Malita

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Malita
Municipality
Municipality of Malita
Hilltop view of Malita
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  Jewel of the South Whaleshark Capital of Mindanao
Motto:  Angat Malita!
Map of Davao Occidental with Malita highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Malita Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 6°24′39″N 125°36′52″E / 6.41083°N 125.61444°E / 6.41083; 125.61444
Country	Philippines
Region	Davao Region
Province	Davao Occidental
District	Lone district
Founded	November 17, 1936
Barangays	30 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• mayor of Malita[*]	Bradly L. Bautista
• Vice Mayor	Estefanie B. Dumama
• Representative	Lorna Bautista-Bandigan
• Municipal Council	Members Benjamin T. Bautista III Carlo Chino G. Baliota Elvira L. Gabaldon Girly D. Licuan Allan G. Colina Isabelo M. Masiwel Tomas D. Alcordo Jr. Josie James D. Rillo
• Electorate	69,059 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	883.37 km2 (341.07 sq mi)
Elevation	197 m (646 ft)
Highest elevation	1,786 m (5,860 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	118,197
• Density	130/km2 (350/sq mi)
• Households	29,489
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	35.66 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 579.1 million (2020), 222.5 million (2013), 242.3 million (2014), 277.2 million (2015), 304.6 million (2016), 197.5 million (2017), 515.8 million (2018), 517.1 million (2019), 648.7 million (2021), 799.1 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 1,463 million (2020), 434.3 million (2012), 468.5 million (2013), 555.1 million (2014), 461.4 million (2015), 575.1 million (2016), 678.2 million (2017), 1,093 million (2018), 1,300 million (2019), 1,629 million (2021), 1,671 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 496.5 million (2020), 165.8 million (2013), 175.5 million (2014), 224.5 million (2015), 248.4 million (2016), 273 million (2017), 325 million (2018), 418.7 million (2019), 521.8 million (2021), 617.4 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 721.1 million (2020), 91.03 million (2013), 103.1 million (2014), 103.5 million (2015), 166.4 million (2016), 197.5 million (2017), 515.8 million (2018), 637 million (2019), 709.2 million (2021), 500.3 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (DASURECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	8012
PSGC	118603000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)82
Native languages	Davawenyo Cebuano Kalagan Tagalog
Website	www.malita.gov.ph

Malita, officially the Municipality of Malita (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Malita; Filipino: Bayan ng 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.^[3]

Malita is known for various cultural arts and heritage of its people and tribes. Gaginaway Festival is celebrated annually every full moon on the month of November and Araw ng Malita is celebrated annually on November 17, the day of its establishment's enactment in 1936.

According to a legend, the name of Malita was derived from the Spanish word maleta, meaning suitcase. Don Mariano Peralta, a retired Spanish–American War veteran, lost his suitcase while crossing a river. His shouts of "Maleta, Maleta" caught the attention of the locals, who retrieved it and later named the area Malita. Its spelling may be associated with the local pronunciation, wherein the ‘e’ sound is commonly used for the vowels ‘i’ and ‘e’.^[5]

Malita is the first municipality established in what is now Davao Occidental. However, its existence dates back scores of years before its formal creation as a municipality of the undivided province of Davao. The Tagakaulo, Blaan and Manobo communities have been living in the area before the arrival of the Spaniards. In 1887, Pablo Pastells, a Jesuit missionary, mentioned Malita, along with Malalag and Lais, as areas where a total of almost 7,000 Tagakaulo residents.^[6]

Records show that Malita must have existed long before the passage of the Philippine Commission Act, the Laws of the Moro Province that mentioned Malita in Section 1 of Act No. 164 dated December 10, 1904. Through the said Act it is presumed that it existed as a barrio of Santa Cruz long before the coming of the Americans to Davao. Executive Order No. 64, s. 1936, issued by President Manuel L. Quezon, officially created Malita into a municipality. The change legally took effect on January 1, 1937. It originally consisted of nine barrios: Malita (the municipal seat), Basiauan, Kalian, Lacaron, Lais, Lawa, Lawayon, Talaguton, and Tubalon.^[7] Marcelino Maruya, from whom the town of Don Marcelino was named after, was the first appointed municipal mayor.

Waves of migrants from the Visayan islands, most of whom hail from Cebu, came on what is now Malita during the American colonial period. They were later followed by immigrants from Luzon. Even after the destruction brought by World War II by the belligerents, there are still waves of migrants towards Malita and other parts of then-Davao province.

Barrios Batulaki and Caburan seceded from Malita to form the separate town of Trinidad (now Jose Abad Santos) on August 1, 1948.^[8] On May 8, 1967, Malita became part of Davao del Sur, when Davao was divided under Republic Act No. 4867.^[9] On December 19, 1979, barangays Calian, Kiobog, Lamidan, Lawa, Nueva Villa, and Talagutong were separated from Malita to form the new municipality of Don Marcelino.^[10]

On October 28, 2013, Malita was ceded to Davao Occidental and designated as its provincial capital as a result of a plebiscite, in which the majority of voters approved the creation of the new province.^[11]

Malita is subdivided into 30 barangays:^[13] Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Poverty incidence of Malita

Malita is the main economic center of Davao Occidental. Agriculture and fishery are primary economic drivers of the municipality.^[6] There is also a fledgling tourism industry, focused on snorkeling and water activities.^[26] The energy sector also contributes to the municipality's economy. The Malita Power Plant, opened in 2018, is a 300-megawatt coal-fired thermal power plant developed by San Miguel Global Power.^[27]

As the town is quite far from other urban centers such as Digos, Davao City and General Santos, Malita is now developing as an urban center of its own, evident in its population, the biggest amongst the municipalities of Davao Occidental. It is now home to hospitals, colleges, banks and shopping centers. As economic activity in the town continues its rapid growth, Malita will soon become the province's first component city in a few years.

Municipal officials (2022-2025):

• Mayor: Bradly Bautista
• Vice Mayor: Estefanie Bautista-Dumama
• Councilors:
  • Benjamin Bautista III
  • Carlo Chino Baliota
  • Romeo T. Lopez
  • Girly Licuan
  • Allan Colina
  • Isabelo Masiwel
  • Tomas Alcordo Jr.
  • Josie James Rillo

• Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology - Poblacion, Malita (Main Campus) and Buhangin, Malita (Buhangin Campus)
• Adventure College of Malita, Inc.
• Seng Pek Chuan Academy, Inc.
• Don Juan Technical Academy of Davao, Inc. (Malita Branch)

• Malita Profile at the DTI Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System