Santa Maria, Davao Occidental

This article is about the town in Davao Occidental. For other municipalities in the Philippines named Santa Maria, see Santa Maria (disambiguation) § Philippines.

Santa Maria
Municipality
Municipality of Santa Maria
Flag Seal
Motto:  Pristine Seas of the South
Map of Davao Occidental with Santa Maria highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Santa Maria Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 6°33′N125°28′E / 6.55°N 125.47°E / 6.55; 125.47
Country	Philippines
Region	Davao Region
Province	Davao Occidental
District	Lone district
Founded	June 18, 1966
Barangays	22 (see Barangays)
Government   [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
•  Mayor	Claude Benjamin D. Bautista II
•  Vice Mayor	Josephine B. Mariscal
•  Municipal Council	Members Jubane M. Monsad Dinko Bautista Charles C. Dupitas Lea C. Abe Maribel M. Aplacador Ramilo F. Mangayao Marylu G. Papatheodorou Dante H. Tan
•  Electorate	36,062 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	175.00 km2 (67.57 sq mi)
Elevation	87 m (285 ft)
Highest elevation	1,124 m (3,688 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2024 census) [3]
• Total	58,886
• Density	340/km2 (870/sq mi)
•  Households	14,706
Economy
•  Income class	2nd municipal income class
•  Poverty incidence	55.29 % (2021) [4]
•  Revenue	₱ 299.7 million (2022)
•  Assets	₱ 658.5 million (2022)
•  Expenditure	₱ 198.5 million (2022)
•  Liabilities	₱ 199.5 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (DASURECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	8011
PSGC	1108604000
IDD  :  area code	+63 (0)82
Native languages	Davawenyo Cebuano Kalagan Tagalog

Santa Maria, officially the Municipality of Santa Maria (Cebuano : Lungsod sa Santa Maria; Tagalog : Bayan ng Santa Maria), is a municipality in the province of Davao Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 57,526 people. ^[5]

History

Santa Maria was created as a municipality of Davao on June 18, 1966 out of 12 barangays and 15 barrios from Malalag, by virtue of Republic Act No. 4743. Basiawan was designated as the municipal seat. ^[6] On May 8, 1967, the municipality became part of Davao del Sur following Davao's division under Republic Act No. 4867. ^[7]

On October 28, 2013, it was ceded to Davao Occidental as a result of a plebiscite, in which the majority of voters approved the creation of the new province. ^[8]

Geography

The municipality, located on Mindanao Island, is about 40 kilometers (25 mi) north-west of provincial capital municipality of Malita and about 1,023 kilometers (636 mi) south-south-east of Philippine main capital Manila. It is also located on the coast of Davao Gulf. The noted feature of Santa Maria is the Mount Monkeyawa, standing about more than a hundred-meter above sea level. And at the foot of this mountain, the Municipal Hall where it is located.

Climate

Climate data for Santa Maria, Davao Occidental
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	30 (86)	30 (86)	31 (88)	32 (90)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (87)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	24 (74)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	38 (1.5)	29 (1.1)	37 (1.5)	45 (1.8)	102 (4.0)	166 (6.5)	179 (7.0)	176 (6.9)	157 (6.2)	133 (5.2)	86 (3.4)	46 (1.8)	1,194 (46.9)
Average rainy days	8.1	7.0	8.9	11.1	22.1	26.1	26.7	26.5	25.6	25.5	19.5	11.7	218.8
Source: Meteoblue [9]

Barangays

Santa Maria is politically subdivided into 22 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Basiawan
• Buca
• Cadaatan
• Kidadan
• Kisulad
• Malalag Tubig
• Mamacao
• Ogpao
• Poblacion
• Pongpong
• San Agustin
• San Antonio
• San Isidro
• San Juan
• San Pedro
• San Roque
• Tanglad
• Santo Niño
• Santo Rosario
• Datu Daligasao
• Datu Intan
• Kinilidan

Demographics

Population census of Santa Maria

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1970	24,271	—
1975	28,754	+3.46%
1980	30,512	+1.19%
1990	40,036	+2.75%
1995	41,919	+0.86%
2000	45,571	+1.81%
2007	48,362	+0.82%
2010	49,349	+0.74%
2015	53,671	+1.61%
2020	57,526	+1.47%
2024	58,886	+0.56%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Language and dialects

• Tagakaulo - a native dialect originates from the mixture of Bagobo, Mandaya, Davawenyo, and the Lumad peoples of Davao City.
• Cebuano

Economy

Poverty incidence of Santa Maria

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 2000 56.27 2003 63.56 2006 40.90 2009 48.53 2012 50.69 2015 55.04 2018 31.70 2021 55.29 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Government

Municipal officials 2022-2025:

• Mayor: Claude Benjamin Bautista II
• Vice Mayor: Josephine Mariscal
• Councilors:
  • Jestoni Tiwo
  • Rudy Mariscal Jr.
  • Lino Solo
  • Amel Vistal
  • Lea Abe
  • Jubane Monsad
  • Ondo Mangayao

References

1.   Municipality of Santa Maria | (DILG)
2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN   0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
3. "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
4. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
5. "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
6. Republic Act No. 4743 (June 18, 1966), An Act Creating a New Municipality in the Province of Davao to Be Known as the Municipality of Santa Maria, Supreme Court E-Library, retrieved July 27, 2024
7. Republic Act No. 4867 (May 8, 1967), An Act Creating the Provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental, The Lawphil Project, retrieved July 26, 2024
8. Republic Act No. 10360 (January 14, 2013), An Act Creating the Province of Davao Occidental, The Lawphil Project, retrieved July 26, 2024
9. "Santa Maria: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
10. "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
11. Census of Population (2015). "Region XI (Davao Region)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
12. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region XI (Davao Region)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office . Retrieved 29 June 2016.
13. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region XI (Davao Region)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
14. "Province of". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
15. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
16. "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
17. "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
18. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
19. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
20. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
21. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
22. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.

External links

• Santa Maria Profile at the DTI Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine