DAVAO CITY (December 11) — The Davao City Council has approved a new ordinance promoting honeybee production—an initiative framed not only as an agriculture and biodiversity booster but also as a regulatory measure that will tighten oversight of beekeeping practices in the city.
Councilor Ralph Abella, who authored the ordinance, said the measure aims to “strengthen colony health, expand suitable habitats, and promote sustainable beekeeping practices” while recognizing the crucial role of beekeepers in local food systems.
Abella noted that honeybees’ pollination work directly supports the city’s food security goals, particularly in fruit and vegetable production.
“It supports the city’s food security initiative, likewise for production and agricultural biodiversity,” he said.
Policing component: ensuring safety, standards, and compliance
Although the ordinance focuses on livelihood and ecological gains, it also introduces a policing layer: the city government will regulate apiaries, enforce safety standards, and monitor the movement of colonies to prevent environmental risks, illegal extraction, and unregulated trade of hive products.
City agriculture and environment offices—working with enforcement units—are expected to oversee compliance, issue permits, and coordinate inspections, particularly in rural barangays where informal beekeeping is common.
Officials said the regulatory framework is intended to protect both beekeepers and the public by ensuring colony health, preventing the spread of diseases among bee populations, and safeguarding natural forage areas that are increasingly threatened by land conversion.
Livelihood push for rural and IP communities
The ordinance is also positioned as a community development tool, opening income opportunities for indigenous farmers and small-scale rural enterprises.
Beyond honey, the city hopes to increase the production of beeswax, propolis, and other high-value hive by-products.
Abella said incentives will be offered to beekeepers to sustain production and encourage more residents to participate in the growing honeybee industry—one that local officials believe can expand without compromising ecological balance.
Balancing growth with governance
With the ordinance’s passage, Davao City is pushing a model that pairs agricultural development with environmental stewardship and regulatory oversight—signaling that the expansion of beekeeping must go hand in hand with stronger monitoring, habitat protection, and responsible production standards.
