Malita, Davao Occidental
| Malita | ||
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| Municipality | ||
Poblacion area
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| Nickname(s): "Banana Capital of Davao Occidental" "Whaleshark Capital of Mindanao" "The Jewel of the South" |
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| Motto: Angat Malita! | ||
 Map of Davao Occidental with Malita highlighted |
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.svg)
 Malita
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| Coordinates: 06°24′N 125°36′E / 6.400°N 125.600°ECoordinates: 06°24′N 125°36′E / 6.400°N 125.600°E | ||
| Country | Philippines | |
| Region | Davao (Region XI) | |
| Province | Davao Occidental | |
| District | Lone District of Davao Occidental | |
| Founded | November 17, 1937 | |
| Barangays | 30 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Benjamin P. Bautista Jr. | |
| • Vice Mayor | Bradly Bautista | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 883.37 km2 (341.07 sq mi) | |
| Population (2015 census) | ||
| • Total | 117,746 | |
| • Density | 130/km2 (350/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | Malitaño | |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+8) | |
| ZIP code | 8012 | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)82 | |
| Income class | 1st municipal income class | |
| 118603000 | ||
| Electorate | 59,051 voters as of 2016 | |
| Website | www |
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Malita is a 1st class municipality in the province of Davao Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 117,746 people.
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 also celebrated annually on the 17th of November.
According to folk etymology, the name "Malita" is derived from the Spanish word "maleta" which means suitcase. It is said that purportedly Don Mariano Peralta, a retired veteran of the Spanish–American War who ventured to the place, decided to live on the vast, fertile plain across the river. One day while bodily fording the deep and swift river with his suitcase and other belongings in hand, the force of the current overwhelmed his perilous balance and got swept by the water consequently losing his grip on the suitcase. His frantic shouts of "maleta, maleta" attracted the attention of the bathing natives who after realizing the situation promptly responded and retrieved the vanishing to settle as Malita. How it came to its present spelling and usage maybe attributed to the natives’ prevalent use of suitcase. Hardly forgetting the shouts of Peralta, the natives later thought the word referred to the land he intended long 'e' sound for the vowels 'i' and 'e'.
Malita is the oldest community in the province. Malita’s existence dates back scores of years before its formal creation as municipality on November 17, 1936. 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 Sta. Cruz long before the coming of the Americans to Davao. Executive Order No. 64 issued by President Manuel L. Quezon officially created Malita into a municipality. Marcelino Maruya, from whom the town of Don Marcelino was named after, was the first appointed municipal mayor.
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Wikipedia