OFFICIALS from Compostela Valley are pushing to change the name of the province to Davao de Oro, citing they want to be associated with the Davao region where the president of the country comes from.
During the media interface held at the Pinnacle Hotel and Suites in Davao City on Tuesday, December 20, Compostela Valley Department of Trade and Industry Director Lucky Siegfred Balleque said they passed last December 8 a resolution before the Provincial Board supporting the proposed name.
The idea to change the name into Davao de Oro was initiated by the Compostela Valley local government, according to Balleque, for the reason that many do not know that the province is part of Davao region and it is often mistaken as a municipality of Cebu that bears the same name, Compostela.
“It is important na alam ng mga tao, investors, and international community that Compostela [Valley] is part of Davao region. And being part of Davao region, of course we want to leverage to the President right now,” Balleque said.
Among the four provinces and one charter city of Davao Region (Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, and Davao City), only Compostela Valley is named differently, having been carved from Davao del Norte.
“[Since President Rodrigo] Duterte is also from Davao region, we would really like to be associated with [it],” Balleque said, adding that different sectors in the province are also supportive of the proposal.
When asked about the status of the resolution, Balleque said he is not sure yet whether the Provincial Board had approved it, but being a secretariat of the Provincial Small and Medium Enterprise Development (Smed) council, they had filed their own resolution supporting the change of the province’s name.
“We will not propose it if we think it will not be advantageous to the province. Definitely, it will be an advantage considering that, particularly in the next six years, all roads lead to Davao region,” Balleque added.
The idea to change the name had long been proposed by the local officials but it is only now that they found “brighter opportunity and eagerness” to push for it considering that the sitting President is from the region, Balleque said.
“I cannot say kung kanino nagsimula [ang ideya to change the name of the province] but it is Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy who told me about it,” Balleque added.
Balleque said the local officials wanted to fast-track the process and they hope that by 2017, the legislative act approving the new name of the province will be out.