Davao City, Philippines — Davao City Councilor J. Melchor Quitain Jr. has proposed renaming the barangays in the Población District to replace their current numerical designations with proper names, citing the need to align with other districts and minimize confusion among residents.
Currently, Población’s 40 barangays are identified only by numbers, unlike those in the city’s second and third districts, which all carry distinct names. Quitain said this system often causes confusion for Dabawenyos and visitors alike.
“It is only in Población that the barangays are numbered. All the rest already have names. For me, it’s better if they are given names because numbers alone are unusual and sometimes confusing,” Quitain explained during a media interview on Tuesday.
The councilor acknowledged that the renaming process will be neither simple nor immediate. After two committee hearings with the Davao City Legal Office, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Barangay Cultural Communities Division of the City Mayor’s Office, officials found that such a change would be both costly and tedious.
The process requires the conduct of a plebiscite and the review and approval of all proposed names by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
Given current budgetary constraints, Quitain admitted that the proposal is not yet a priority. Still, he stressed the importance of initiating discussions with affected barangays to prepare for possible future implementation.
He said he will meet with the 40 barangay captains during a September 15 committee hearing to encourage them to start considering potential names for their areas. These, he added, could later be submitted to the NHCP for review.
“This cannot push through for now because the requirements are very difficult. But barangays may already think of suggested names, and we can submit them to the NHCP to see their response. For the meantime, we can stop there,” Quitain said.
If pursued, the renaming would mark a significant shift in Davao City’s Población District, where numbered barangays have long been a unique feature of its urban landscape.