DAVAO City Councilor Melchor Quitain Jr. said he will follow up this month on the names chosen by barangays as part of the city’s ongoing effort to rename numerically designated communities in the Poblacion area.
Quitain said a committee hearing has already been scheduled, following a recent seminar that briefed barangay captains on the process and requirements for renaming their barangays.
“I’ll find out this month which names they have chosen, and from there we can proceed to the next step,” Quitain said during the Pulong-Pulong sa Dabawenyos on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
He said some barangay leaders asked for more time after the seminar to decide on appropriate names. Barangays that encounter difficulty in choosing names may seek assistance from his office and the Davao City Office for Culture and the Arts (OCA).
Quitain said he is not pushing for an ordinance at this stage, noting that formally renaming barangays would require a plebiscite and significant funding. For now, the city will allow barangays to select preferred names and gradually introduce them to residents.
“In the meantime, the barangays will retain their numerical designations alongside the chosen names so people can become familiar with them before a plebiscite is considered,” he said.
Earlier, the OCA stressed that cultural and historical context should guide the renaming process. OCA head Oscar Casaysay said barangay names should reflect local history and identity and form part of the city’s broader cultural mapping initiative.
Quitain has been pushing to rename the 40 Poblacion barangays currently identified only by numbers, saying the practice creates confusion and lacks uniformity. He said the idea began during his time as vice mayor, when he observed that some barangays already had established names while others remained known only by numbers.
For example, Matina Crossing is officially Barangay 74, while Bucana is Barangay 76,” Quitain said. "Giving barangays proper names based on geography or local landmarks will make them easier to identify,” he added. RGP