History of Malita, Davao Occidental

 History of Malita,Davao Occidental

December 08,2022

What is now Davao Occidental was once a part of the now-defunct Davao Province which encompasses the entirety of present-day Davao Region. Section 1 of Philippine Commission Act No. 164 dated December 10, 1904 indicated that much of its area as far as what is now Malita once belonged to the municipal unity of Santa Cruz. The original chief inhabitants of the area were the indigenous Lumad tribes including the Matigsalugs and Tagakaulos. Around the early 1900s onward, migrants from Luzon and the Visayas settled in the area, many of whom intermarried with the indigenous people; as decades progressed the descendants of the migrants became the majority of the population.

Origin of the Municipality’s Name

According to stories by folks in this place, the name “Malita” was taken from the Spanish word “maleta”, which means suitcase. Purportedly, Don Mariano Peralta, a veteran of the Spanish-American War who ventured to the place, decided to live on the vast fertile plain across a river. While bodily fording the river with his suitcase in hand, the strong current tipped his balance, and his belongings was swept by the water. His shouts of “maleta! maleta!” then attracted the attention of the natives who responded and retrieved his vanishing suitcase. Unwittingly, the natives then thought of the words he shouted referred to the land he intended to settle in, thus the name of the place.

Municipality of Malita 

The municipality of Malita was founded on November 13, 1936 per Proclamation No. 64 signed by President Manuel Quezon.It was the first town to be established in the area of what is now Davao Occidental and would later serve as its provincial capital. More towns in the area are established later: Trinidad (now Jose Abad Santos) in 1948, Sta Maria in 1968, Don Marcelino in 1979, and Sarangani in 1980.

On May 8, 1967, Davao Province was split into three provinces, one of them being Davao del Sur which included the municipalities of what would later comprise Davao Occidental.

Davao Occidental was created through Republic Act 10360 enacted on July 23, 2013, comprising five of the eight municipalities that constitute the 2nd district 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. A plebiscite was held on October 28, 2013, along with the barangay elections and the majority of votes cast were "Yes", ratifying the province.

The motive of creating the province was to boost the economic condition and social progress of the municipalities. Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who sponsored the creation of Davao Occidental, said that the distances of Digos, Davao del Sur's provincial capital, to other municipalities in the second Congressional District are far-off that impairs the effective delivery of basic services, as well as the access to government offices. However, Davao del Sur Representative Marc Douglas Cagas considered the creation of the province as nothing more than gerrymandering and political convenience.

Government officials of Davao del Sur with assistance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government exercised jurisdiction over the Davao Occidental until the elected local officials of the 2016 elections assumed office.

Image source: malita.gov.ph

Present Economy

Malita is the main economic center of Davao Occidental, and its main industry is agriculture and fishery. Though far behind other big urban centers in its vicinity, such as Davao City, General Santos City and Digos City, the municipality still serves as a major urban center of the province. And because of its rapid and continuous economic activity, it is expected that Malita will become a component city for years to come.