Padada, officially the Municipality of Padada (; ), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Davao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 29,878 people.
Its boundaries were defined by Republic Act No. 1008, approved June 12, 1954.
"Padada" refers to a tree from the mangrove family which were once abundant along its entire shoreline and estuaries but due to encroachment and indiscriminate fish farming, the Padada trees became extinct.
History
Guihing was once the original sitio of Padada and its formation was brought about by Mr. Walstrom, an American expatriate who owned a vast coconut plantation in the area called the Mindanao Estate Co., together with the effort of Don Bartolome Hernandez Sr., a coconut planter and a pioneer of the area too.
Padada as a town was organized on July 15, 1949, after its creation into such by virtue of Executive Order # 236 of Elpidio Quirino, then president of the Republic of the Philippines. The territorial jurisdiction of Padada originally embraced the present town of Santa Maria, Malalag, and Sulop in the south, Kiblawan in the west, Hagonoy in the north, and part of Matanao in the north-west with the seat of government in the barrio of Limonso which is now the Padada Poblacion.
In 1946, after the proclamation of the Philippine Republic, hordes of home seekers mostly Filipino veterans of the Second World War headed by Major Froilan Mascardo Matas, settled the area called Padada Valley occupying several repossessed Japanese Plantations in the vicinity. With the influx of numerous migrants of all walks of life, Limonso as the center of trade, grew into a large community, and qualified to become a separate municipality. As early as January 1949, the bid for the creation of Padada Town was prepared, finally securing its approval through Executive Order No. 236, dated July 15, 1949.
Antonio Go Pace was the first mayor by appointment who was erstwhile a councilor of Santa Cruz. With him, Innocentes Zanoria Adolfo was also assigned as the first municipal treasurer of Padada. The creation of Limonso now Padada into a municipality and the subdivision of the poblacion into commercial and residential districts was attributed to him. Gregorio Matas was the first elected mayor and held the position for three consecutive terms with Mr. Felix Brandares as vice mayor and in which the municipal building was possible thru his effort. Atty. Isidro M. Ordaneza succeeded the former and holds the longest tenure of office—16 years from 1963 and re-elected again in 1967 and 1971 until March 1979. Padada ABC gymnasium was built during his term.
However, in the process of re-organization of local governments by President Ferdinand E. Marcos, then Vice Mayor Benjamin A. Saragena was designated Acting Mayor of Padada, assuming office on March 19, 1979. In the 1980 local elections, Acting Mayor Saragena was elected mayor with Pascuala Dizon as Vice Mayor and his entire Sangguniang Bayan ticket was swept into office.
After the People Power Revolution in EDSA, Corazon C. Aquino appointed Atty. Carmelo R. De Los Cientos III as OIC of this Municipality and assumes the office with Elpidio R. Pantojan as OIC Vice Mayor and 8 OIC Sangguniang Banyan.
Prior to the 1988 local elections, all OIC Municipal Officials we made to resign during the campaign period from December 1987 to February 1988. It was on this short period of time that another OIC ruled the municipality. OIC Mayor Leonardo U. Pillerin and Vice Mayor Margarito Mendez were installed from December 1987 to February 1988, together with the 8 OIC S.B. members. During the 1988 elections, the people of Padada elected Atty. Carmelo R. De los Cientos III as municipal mayor and Elpidio R. Pantojan as vice mayor. Both were re-elected and served for three terms. In the 1998 local election, former Mayor Benjamin A. Saragena won the election of mayor and Antonio N. Razonable as the Vice Mayor.
In the 2001 local elections, Atty. Antonio N. Razonable and Pedro F. Caminero Jr. won the mayoralty and Vice Mayoralty post. Both were re-elected and served from 2001 to 2010. The 2010 elections, which made use of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) system, paved the way to Pedro F. Caminero Jr, a vice mayor for three terms during the administration of Razonable, to reign the local government of Padada as the new mayor. He was accompanied by Alexander V. Morales as his vice mayor and partner in the local governance.