Molave, officially known as the Municipality of Molave (; Subanen: Benwa Molave; Chavacano: Municipalidad de Molave; Maranao: Inged a Molave; ), is a municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. In the 2024 census, it had 52,540 people. It is in the eastern part of the province of Zamboanga del Sur, and has an area of .

History

The name "Molave" refers to the tree (and its hardwood) that was common in the area. Its economy is focused on agricultural production, and of fertile land is irrigated and planted with rice. Corn, coconut, cassava, banana, camote and various vegetables are also grown. These are marketed to neighboring towns and cities, and reach Cebu. Due to its strategic location, Molave is becoming the commercial hub of the Salug Valley. It is the most populous municipality in Zamboanga del Sur, and the third most populous in Region IX.

Molave originated during the 1930s as a small settlement in a marshy jungle, originally known as Salug. The Subanons were early settlers of the area; the fertile land of the Salug Valley later attracted settlers from throughout the Philippines, making the area ethnically diverse. On June 16, 1948, the settlement was separated from the municipality of Aurora as a separate municipality and designated the new capital of the province of Zamboanga. Molave was the provincial capital until Zamboanga was divided into the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur; it became part of Zamboanga del Sur, with the town of Pagadian as its capital.

Geography

Molave is in the northeastern part of the province of Zamboanga del Sur, at the foot of a hill, and is bounded by the Salug River and mountains which protect it from typhoons. It is bordered by the municipalities of Tambulig in the east, Mahayag in the west, Josefina and Province of Zamboanga del Norte in the north, and Ramon Magsaysay in the south. Molave is about from Pagadian, the provincial capital, and from Ozamiz. It is above sea level.

Topography

Molave is divided into two topographical areas. The east and southwest lowlands, which cover 30 percent of its total land area, consist of nine barangays and are generally flat, swampy and marshy. The upland, which covers 70 percent of Molave's total area, is hilly and mostly deforested. The terrain is moderately sloping to rolling, with the overall grade varying from 10 percent in the lowlands to 27 percent in the mountains.

The municipality has two types of soil. The lowlands and part of the upper barangays are composed of San Miguel silt loam, and is well-suited for cultivation. Adtoyon clay loam is found in the upland areas, and can be used for grazing and a variety of crops such as corn, cassava, and camote.

Climate

Molave is the fourth type on the PAGASA climatology map, with rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year. Its average temperature is .

Barangays

Molave is divided into 25 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

  • Alicia
  • Ariosa
  • Bagong Argao
  • Bagong Gutlang
  • Blancia
  • Bogo Capalaran
  • Culo
  • Dalaon
  • Dipolo
  • Dontulan
  • Gonosan
  • Lower Dimalinao
  • Pablo Bahinting Sr. (Lower Dimorok)
  • Mabuhay
  • Madasigon (Poblacion)
  • Makuguihon (Poblacion)
  • Maloloy-on (Poblacion)
  • Miligan
  • Parasan
  • Rizal
  • Santo Rosario
  • Silangit
  • Simata
  • Sudlon
  • Upper Dimorok

Demographics

Economy

  • Gross sales of registered companies:
  • Total capitalization of new businesses, 2015:
  • Growth of capitalization of new businesses, 2014–2015: 286.9 percent

Molave is the commercial hub of the Salug Valley. Rice trading, milling and farming are major agricultural industries, others are major non-agricultural products such as the glass and aluminum by the 31 year old Molave Glass House of the Arapoc Family. Molave's economy is focused on agricultural production; 91.85 percent of its total land area is devoted to agriculture, and are irrigated and planted with rice. Corn, coconut, cassava, bananas, camote, and other vegetables are also grown. They are marketed to neighboring towns and cities as far as Cebu. Molave has 23 farmer cooperatives (19 of which are registered), with a total membership of 7,566.

Healthcare

Molave has ten barangay health stations, one maternity clinic, 26 health and nutrition posts, and a municipal health center staffed by one rural-health physician, one dentist, one sanitary inspector, three nurses and 11 midwives. It has three private hospitals (Lumapas Hospital, Salug Valley Medical Center and Blancia Hospital), five private clinics, ten pharmacies, and two funeral chapels, the oldest being the Valley of Angels Memorial Chapels establish in 1967 by the Arapoc Family and now has their newly renovated state of the art 2 storey memorial chapels with elevator that offers embalming, burial and air con and non aircon chapels .

  • Molave Vocational Technical School (MVTS)
  • Parasan National High School
  • Sacred Heart Diocesan School
  • Simata National High School

The tertiary schools are:

  • J.H. Cerilles State College, Molave Campus
  • Our Lady Of Triumph Institute of Technology, Molave
  • Western Mindanao State University - External Studies Unit, Molave
  • Zamboanga del Sur Maritime Institute of Technology

References

  • Molave Profile at PhilAtlas.com
  • [ Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
  • Philippine census information