Davao City is one of the most important cities on the island of Mindanao, and is the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area. Its international airport and seaport is one of the busiest cargo hubs in the southern Philippines. Davao City is also one of several cities in the Philippines that are independent of any province, though it is often grouped as part of Davao del Sur. The city is also the regional center for Davao Region (Region XI). It is one of the world's largest cities in terms of land area, occupying more than 2,400 square kilometers. Davao City has a population of around 1.2 million people but an estimated 2 million people are in the city during the day for work and other activities.
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A Japanese entrepreneur named Kichisaburo Ohta was granted permission to exploit vast territories which he transformed into abacá and coconut plantations. The first wave of Japanese plantation workers came onto its shores in 1903, creating a Japan kuo, or Little Japan. They had their own school, newspapers, an embassy, and even a Shinto Shrine. On the whole, they established extensive abaca plantations around the shores of Davao Gulf and developed large-scale commercial interests such as copra, timber, fishing and import-export trading. Filipinos learned the techniques of improved cultivation from the Japanese so that ultimately, agriculture became the lifeblood of the province's economic prosperity.
Davao was formally inaugurated as a charter city in March 16, 1937 by President Elpidio Quirino. Thirty years later, Davao was subdivided into three independent provinces, namely Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental. Over the years, Davao has become an ethnic melting pot as it continues to draw migrants from all over the country, lured by the prospects of striking it rich in the country's third largest city.
Total land area of Davao City is 2,443.61 square kilometers. In terms of land area, it is considered as one of the largest cities in the world. It is divided into 3 congressional districts with barangays (smallest political villages) totaling to 180.
Almost 50% of its total land area is classified as timberland or forest. Agriculture utilizes about 43%. This is reflective of the fact that agriculture is still the largest economic sector. Big plantations that produce banana, pineapple, coffee, and coconut eat up a large chunk of the total land area.
Presently, built-up areas used for residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial purposes represent about 10% of the total land area. Under the approved land use plan built-up and settlement area will cover 15% of the total area while agricultural will be maximized with 67.19%. The remaining 17.68 will be devoted for forest and conservation.
Davao City is governed by a mayor who exercises executive powers provided for under the Local Government Code of the Philippines. The mayor is assisted by a vice mayor, who is also the ex officio head of the city council. The city council is composed of councilors coming from the four territorial districts of the city. The mayor, vice mayor and members of the city council are elected at large by the people. They serve for three years and are entitled to three consecutive terms only. On the other hand, the head of barangay captains association and the youth federation (Sangguniang Kabataan), are the only non-elective members of the city council.
Legislative power is vested solely on the city council, while the mayor has the authority to issue executive orders based on existing laws and ordinances. The mayor also exercises veto powers, which the city council can override by an absolute majority vote.
Unique to the local government set-up of the city is the designation of a deputy mayor by the city mayor. Although an appointive official only, the deputy mayor serves as a direct link to the city mayor especially for people living outside the city proper. The deputy mayor also serves as the city mayor's representative in community events. The functions of the position is considered as complementary to the functions of the city vice-mayor, given the large territorial jurisdiction of the city.
The city is politically subdivided into 180 barangays, each of which is headed by a barangay captain and a body of councilors. The barangay usually executes policies and ordinances passed by the city council or executive orders issued by the city mayor, while legislative acts of the barangay council only pertain to issues or concerns that are peculiar to the barangay-level only.
The current mayor of Davao City is Rodrigo Duterte, a former government prosecutor and congressman. His no-nonsense style of implementing the law earned him the monicker "Punisher of Davao." He is assisted by city vice-mayor Luis Bonguyan, widely presumed to succeed Duterte once the latter completes his three consecutive terms as city mayor. Day-to-day operations of the city government are handled by the city administrator, who is appointed by the city mayor.