MALITA, Davao Occidental (PIA) — The continuing growth in the economy of Davao Occidental is seen to invite more investors in the province which could create more jobs for the residents.
Jessie A. Madulin, chief statistics specialist of the Philippine Statistics Authority in Davao Occidental, confirmed that the province has continued to expand, as revealed in the results of the 2022 Provincial Product Accounts.
Madulin said that the economy of Davao Occidental has increased by 7.1 percent in 2022, compared to 6.4 percent in 2021.
“This means that the province is growing, although it is a new province in the country. It’s competitive enough against other provinces in the region,” he said in the vernacular during an episode of the Gobyernong Balitaan radio program of the Philippine Information Agency in Davao Occidental.
Jessie A. Madulin, chief statistics specialist of the Philippine Statistics Authority in Davao Occidental, presents the results of the 2022 Provincial Product Accounts of Davao Occidental during the Dissemination Forum on November 29, 2023 in Malita town. (PIA Davao Occidental)
The Davao Occidental 2022 PPA was released during a dissemination forum held on November 29, 2023, in Malita town, which was attended by representatives of various stakeholders from the local government units, national government agencies, law enforcement, the private sector, civil society organizations, and media in the province.
The PPA is a mechanism to compile the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) using a production approach at the sub-regional level. The GDP measures the value of all final goods and services produced within an economy in a given period of time.
The 2022 PPA showed that the GDP of Davao Occidental in 2022 was estimated at P37.90 billion, which contributed a chunk of 4 percent to the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of Davao Region, estimated at P954 billion.
Madulin noted that the GDP of the province in 2021 already exceeded the pre-pandemic GDP level of P33.94 billion in 2019.
In terms of the share of three major industries in the economy of Davao Occidental, he disclosed that services had the biggest share with 47.2 percent, followed by industry with a share of 31.2 percent and agriculture, forestry and fishing, with a share of 21.6 percent.
The services posted a double-digit growth of 11.6 percent in 2022, up from 6.3 percent in the previous year.
Under the services industry, accommodation and food service activities registered the highest growth at 32.2 percent, followed by other services at 24.3 percent, and wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles at 14.3 percent.
The agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries also grew by 7.9 percent in 2022, compared to 4.6 percent in the previous year.
The province has vast agricultural lands, although mountainous, that could grow almost all kinds of crops. It also has rich fisheries and marine resources.
The progress in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries in the province has been aligned with the major thrusts of former Governor Claude P. Bautista and the present administration of Governor Franklin P. Bautista.
Hazel Ann Bautista-Siatan, project development officer IV of the provincial
The Philippine Statistics Office of Davao Occidental has released the 2022 PPA during a dissemination forum held on November 29, 2023, in Malita town, attended by representatives of various stakeholders from the local government units, national government agencies, law enforcement, the private sector, civil society organizations, and media in the province. (PSA Davao Occidental)
government, said that food security is part of the FPB program of the incumbent governor. FPB stands for “Food Security, Peace and Order, and Build More.”
“The province is also eyed to become an agri-industrialized province in the country,” Bautista-Siatan said during the PPA dissemination forum.
On the ranking of Davao Region’s economies, which grew by 8.1 percent in 2022, Davao Oriental recorded the fastest growth at 12.3 percent, followed by the City of Davao at 8.9 percent.
Hazel Ann Bautista-Siatan, project development officer IV of the Davao Occidental provincial government, emphasizes the FPB program of Governor Franklin P. Bautista, which stands for “Food Security, Peace and Order, and Build More.” (PIA Davao Occidental)
Davao del Sur ranked third at 7.3 percent, closely followed by Davao Occidental at 7.1 percent, Davao Del Norte at 6.7 percent, and Davao de Oro at 6 percent.
Madulin, meanwhile, explained that the PPA results can be used by economic planners, policymakers, and other stakeholders in assessing the performance of local economies, policy formulation and monitoring, and impact analyses, among others, for evidence-based decision-making.
Davao Occidental is the 81st province of the country, comprising five municipalities, namely, Sta. Maria, Malita, Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos, and the island municipality of Sarangani. The province was originally part of the second district of Davao del Sur. (JBG/CLC /PIA-XI)
