Davao de Oro gets ‘yes’ vote
“WE ARE Davao de Oro” reads the new profile picture on the official social media page of what used to be Compostela Valley province.
Residents of Davao de Oro — the second richest province in the country in terms of assets with about P19 billion based on the Commission on Audit’s 2018 financial report released in October — voted an overwhelming “yes” during the Dec. 7 plebiscite for Republic Act No. 11297, the law renaming the province.
The official tally shows 174,442 votes in favor against only 5,020 saying ‘no.’
Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy earlier expressed confidence that the people will ratify the name change, which he said will give them a better identity as part of the Davao Region in Mindanao. The other provinces in the region are Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, Davao del Norte, and Davao del Sur, while Davao City is an independent local government.
Nonetheless, the provincial government actively held an information campaign in the past months to explain the benefits as well as allay concerns such as the effects on legal documents bearing the old name.
“Majority support this, we believe the plebiscite will just be a formality,” Mr. Uy said.
Last September, the 34-year old governor, on his second term after serving for three years as provincial board member, sat down for an interview with BusinessWorld at the new Dusit Thani at Lubi Plantation Resort, an upscale destination that is a first for the province, where the economy is driven mainly by agriculture and mining.
He describes the investment as a “trendsetter” for the province that comes at an opportune time as they make the name shift, a rebranding initiative to attract investors and tourists.
BusinessWorld: You now have a luxury island destination in Compostela Valley, what does this mean for the province?