Davao de Oro

Davao de Oro, officially the Province of Davao de Oro, is a Philippine province in the Davao Region of Mindanao. Its provincial capital is Nabunturan, while Monkayo is the most populous municipality. The province occupies the northeastern part of the Davao Region and covers approximately 4,479.77 square kilometres. It borders Davao del Norte to the west, Agusan del Sur to the north, and Davao Oriental to the east; the Davao Gulf lies to the southwest. The province was created from Davao del Norte through Republic Act No. 8470, signed by President Fidel V. Ramos on January 30, 1998. The measure established a new province named Compostela Valley, and its creation was approved in a plebiscite held on March 7, 1998. The division of Davao del Norte followed efforts that had developed during the 1980s and were later advanced in Congress by Rogelio M. Sarmiento. Nabunturan was selected as the capital because of its relatively central location and its suitability as an administrative center. The province's first years involved a short succession of governors. Prospero S. Amatong, then governor of the undivided Davao del Norte, briefly assumed the new provincial governorship before resigning to pursue a congressional seat. Luz M. Sarmiento served by presidential appointment until June 1998, after which Jose R. Caballero became the first elected governor of Compostela Valley. Arturo T. Uy later became a significant provincial political figure, winning the governorship in 2007 and securing reelection in 2010. The modern provincial administration includes an elected governor, vice governor, provincial board, and two representatives in the Philippine House of Representatives. In December 2019, the province adopted its current name. A renaming measure was submitted to a plebiscite on December 7, 2019, and voters approved changing Compostela Valley to Davao de Oro. Provincial officials presented the change as a way to clarify the province's connection with the Davao Region and reduce confusion with Compostela in Cebu and Cagayan Valley. The new name also highlights the area's association with gold mining and the wider Davao regional identity. Davao de Oro has a mixed cultural and demographic history. Indigenous communities include the Mansaka, Mandaya, Manobo, Mangguangan, Dibabawon, Aeta, Kamayo, Davaweño, and Kalagan peoples. Later migration from Luzon and the Visayas substantially shaped the population, with Cebuano-speaking Visayans becoming the largest broad linguistic and cultural group. Cebuano is the principal language, alongside Kalagan, Mansaka, Mandaya, Ata Manobo, Dibabawon, Tagalog, and English. The provincial economy combines agriculture, mining, commerce, and public infrastructure. Important agricultural products include rice, coconut, cacao, coffee, papaya, mango, pineapple, durian, and banana. Fishponds and small-scale aquaculture also contribute to local livelihoods. Gold and silver mining are particularly important, with deposits and mining activity found across much of the province. Mount Diwalwal in Monkayo is one of the best-known mining areas. Other local landmarks include Nabunturan's Solidarity Ring, described in provincial and reference materials as the country's largest gold ring. Davao de Oro is administered through 11 municipalities divided into two congressional districts. Its provincial government provides public administration, infrastructure coordination, social services, economic development programs, and support for agriculture and local communities. As an administrative territory rather than a commercial consumer brand, its public identity is built around provincial governance, regional affiliation, natural resources, cultural diversity, and local development.

The territory now called Davao de Oro has long been inhabited by Indigenous peoples, including Mansaka, Mandaya, Manobo, Mangguangan, Dibabawon, Aeta, Kamayo, Davaweño, and Kalagan communities. Its later population was shaped by migration from Luzon and the Visayas, particularly during the prewar and postwar periods. Government resettlement and land policies under President Ramon Magsaysay encouraged further migration by offering land opportunities to tenant farmers. Cebuano-speaking Visayans eventually became the dominant broad cultural and linguistic group, while Indigenous languages and traditions remained important across the province. Local administrative development preceded provincial creation. In 1955, New Sabonga barrio was transferred from Asuncion to Compostela. In 1957, Republic Act No. 2038 separated Compostela from Nabunturan. Compostela developed around settlements along the Agusan River, whose river landing served as an early center of movement and trade. The area later became a broader commercial and administrative center. The movement to create a separate province from Davao del Norte gained momentum in the 1980s. Earlier legislative efforts associated with Lorenzo S. Sarmiento Sr. did not immediately produce a new province, but his son, Rogelio M. Sarmiento, later continued the initiative in Congress. Consultation among provincial legislators, Davao del Norte officials, and municipal leaders produced a proposed configuration that added Maco, Mabini, Pantukan, and Laak to the municipalities being separated. The arrangement was intended to give the two resulting provinces broadly comparable territory, population, and development prospects. Nabunturan was chosen as the capital because it was centrally located. The new province was established through Republic Act No. 8470, signed on January 30, 1998, and named Compostela Valley. A plebiscite held on March 7, 1998, approved the law in the affected municipalities. The initial transition in provincial leadership was unusually brief. Prospero S. Amatong, who had governed the previously undivided Davao del Norte, assumed the new office for approximately one day before resigning to seek a congressional position. Luz M. Sarmiento then served as appointed governor until the end of the transitional period. Jose R. Caballero subsequently became the first elected governor. The province's political history later included the administration of Arturo T. Uy, who had previously served on the provincial board and won the governorship in 2007. He was reelected in 2010. Provincial government has since continued to operate through an elected governor, vice governor, legislative board, municipal governments, and two congressional districts. For much of its existence, the province was known as Compostela Valley or ComVal. Officials eventually supported a name change because the old name could be confused with Cagayan Valley and with the municipality of Compostela in Cebu. The proposed name, Davao de Oro, connected the province more clearly to the Davao Region and emphasized its gold resources. The renaming proposal was approved in the December 7, 2019 plebiscite, establishing the province's present official identity. Davao de Oro's economic history has been shaped by the interaction of agriculture, mineral extraction, transport, and local commerce. Gold mining is widespread, with Mount Diwalwal in Monkayo among the best-known mining districts. Agriculture remains equally important, producing rice, coconut, cacao, coffee, banana, pineapple, durian, mango, and other crops. The province's geography, extending from interior uplands to areas near the Davao Gulf, supports varied agricultural and ecological conditions. Contemporary provincial development therefore combines resource management, transport and public infrastructure, agricultural livelihoods, municipal services, cultural protection, and the administration of a diverse population.

• 2019

  Province adopts the name Davao de Oro

  [1]Davao de Oroen.wikipedia.org

  A plebiscite approved the replacement of Compostela Valley with Davao de Oro as the province's official name.

• 2007

  Arturo Uy elected governor

  [1]Davao de Oroen.wikipedia.org

  Arturo T. Uy won the provincial governorship after previously serving on the provincial board.

• 1998

  Compostela Valley created

  [1]Davao de Oroen.wikipedia.org

  Republic Act No. 8470 created Compostela Valley as a new province from Davao del Norte. The law was approved in a March plebiscite.

• 1957

  Compostela separated from Nabunturan

  [1]Davao de Oroen.wikipedia.org

  Republic Act No. 2038 established Compostela as a separate municipality from Nabunturan.

• 1955

  New Sabonga transferred to Compostela

  [1]Davao de Oroen.wikipedia.org

  The barrio of New Sabonga was transferred from the municipality of Asuncion to Compostela.

A resource-rich and agriculturally productive province associated with the Davao Region, gold mining, diverse indigenous communities, and provincial public services.

• Agriculture

  Agricultural crops

  Agriculture is a major part of Davao de Oro's economy and rural livelihood base. Products identified in reference material include rice, coconut, cacao, coffee, papaya, mango, pineapple, durian, and banana. Production varies across the province's municipalities and is supported by local roads, trading activity, and provincial development programs.

• Mining

  Gold and silver

  Mineral extraction is a defining part of the provincial economy. Davao de Oro contains extensive gold resources, and mining activity occurs in many municipalities. Mount Diwalwal in Monkayo is the best-known mining area. Gold is also reflected in the province's present name and in local civic landmarks such as Nabunturan's Solidarity Ring.

• Aquaculture

  Freshwater fish

  Some residents operate fishponds and raise species such as tilapia and milkfish. Aquaculture complements crop farming and mining as a smaller but established source of local food production and household income.

• 2019

  Rename Compostela Valley as Davao de OroStrategy

  Background

  Provincial officials argued that the former name could cause geographic confusion with Cagayan Valley and Compostela in Cebu. The proposed name also associated the province more directly with the Davao Region and its gold-mining identity.

  Action taken

  The renaming proposal was submitted to voters in a province-wide plebiscite held on December 7, 2019. A majority approved the change.

  Aftermath

  The province became officially known as Davao de Oro, while Compostela Valley and ComVal remain historical references to the former name.

  Source

1. 1Davao de Oroen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Website of the Provincial Government of Davao de Orodavaodeoro.gov.ph