Molave, Zamboanga del Sur

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 38 kilometres (24 mi) from Pagadian, the provincial capital, and 58 kilometres (36 mi) from Ozamiz. It is 15 metres (49 ft) above sea level.

Molave is divided into 25 barangays:

The Subanon people were early inhabitants of the area. Molave originated during the early 1930s as a small settlement in a marshy jungle which was known originally as Salug. The fertile soil of the Salug Valley attracted settlers from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, making the area's population a diverse mix of Cebuano, Boholano, Ilongo, Tagalog, Ilocano, Leyteño, Misamisnon, Surigaonon, and Muslim and other ethnic groups. A number of Chinese and Filipino businessmen settled in the region before World War II.[8]

The population influx enabled the settlement's rapid development. Molave became a municipality with Republic Act No. 286, authored by Representative Juan S. Alano, on June 16, 1948.[8] It was separated from the municipality of Aurora, established as a separate municipality, and designated the capital of the province of Zamboanga del Sur with the act.[5] Molave was the provincial capital until Zamboanga's division in 1951 into the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur. It became part of Zamboanga del Sur, with Pagadian as its capital.[6]

Pelagio Blancia was appointed Molave's first mayor. Blancia was defeated in the 1951 elections, and Mayor Javier Ariosa moved the seat of government from Camp 7 (present-day Barangay Blancia) to its present site.[8] Ireneo Glepa, the current mayor,[9] was Molave's youngest and longest-serving vice mayor. Unopposed for two terms as vice-mayor, Glepa was elected mayor in May 2010.

• Gross sales of registered companies: ₱1,358,640,795
• Total capitalization of new businesses, 2015: ₱150,000,000
• 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, and glass and aluminum are major non-agricultural industries. Molave's economy is focused on agricultural production; 91.85 percent of its total land area is devoted to agriculture, and 1,378.5 hectares (3,406 acres) 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.[13]

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.[13]

Sports facilities include a municipal gymnasium, three tennis courts, four basketball courts, three volleyball courts and the Molave Regional Pilot School sports complex. A landscaped municipal plaza has a playground. A driving range is in the barangay of Parasan, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from Molave.

The Molave Municipal Police station has two PCOs and 24 PNCOs. It has two outposts, in the Dipolo and Sudlon barangays. Crime has decreased in recent years, and the 10th Infantry Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division (stationed in Barangay Bag-ong Argao) and the 906th Provincial Mobile Group help to maintain order.[13]

Molave has four private preschools, 23 public and one private elementary school, six primary schools, five secondary schools and four tertiary schools. The secondary schools are:

• Blancia Carreon College Foundation, Inc. (High School Department) [14]
• Molave Vocational Technical School (MVTS) [15]
• Parasan National High School
• Sacred Heart Diocesan School
• Simata National High School

The tertiary schools are:

• Josefina 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

• Official website
• Molave Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine census information