Subsequent Elections and Davao Politics

SUBSEQUENT ELECTIONS AND DAVAO POLITICS

The successor of Mayor Porras was Atty. Elias B. Lopez when the latter won in the election of 1967. On January 27, 1969 an amendment was made again on certain sections of the Revised Charter known as Republic Act No. 5501 which further increased the membership of the City Council from 10 to 14 who were to be elected at large by qualified voters. Mayor Lopez issued Executive Order No. 1 dated February 2, 1971 subdividing the territorial jurisdiction of the City of Davao into eight (8) districts.

                 Mayor Lopez was succeeded by Luis T. Santos who won in the election of 1971. On September 2, 1947 the Presidential Decree No. 557 was issued declaring “all existing barrios, and also that may be created later as barangays, and all references to the barrio in any existing law shall be understood as referring to the barangay.” The same presidential decree also adopted the Revised Barrio Charter (RA 3590) as the Barangay Charter. The term barangay includes not only the barrios which were declared as barangays by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 557 but also the Citizens Assemblies which were created pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 86 in chartered cities and in poblacion of municipalities where there were no barangays.

                Davao City poblacion is subdivided into four sub-districts A,B,C and D with (10) urban barangays each in addition to the eight and now nine (9) outlying political districts composed of rural barangays numbering 167.

Pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 826, dated November 14, 1975, the name of the City Councilor was changed to Sangguniang Panlungsod and the membership thereof. In addition, the Sangguniang Panlungsod included representatives from four different sectors, namely: capital, professional, industrial labor and agricultural labor and five selected Barangays Captains. Under Presidential Decree No. 826, Section 2, the City Mayor was designated as the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

In 1981, upon the termination of the Martial Law Regime, Davao City was once again under the leadership of Mayor Elias B. Lopez who won in the election of 1980. During the latter part of his second term as Mayor, the Local Government Code was implemented. The City Government officials then were Mayor Elias B. Lopez, Vice-Mayor Cornelio Maskarino and the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod were Hon. Alexis Almendras, Hon. Bienvido Amora, Hon. Lydia Bangoy, Hon. Jose Jison, Hon. Valentino Banzon, Hon. Antonio Castillo, Hon. Julieta Feliciano, Hon. Tomas Monteverde, Jr., Hon. Pantaleon Pelayo, Jr., Hon. Exuperio Porras, Hon. Alfredo Vergara, Hon. Domingo Zuno, Jr. The Vice Mayor was designated as the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

After the February 25, 1986 people power revolution at EDSA, the new dispensation replaced the city government officials with a new set headed by OIC Zafiro Respicio, a former Assemblyman of the defunct Batasang Pambansa was appointed Hon. Rodrigo Duterte was appointed Vice Mayor and the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod were Hon. Ruben Abarquez, Hon. Nilo Abellera, Hon. Benjamin Baneso, Hon. Antonio Castillo, Hon. Danilo Dayanghirang, Hon. Dante Escalante, Hon. Rene Galope, Hon. Luz Ilagan, Hon. Luis Lacerna, Hon. Cesar Ledesma, Hon. Nicanor Magno, Hon. Corazon Malanyaon, Hon. Tomas Monteverde, Jr., Hon. Nemesio Rasgo., Hon., Jacinto Rubillar, Hon. Teodulfu Vega, and Hon. Antonio Vergars.

Then came the Congressional Elections of May 11, 1987. The elected Congressional were Hon. Jesus Duriz for the First District; Hon. Cornelio Maskarino for the Second District; and Hon. Luis Santos for the Third District (left the post vacant when he was appointed Secretary of Local Government  by President Corazon Aquino).

            The first local government election under the new regime was held on January 18, 1988. Elected as mayor was Hon. Rodrigo R. Duterte. The vice-mayor ship  was won by Hon. Dominador Zuno, Jr. Elected councilors were Luis Bonguyan, Alexis Almendras, Bonifacio Militar, Aristeo Albay, Leo Avila III, Gerardo Nograles, Nilo Abellera and Antonio Vergara for the First District; Valentino Banzon, Sinforiano Alterado, Antonio Castillo, Danilo Dayanghirang, Liborio Lumain, Diosdado Mahipus, Tomas Monteverde Jr. and Jaime Rodriguez for the Second District; and Corazon Malanyaon, Cesar Robillo, Renato Bangoy, Victorio Advincula, Agosto Fuentes, Shane Dolor, Teofilo Venus and Guillermo Saldana for the Third District.