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"Do you approve of the creation of the province of Davao Occidental out of the province of Davao del Sur which shall be composed of the municipalities of Santa Maria, Malita, Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos and Sarangani pursuant to Republic Act No. 10360 dated July 23, 2012? [1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Outcome | Proposal accepted | |||||||||||||||
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| Results | ||||||||||||||||
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On October 28, 2013, residents of Davao del Sur voted in a plebiscite to approve or disapprove the creation of the then proposed province of Davao Occidental.
The creation of Davao Occidental was first proposed by then Davao del Sur congressman, Marc Douglas Cagas IV in 2013, while his father, Douglas Cagas, was still the governor of Davao del Sur. The proposed province was to compose all municipalities of Davao del Sur under the 2nd legislative district at that time. Cagas withdrew his proposal as the 2013 Philippine elections drew near. [2]
The proposal was revived by Franklin Bautista 2nd district congressman of Davao del Sur. [2] Bautista passed a law proposing the creation of the province, was passed in Congress, and approved by President Benigno Aquino III. Bautista's version of the law has a more limited scope with the municipalities of Santa Maria, Malita, Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos and Sarangani proposed to form Davao Occidental. Cagas' version included the municipalities of Kiblawan, Malalag and Sulop. The three municipalities opted out from being a part of the province proposed by Bautista. [2] [3]
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. [4] [5] A plebiscite was to be held to ratify the law.
A majority vote of those who participated in the plebiscite was required to approve or disapprove the creation of Davao Occidental. [3] Registered voters of Davao del Sur except Davao City at the time of the plebiscite were eligible to vote. [6]
The results of the plebiscite was announced by the COMELEC on October 30, 2013. Seventy-six percent of those who voted favored the creation of the new province. [3]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes | 180,162 | 76.57 |
| No | 55,139 | 23.43 |
| Total votes | 235,301 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 553,092 | 42.54 |
| Source: [3] | ||
Malita was designated as capital of the new province and government officials of Davao del Sur, with assistance from the Department of Interior and Local Government retaining jurisdiction over the new province [3] until residents of the province elected for the province's own set of government officials in 2016. [2]
In the Philippines, provinces are one of its primary political and administrative divisions. There are 82 provinces at present, which are further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The local government units in the National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are independent of any provincial government. Each province is governed by an elected legislature called the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and an elected governor.
Davao del Sur, officially the Province of Davao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is Digos. Davao City is the largest city in terms of area and population within the province's jurisdiction, yet it is administratively independent from the province; as such, Davao City is only grouped for geographical and statistical purposes and serves as the regional center of Davao Region.
The House of Representatives is the lower house of Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the Senate of the Philippines as the upper house. The lower house is commonly referred to as Congress, although the term collectively refers to both houses.
Davao, officially the Province of Davao, was a province in the Philippines on the island of Mindanao. The old province is coterminous with the present-day Davao Region or Region XI. It was divided into three provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, and Davao del Sur with the passage of Philippine Republic Act No. 4867 on May 8, 1967. Two more provinces, Compostela Valley and Davao Occidental, were carved out of the territories of Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur respectively. The descendant provinces were reorganized into the current region in 2001.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was an autonomous region of the Philippines, located in the Mindanao island group of the Philippines, that consisted of five predominantly Muslim provinces: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. It was the only region that had its own government. The region's de facto seat of government was Cotabato City, although this self-governing city was outside its jurisdiction.
Don Marcelino, officially the Municipality of Don Marcelino, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Davao Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 45,540 people.
Jose Abad Santos, officially the Municipality of Jose Abad Santos, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Davao Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 73,381 people.
Malita, officially the Municipality of Malita, is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Davao Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 118,197 people making it the most populous town in the province.
Santa Maria, officially the Municipality of Santa Maria, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Davao Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 57,526 people.
Sarangani, officially the Municipality of Sarangani, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Davao Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 22,515 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province.
The legislative districts of Davao del Sur are the representations of the province of Davao del Sur in the various national legislatures of the Philippines. The province is currently represented in the lower house of the Congress of the Philippines through its lone congressional district.
Davao Occidental, officially the Province of Davao Occidental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is the municipality of Malita, the most populous town in the province. To the east lies Davao Gulf. It also shares a maritime border with the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi to the south.
An autonomous region of the Philippines is a first-level administrative division that has the authority to control a region's culture and economy. The Constitution of the Philippines allows for two autonomous regions: in the Cordilleras and in Muslim Mindanao. Currently, Bangsamoro, which largely consists of the Muslim-majority areas of Mindanao, is the only autonomous region in the country.
The first Davao Occidental local elections were held on May 9, 2016, as part of the 2016 general election. Voters selected candidates for all local positions: a town mayor, vice mayor and town councilors, as well as members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the governor, vice-governor, and representative for the Lone District of Davao Occidental.
The legislative districts of Davao Occidental are the representations of the province of Davao Occidental in the Congress of the Philippines. The province is currently represented in the lower house of the Congress through its lone congressional district.
The Palawan division plebiscite was a plebiscite held in the province of Palawan, Philippines on March 13, 2021. As required by Republic Act No. 11259, the plebiscite was conducted to consent the residents of Palawan on the proposal to divide the province into three separate provinces: Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur, and Palawan Oriental.
On December 7, 2019, a plebiscite was held in the province of Compostela Valley, Philippines, to determine if its residents approved renaming their province to Davao de Oro.
The Zamboanga Sibugay creation plebiscite was a plebiscite on the creation of the Province of Zamboanga Sibugay from Zamboanga del Sur province in the Philippines. The plebiscite was held on February 22, 2001, and the results were announced on February 26, 2001. The plebiscite was supervised and officiated by the COMELEC pursuant to Resolution No. 3577.
Davao del Sur's at-large congressional district is the sole congressional district of the Philippines in the province of Davao del Sur. It was originally created by the 1967 division of the old Davao province and was eliminated following the 1972 abolition of the House of Representatives. The district was restored as a plural member district for the 1984 national parliament known as the Batasang Pambansa but was reconfigured after Davao City gained its own representation. It was eliminated again following the 1987 reapportionment that created an additional district. The district's current configuration dates from 2013 when Davao del Sur lost a seat following the creation of the province of Davao Occidental covering much of its 2nd district. The district is represented in the 19th Congress by John Tracy Cagas of the Nacionalista Party (NP).
| Local elections | |
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| Autonomous regional elections | |
| Gubernatorial elections | |
| Barangay elections | |
| Sangguniang Kabataan elections | |
| Regional-level plebiscites | |
| Provincial-level plebiscites | |
| Municipal- and city-level plebiscites | |
