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 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 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 on November 28, 2012, and December 5, 2012, respectively, and signed by President Benigno 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 of those who participated in the plebiscite was required to approve or disapprove the creation of Davao Occidental. Registered voters of Davao 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 on October 30, 2013. Seventy-six percent of those who voted favored the creation of the new province.

By city or municipality City or municipality Yes No Turnout Registered voters Total % Total % Total %Bansalan 10,172 74.16 3,544 25.84 13,716 37.75 36,337Digos 29,626 69.02 13,297 30.98 42,923 45.20 94,962Don Marcelino 6,499 71.77 2,556 28.23 9,055 40.26 22,490Hagonoy 9,853 70.07 4,208 29.93 14,061 45.86 30,664Jose Abad Santos 10,591 74.68 3,591 25.32 14,182 37.03 38,300Kiblawan 7,810 74.33 2,697 25.67 10,507 42.25 24,871Magsaysay 10,961 81.26 2,528 18.74 13,489 41.66 32,375Malalag 9,792 80.26 2,408 19.74 12,200 58.22 20,956Malita 37,036 94.25 2,258 5.75 39,294 52.92 74,250Matanao 9,725 78.81 2,615 21.19 12,340 37.46 32,946Padada 5,315 58.37 3,790 41.63 9,105 47.88 19,017Santa Cruz 15,272 75.24 5,025 24.76 20,297 34.41 58,989Santa Maria 7,327 68.83 3,318 31.17 10,645 35.38 30,091Sarangani 3,247 62.25 1,969 37.75 5,216 32.12 16,238Sulop 6,936 83.86 1,335 16.14 8,271 40.14 20,606 Davao del Sur 180,162 76.57 55,139 23.43 235,301 42.54 553,092 Source: Commission on Elections

Aftermath Malita was designated as capital of the new province and government officials of Davao del Sur, with assistance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government retaining jurisdiction over the new province until residents of the province elected for the province's own set of government officials in 2016.

See also 2001 Zamboanga Sibugay creation plebiscite, which created the province of Zamboanga Sibugay out of Zamboanga del Sur 2006 Dinagat Islands creation plebiscite, which created the province of Dinagat Islands out of Surigao del Norte 2022 Maguindanao division plebiscite, which divided the province of Maguindanao into two smaller provinces

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