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.
Background
The creation of Davao Occidental was first proposed by then Davao del Sur congressman,
Marc Douglas Cagas IV
Marc Douglas Chan Cagas IV (born April 24, 1976) is a Filipino politician. A member of the Nacionalista Party, he was elected in 2007 as a Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the First District of Davao del ...
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.
The proposal was revived by
Franklin Bautista
Franklin Peralta Bautista (born April 1, 1952) is a Filipino politician currently serving as the first Vice Governor of the newly created Province of Davao Occidental. A member of the Liberal Party, he has been elected to two terms as a Member of ...
2nd district congressman of Davao del Sur. 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.
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
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
on November 28, 2012, and December 5, 2012, respectively, and signed by PresidentBenigno Aquino III on January 14, 2013.Sec. 46, RA 10360 The Province of Davao Occidental shall be created, as provided for in this Charter, upon approval by the majority of the votes cast by the voters of the affected areas in a plebiscite to be conducted and supervised by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) within sixty (60) days from the date of the effectivity of this Charter. A plebiscite was to be held to ratify the law.
A
majority vote
A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-WebsterDavao del Sur except Davao City at the time of the plebiscite were eligible to vote.
Results
The results of the plebiscite was announced by the
COMELEC COMELEC or Comelec may refer to any of the following:
* Commission on Elections (Philippines) (Comelec)
* North African Power Pool
The Comité Maghrébin de l'Electricité (COMELEC), also Maghreb Electricity Committee and North African Power Poo ...
on October 30, 2013. Seventy-six percent of those who voted favored the creation of the new province.
Aftermath
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 retains jurisdiction over the new province until residents of the province vote for the province's own set of government officials in 2016.