DESPITE its failed bid for cityhood, the Municipality of Santa Cruz in Davao del Sur remained the wealthiest municipality in the Davao Region, based on the Commission on Audit’s 2024 Annual Financial Report on Local Government Units.
Sta. Cruz posted total assets of ₱1.980 billion, topping the list of the region’s richest municipalities and reinforcing its strong fiscal position and development capacity.
Carmen, Davao del Norte, followed with ₱1.973 billion in assets, while Malita, Davao Occidental, ranked third with ₱1.933 billion. Monkayo, Davao de Oro, and Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte completed the top five.
The COA report also highlighted the growing financial strength of municipalities in Davao de Oro, with six towns landing in the top 15.
The figures represent accumulated government resources such as infrastructure, cash reserves, and other assets that indicate a local government unit’s capacity to fund programs and sustain economic growth.
For Sta. Cruz, the recognition comes as its cityhood bid remains stalled.
Mayor Jose Nelson “Tata” Sala maintained that politics, not legal or procedural issues, influenced the rejection of the municipality’s cityhood proposal.
“Nang-gihimo man gyud sa province. Ang amoa dili man na ‘ultra vires’. Wala man man lang giagi og committee hearing. Diretso man gyud, ready-made, diretso nila og bara (The province acted on it outright. Our proposal was not ‘ultra vires.’ It was not even referred to a committee hearing. They immediately blocked it),” Sala said.
Sala said that Sta. Cruz has long exceeded the requirements for cityhood, particularly in income and land area.
Under existing laws, a municipality must generate at least ₱100 million in locally sourced income to qualify for conversion into a city.
According to Sala, Sta. Cruz surpassed that threshold years ago, even before he became mayor.
“Unya, mo-qualify man ka sa isa, mo-qualify naman ka sa tanan. Una-una, ang among area overqualified mi, ang among income overqualified mi. Ngano? Paglingkod nako as konsehal 170 [million pesos] lang among local taxes. After one term, 176 (million). Second term is 179 (million). Paglingkod nako as mayor is 402 million. Okay? So, overqualified na kaayo para mahimong city, 100 million man lang unta (If you qualify in one aspect, then you qualify overall. First of all, we are already overqualified in terms of land area and income. When I was still a councilor, our local tax collection was only around ₱170 million. After one term, our income increased to ₱176 million, then ₱179 million in my second term. When I became mayor, it rose to ₱402 million. So we are already far beyond the ₱100 million requirement for cityhood),” he added.
In a special press conference with Davao-based media on April 16, Sala criticized the Davao del Sur provincial government for allegedly blocking the municipality’s cityhood push without proper deliberation.
He said a resolution passed by the Sangguniang Bayan of Sta. Cruz seeking provincial endorsement was rejected outright by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan without undergoing a committee hearing.
Sala argued that the municipal government was not allowed to present its position or clarify issues before the proposal was denied, raising concerns over transparency and due process.
Despite the setback, the mayor said Sta. Cruz would continue strengthening its economy and pursuing development initiatives regardless of its current classification.
He added that the municipality’s consistent financial growth and leading asset base demonstrate its readiness for cityhood even as its conversion bid remains unresolved. DEF
