Sangguniang Bayan of Molave

The Sangguniang Bayan (lit. 'municipal council') is the local legislative branch of the municipal governments in the Philippines. It is responsible for passing ordinances and resolutions for the administration of a municipality. Its powers are defined by the Local Government Code, passed by Congress in 1991.
Molave, officially known as the Municipality of Molave (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Molave; Subanen: Benwa Molave; Chavacano: Municipalidad de Molave; Tagalog: Bayan ng Molave), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. In the 2020 census, it had 53,140 people. [3] It is in the eastern part of the province of Zamboanga del Sur, and has an area of 21,685 hectares (83.73 square miles). The name "Molave" refers to the tree (and its hardwood) that was common in the area. Its economy is focused on agricultural production, and 1,378.5 hectares (3,406 acres) 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. 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.[5] 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.