Datu Bago monument eyed somewhere along Davao River

AS DABAWENYOS celebrate the 87th Araw ng Dabaw, the Davao Historical Society plans to erect a monument of Datu Bago somewhere along the Davao River.

The location is one of the relevant sites that the organization and City Council have seen and considered aside from the Bolton Riverside at Ecoland in Matina.

“The post statue of Datu Bago is still looking for an appropriate location because it is hard to find a suitable place today, given the lack of public spaces where it can be placed. We also aim for the location to hold significance in the history of Datu Bago, as we don’t want to place it in a location that is irrelevant. Therefore, we are considering placing it by the Davao River,” Patricia Ruivivar, vice president of the Davao Historical Society, said in an ambush interview during the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) event on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

However, the official later emphasized that the statue and the location itself require further assessment, particularly on geographic areas and the statue’s architectural features.

“There are still aspects of the location that need to be addressed, and of course, the design needs to be planned,” Ruivivar added.

Originally, Councilor Pilar Braga, committee chairperson on education, science, and technology, planned the statue depicting the heroism of Datu Bago, who is considered a local hero for fighting against the Spaniards who colonized the Pinagurasan, now Davao City.

The city government’s project was supposed to be started in 2020 but was halted following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite not being completed, the design has been already prepared after the city launched a contest for the proposed statue.

To recall, the 18th Davao City Council in 2018 approved an ordinance naming Datu Bago as a hero for being an important figure in the history of Davao. /

The post statue of Datu Bago is still looking for an appropriate location because it is hard to find a suitable place today, given the lack of public spaces where it can be placed. We also aim for the location to hold significance in the history of Datu Bago, as we don’t want to place it in a location that is irrelevant. PATRICIA RUIVIVAR

Vice president of the Davao Historical Society