Davao Occidental: History
=== Sultanate era ===
Davao Occidental was part of a Sultanate of Maguindanao but for the Sarangani, it was later became part of Buayan Sultanate.
What is now Davao Occidental was once a part of the now-defunct Davao Province which encompasses the entirety of present-day Davao Region. Section 1 of Philippine Commission Act No. 164 dated December 10, 1904 indicated that much of its area as far as what is now Malita once belonged to the municipality of Santa Cruz. The original chief inhabitants of the area were the indigenous Lumad tribes including the Matigsalugs and Tagakaulos. Around the early 1900s onward, migrants from Luzon and the Visayas settled in the area, many of whom intermarried with the indigenous people; as decades progressed, the descendants of the migrants became the majority of the population.
The municipality of Malita was founded on November 13, 1936 per Proclamation No. 64 signed by President Manuel Quezon. It was the first town to be established in the area of what is now Davao Occidental and would later serve as its provincial capital. More towns in the area are established later: Trinidad (now Jose Abad Santos) in 1948, Sta Maria in 1968, Don Marcelino in 1979, and Sarangani in 1980.
On May 8, 1967, Davao Province was split into three provinces, one of them being Davao del Sur which included the municipalities of what would later comprise Davao Occidental.
Davao Occidental was created through Republic Act No. 10360 enacted on July 23, 2012, comprising five of the eight municipalities that constitute the 2nd district of Davao del Sur. The law was passed by the House of Representatives and Senate on November 28, 2012, and December 5, 2012, respectively, and signed by President Benigno Aquino III on January 14, 2013. A plebiscite was held on October 28, 2013, along with the barangay elections and the majority of votes cast were "Yes", ratifying the province.
The motive of creating the province was to boost the economic condition and social progress of the municipalities. Senator Bongbong Marcos, who sponsored the creation of Davao Occidental, said that the great distance of Digos, Davao del Sur's provincial capital, to other municipalities in the 2nd congressional district, were impairing the effective delivery of basic services, as well as access to provincial government offices. However, Davao del Sur Representative Marc Douglas Cagas considered the creation of the province as nothing more than gerrymandering and political convenience.
Government officials of Davao del Sur, with assistance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, exercised jurisdiction over the Davao Occidental until the elected local officials of the 2016 elections assumed office on June 30, 2016.
Our Lady of the Rosary of Malita is the patroness and protectress of the province since October 7, 2024, through the Resolution No. 82-2024 released by the Provincial Government Office of Davao Occidental on September 11, 2024. It was also recognized canonically when Bishop Guillermo Afable of the Diocese of Digos issued a decree on 24 April 2025. The devotion started during the 19th century which further propagated through its episcopal coronation that took place on October 7, 2022.