /6.5537; 125.4742 (Santa Maria) | Santa Maria | 18.1% | 57,526 | 53,671 | +1.33% | 175.00 | 67.57 | 330 | 850 | 22 | ||
| 5°24′44″N125°25′17″E / 5.4123°N 125.4215°E /5.4123; 125.4215 (Sarangani) | Sarangani | 7.1% | 22,515 | 24,039 | −1.24% | 97.72 | 37.73 | 230 | 600 | 12 | ||
| Total | 317,159 | 316,342 | +0.05% | 2,163.45 | 835.31 | 150 | 390 | 105 | ||||
| † Provincial capital | Municipality | |||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 17,050 | — |
| 1939 | 30,775 | +2.85% |
| 1948 | 39,087 | +2.69% |
| 1960 | 48,704 | +1.85% |
| 1970 | 99,907 | +7.44% |
| 1975 | 127,604 | +5.03% |
| 1980 | 161,366 | +4.81% |
| 1990 | 209,429 | +2.64% |
| 1995 | 219,825 | +0.91% |
| 2000 | 254,512 | +3.19% |
| 2007 | 272,570 | +0.95% |
| 2015 | 316,342 | +1.88% |
| 2020 | 317,159 | +0.05% |
| 2024 | 317,598 | +0.03% |
Sources:
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The population of Davao Occidental in the 2020 census was 317,159 people,[2] with a density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometer or 390 inhabitants per square mile.
| Population percentage (2020 Census)[18] |
|---|
|
| Total population: 317,159 |
The population mostly consists of people whose ancestors originate from the migrants fromVisayan Islands andLuzon. TheLumad natives only form a small part of the population and live in the more mountainous and forested areas of the province. Indonesian settlers ofSangirese descent even live in the province.
The main industries in Davao Occidental areaquaculture and agriculture. Economic produce in the province include fish,bananas andcoconuts which are then exported to several major cities within southern Mindanao, includingDavao City. Rice farms are only limited to the few flat lands in the province due to its mountainous and thickly forested nature.
The capital town ofMalita is the province's main commercial hub.
Tourism has started to gain traction in the province, with potential tourist destinations mostly concentrated in the province's coastal beaches and theSarangani andBalut islands in the south.[19]
Davao Occidental is served by only one partially-coastal highway that traverses the whole length of the provincial mainland from north to south, and could only be accessed by going through the road crossings inSulop inDavao del Sur province and, farther ahead, in the city ofGeneral Santos. Buses,jeepneys andpassenger vans that originate from and serve the cities of Davao andDigos are the main primary modes of transportation in the province. Boats serve as the primary maritime mode of transportation for coastal areas not yet accessible by roads and the island municipality ofSarangani.
Media related toDavao Occidental at Wikimedia Commons
Geographic data related toDavao Occidental atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Davao Occidental | |
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 Province ofDavao Occidental | |
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Malita (capital and largest municipality) | |
| Municipalities | |
