Don Salvador Benedicto, officially the Municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto (Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Don Salvador Benedicto; Tagalog: Bayan ng Don Salvador Benedicto) or simply Salvador Benedicto and abbreviated as DSB, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,922 people.

The municipality is a post-colonial provincial hill station, designated the Summer Capital of Negros Occidental, and is a popular tourist site.

History

The idea for the creation of the municipality originated from Nehemias “Nene” de la Cruz, a political dissident who was imprisoned during the Martial law era. While in prison, he began dreaming of creating a town out of the “cradle of insurgency/rebellion”, and after his release, gained the support of his friend Mike Coronel, who was also the provincial commander of the Philippine Constabulary in Negros Occidental, in establishing the upcoming municipality based in Barangay Igmaya-an, which was then part of Murcia, in 1976. Located at the center of the mountains of northern Negros Occidental, Don Salvador Benedicto was chartered in 1983 through Batas Pambansa Bilang 336 by then President Ferdinand Marcos. It consolidated all the remote barangays of San Carlos City and the towns of Calatrava and Murcia. which were apparently neglected due to inaccessibility.

The town is named after the former Vice Governor Salvador Valois Benedicto (March 31, 1889–November 28, 1956) who played an important role in the setting up of a Revolutionary Government in Negros Island particularly in Barangay Igmaya-an, when the country was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. He was also the main guerrilla coordinator in both Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental during the said war. Salvador Benedicto is a relative of Roberto Benedicto, a crony of Marcos.

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  DSB Tourism Marker
• 
  Overlooking view at DSB

Geography

Don Salvador Benedicto is 47 kilometres (29 mi) east of Bacolod, via Negros Occidental Eco-Tourism Highway (N69).

Barangays

Don Salvador Benedicto is politically subdivided into 7 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Bago (Lalung)
• Bagong Silang (Marcelo)
• Bunga
• Igmaya-an
• Kumaliskis
• Pandanon
• Pinowayan (Prosperidad)

Climate

Demographics

Population census of Don Salvador Benedicto

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	13,538	—
1995	17,635	+5.08%
2000	17,259	−0.46%
2007	22,979	+4.03%
2010	23,624	+1.01%
2015	25,662	+1.59%
2020	26,922	+0.95%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Major languages are Hiligaynon, followed by Cebuano with English and Filipino being used as second languages.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Don Salvador Benedicto

10 20 30 40 50 60 2006 50.10 2009 55.85 2012 40.65 2015 25.86 2018 32.40 2021 38.29 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Although a small town, the town of Don Salvador Benedicto has seen a rise in its municipal economy thanks to tourism and local agriculture. Due to its high altitude like Baguio, the town can support crops that grow in temperate areas, making it ideal for a multitude of farming businesses. Tourism is on the rise for the town especially when travellers head out into the heart of the province. Also located in the municipality are the Choco Hills, similar to Bohol's Chocolate Hills, with shared boundary of Barangay Prosperidad, San Carlos City.

See also

• Mambukal, a township hill station in Negros Occidental.
• Baguio, first hill station and Summer Capital of the Philippines.