The mayor of Davao City (Cebuano: Punong Dakbayan sa Davao) is the chief executive of the government of Davao City in Davao Region, Philippines.[1] The mayor leads the city's departments in executing ordinances and delivering public services.[1] The mayorship is a three-year term and each mayor is restricted to three consecutive terms, totalling nine years, although a mayor can be elected again after an interruption of one term.
On March 16, 1936, Davao Assemblyman Romualdo C. Quimpo filed a bill seeking to create the chartered City of Davao. This bill would later be signed by President Manuel L. Quezon as Commonwealth Act No. 51 on October 16, 1936. Davao City shall then be governed by a Mayor as an independent City.[4]
In 1967, the province of Davao was divided into three provinces: Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental and Davao del Sur. Geographically, Davao City became part of Davao del Sur, but was no longer its provincial capital. It became the commercial center of Southern Mindanao. This period also saw the election of an indigenous person to the city mayorship when Elias Baguio Lopez, a full-blooded Bagobo, won the 1967 local elections.
In 1972, Davao City became the regional administrative capital of Southern Mindanao. Thereafter, upon its reorganization as the regional capital of the Davao Region (Region XI), it was the sole highly urbanized city in the Davao Region.
In 1986, President Corazon Aquino appointed Rodrigo Duterte as OIC Vice Mayor. Duterte later ran for Mayor and won, taking the top post from 1988 to 1998, from 2001 to 2010, and yet again from 2013 to 2016. The incumbent city mayor is his youngest child, Sebastian Duterte.[5]
Notable mayors
Santiago Artiaga
Santiago Artiaga
Before claiming the honor as Davao City’s first sitting mayor, Santiago Artiaga (1878–1962), one of the first pensionados (state scholars) during the American occupation, was already a colorful, if controversial, figure in Manila. As the city engineer, the highest position next to the mayor, he had clashes with the city council and, as acting city mayor, was the envy of his detractors.
In 1933, he filed an early retirement from public service, but this was not accepted. He continued to serve as city engineer until 1936 when he resigned to accept the appointment as de jure mayor of Zamboanga City. Two weeks thereafter, he was reassigned to Davao as its first city mayor.
For nearly three years Artiaga served diligently as local chief executive, but had to leave after President Manuel L. Quezon plucked him out for another assignment. On October 13, 1939, Malacañang announced his appointment as the new provincial governor of Bukidnon, replacing Agustin Alvarez who took over as the new city mayor of Davao.[6]
Duterte's rise from the legal ranks to politics began when he was named special counsel at the City Prosecution Office in Davao City in 1977. He became assistant city prosecutor two years later, serving until 1986.
In May 1986, he was appointed OIC vice mayor of Davao City by the revolutionary government of Corazon Aquino. He won as mayor of Davao City in the 1988 local elections under the Lakas ng Dabaw banner, defeating former OIC mayor Zafiro Respicio and popular broadcaster Jun Pala.
Nicknamed "The Punisher" by Time Magazine for his controversial methods, Duterte nevertheless was successful in reducing crime. Furthermore, he was credited with helping to make Davao City cleaner by enforcing a smoking ban, and for his LGBT-friendly measures. His popularity was such that he served seven terms as mayor, sidestepping term limits with stints as a congressman and vice mayor, and drew huge ratings with a weekly television program "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa."[7]
In 2024, Duterte resigned as secretary of education and also the vice chairperson of the an anti-insurgency task force (NTF-ELCAC), an anti-insurgency task force.[9][10] Political analysts have observed that, despite her initial election alliance with Marcos, a developing breach between the Marcos and Duterte political families is correlated with her rising absence from public appearances with the president.[11]
The vice mayor is the second-highest official of Davao City.[1] The vice mayor is elected via popular vote; although most mayoral candidates have running mates, the vice mayor is elected separately from the mayor. This can result in the mayor and the vice mayor coming from different political parties.[1]
The vice mayor is the presiding officer of the Davao City Council, although he can only vote as the tiebreaker. When a mayor is removed from office or is unable to assume the position due to temporary incapacity (whether physical or legal), suspension, or an official leave of absence, the vice mayor serves as acting mayor until the elected mayor can return or until the next election.
Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte assumed the role of Acting Mayor on June 30, 2025, which resulted in Councilor Rodrigo 'Rigo' Duterte II being designated as the Acting Vice Mayor of Davao City.[15]
↑ De Leon, Dwight (January 29, 2024). "Uniteam divided: The politicians in opposing Sunday rallies in Manila and Davao". Rappler. Rappler Inc. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024. After her stage appearance at the Quirino Grandstand, Duterte left the 'Bagong Pilipinas' rally before the main program even started to fly to Davao City to attend the candlelight prayer rally against charter change.
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