Малита – Давао Окcиденталдың астанасы

Capital of Davao Occidental, Philippines

Malita, officially the Municipality of Malita (; ), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Davao Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 118,197 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 November 17.

Malita is the first municipality established in what is now Davao Occidental. However, its existence dates back scores of years before its formal creation as municipality on November 17, 1936. The Tagakolu, Blaan and Manobo communities have been living in the area before the arrival of the Spaniards. In 1887, Pablo Pastells, a Jesuit missionary, mentions Malita along with Malalag and Lais, as areas where a total of almost 7,000 Tagakolu resided. 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. Waves of migrants from the Visayan islands, most of whom hail from Cebu, came on what is now Malita during the American colonial period. They were later followed by immigrants from Luzon. Even after the destruction brought by World War II by the belligerents, there are still waves of migrants towards Malita and other parts of then Davao province.

The municipality is the main economic center of Davao Occidental province. Agriculture and fishery are primary economic drivers of the municipality. There is also a fledgling tourism industry, focused on snorkeling and water activities. The energy sector also contributes to the municipality's economy. The Malita Power Plant, opened in 2018, is a 300 megawatt coal fired thermal power plant developed by San Miguel Global Power. As the town is quite far from other urban centers such as Digos, Davao City and General Santos, Malita is now developing as an urban center of its own, evident in its population, the biggest amongst the municipalities of Davao Occidental. It is now home to hospitals, colleges, banks and shopping centers. As economic activity in the town continues its rapid growth, Malita will soon become the province's first component city in a few years.