Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental

Jose Abad Santos Trinidad
Municipality
Municipality of Jose Abad Santos
Flag Seal
Map of Davao Occidental with Jose Abad Santos highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Jose Abad Santos Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 5°55′N 125°39′E / 5.92°N 125.65°E / 5.92; 125.65
Country	Philippines
Region	Davao Region
Province	Davao Occidental
District	Lone district
Founded	August 1, 1948
Renamed	April 20, 1955
Named for	José Abad Santos
Barangays	26 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Jason John A. Joyce
• Vice Mayor	James John A. Joyce
• Representative	Claude P. Bautista
• Municipal Council	Members Marvic Vonn B. Guillermo Gualberto L. Sioco III Ermelita G. Malaki Evelyn G. Aragoncillo Jessel M. Atay Roger A. Castro Harden Henry P. Joyce Reynante B. Mier
• Electorate	46,622 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	600.06 km2 (231.68 sq mi)
Elevation [3]	13.3 m (43.6 ft)
Highest elevation	1,803 m (5,915 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[4]
• Total	73,381
• Density	120/km2 (320/sq mi)
• Households	17,001
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	26.38 % (2021)[5]
• Revenue	₱ 292.8 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 576.1 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 192.2 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 189.4 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (DASURECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	8014
PSGC	118602000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)82
Native languages	Davawenyo Cebuano Sangirese Blaauboschkraal stone ruins Kalagan Tagalog
Website	www.joseabadsantos.gov.ph

Jose Abad Santos, officially the Municipality of Jose Abad Santos (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Jose Abad Santos; Tagalog: Bayan ng Jose Abad Santos), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Davao Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 73,381 people.^[4]

The Municipality of Jose Abad Santos was formerly a part of Malita town, then in the undivided province of Davao. Barrios Batulaki and Caburan seceded and established as a separate town on August 1, 1948, and was originally named Trinidad.^[6] Barrio Caburan became its poblacion or town center. On April 20, 1955, the municipality was renamed by virtue of Republic Act No. 1206, in honor of José Abad Santos, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines who was executed by the Japanese invading forces during World War II.^[7]

On May 8, 1967, the municipality became part of Davao del Sur, when Davao was divided under Republic Act No. 4867.^[8] On June 11, 1978, the islands of Sarangani and Balut were carved out from the municipality to form the new municipality of Sarangani, through Presidential Decree No. 1550 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos.^[9] On October 28, 2013, the municipality was ceded to Davao Occidental as a result of a plebiscite, in which the majority of voters approved the creation of the new province.^[10]

On January 1, 2021, Barangay Caburan experienced a nearby earthquake.^[11] Two days later, the town became the center of a diarrhea outbreak.^[12][13]

It is the southernmost municipality on the mainland of Mindanao island. The coastal town is the second largest municipality in Davao Occidental after Malita.

Jose Abad Santos is politically subdivided into 26 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Poverty incidence of Jose Abad Santos

Vast natural resources can be found, such as the wide stretch of mangroves of the municipality. Milkfish and tilapia breeding, as well as copra production, are the primary source of income for its people. The long stretch of beaches with brown, black and white sands, together with abundant marine life offshore are the primary natural attractions of Jose Abad Santos.

The municipality can be reached by public utility vehicles plying from Davao City and Digos via the Pan-Philippine Highway. Past the town of Sulop is the junction with Davao del Sur Provincial Highway. Turning east at the junction, head south on the provincial highway to the town of Malita. And to the said municipality, habal-habal or passenger motorcycles ply to the adjacent town Don Marcelino.

The road condition of the town is poor. Its road network is mostly unpaved, traversing through high-sloped hilly coastal and mountain roads with the danger of falling rocks from above. Most of the river crossings have no bridges, so drivers traversing the town have to consider if their vehicle is capable of crossing a shallow river. During rainy weather, travelers have to wait for the water level to subside before the river could become accessible again. A trip to the town is considered as either adventurous or dangerous by those who intend to visit depending on their experience, though part of the road heading to Don Marcelino town to the north is paved, made with concrete cement.

On August 20, 2013, former provincial representative Marc Douglas Cagas IV complained about the DPWH's complacency about the project involving the improving of roads going to the municipality. He attributed the complacency to the pork barrel scandal that was already happening in the country's politics since several days before the said complaint due to overspending of their budget for the said project.^[27]

• List of renamed cities and municipalities in the Philippines

• Jose Abad Santos Profile at the DTI Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine