Voting 22-0-1, the Senate has approved the third and final reading of Senate Bill No. 1741 which declares Davao City as the chocolate capital of the Philippines and the whole Davao Region as the cacao capital of the Philippines, CNN reports.
Senate Bill No. 1741 recognizes the importance of cacao as a driver of rural development because it's used as a raw material, which can produce cocoa nibs, cocoa liquor, cocoa cake, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate confectionary blocks.
The bill also recognizes that cacao has helped the country's export earnings and it has provided livelihood to small farmers in the countryside. Cacao has also put the Philippines on the map as one of the countries that are known for producing quality chocolate beans.
Senator Cynthia Villar, the sponsor of the Senate Bill No. 1741, referenced data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, which says that 78.76% of the annual cacao production in the country comes from the Davao Region, adding that there are more than 20,000 hectares of cacao farms in the region.
Villar says, "The bill hopes to make Davao City and the Davao Region become an inspiration and a benchmark to motivate other local government units to emulate."
The Davao region is home to local chocolatiers such as Malagos Chocolate and Auro Chocolate, which have won multiple international awards.
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