A city marked by strength and progress
Noted for its gradual yet robust development, Davao achieved commendable feats. It was the only Philippine city to be included in the Top 100 fastest-growing cities and urban areas in the word by City Mayors Foundation back in 2011. The city ranked 87th.
“LIFE IS HERE,” the highly-urbanized city of Davao proudly banners. For more than eight decades, Davao City has immensely progressed as the main trade, commerce, and industry hub of the Mindanao island and a significant metropolitan area in the country. With a very rich and colorful history and heritage, coupled with robust industries and commerce, Davao City has grown into a ‘life-giving’ community outside the nation’s capital.
As told by the local government unit’s website, Davao City traces its roots to six tribes who harmoniously lived together in the vast lands of Davao. The name “Davao” was formed by the blending of the words “Dabo”, “Duhwow”, and “Davoh” — names for the Davao River by the three subgroups of the Bagobos, namely Tagabawa, Guiangan, and Obo. The Davao River at those times became the primary venue for trade in the region where locals and Chinese traders meet.
During the Age of Exploration, the Spanish colonized Davao in 1848 out of an expedition led by Don Jose Cruz de Oyanguren. The colonizer was credited for bringing trading and Christian influence to the people living in the land.
A local chieftain named Datu Bago, in defense of the land against Spanish expansion, led a fierce battle against the Spanish colonizers. Eventually, the Spaniards ruled, with the town renamed Nueva Vergara, which reverted to Davao almost 20 years later.
With Spain losing its hold of the Philippines during the revolution, Davao became a part of the nascent First Philippine Republic. Davaoeño locals Pedro Layog and Jose Lerma represented the town and the Davao region at the Malolos Congress of 1898.
Soon, the widespread influence of the Americans soon entered Davao as they built roads, bridges, telephone lines, and school buildings and at the same time massproduced coconut and abaca.
It was during this period that economic opportunities arose, transforming the small and sparsely-inhabited town into a flourishing economic area. Soon, the potential for the town to advance into a city was seen. In March 16, 1936, the town’s assemblyman Romualdo C. Quimpo filed the Commonwealth Act No. 51, which created the Chartered City of Davao. Seven months later, then-President Manuel L. Quezon signed the act into law, finally inaugurating the former town as a charter city.
The Japanese occupation of Davao during the World War in 1941 caused devastation in the city’s commercial areas, roads, and population centers. Nonetheless, the government was reestablished, and businesses gradually revived with the entry of logging, mining, hemp, automotive, and hotel businesses, among many others.
This was followed by the rise of educational institutions, media companies, and mall-type establishments in the 50’s and 60’s. Certain streets such as San Pedro, the present C.M. Recto, and Magsaysay streets developed into the city’s expanded central business district.
Come the 1970’s and 1980’s, Davao City stood strong as it encountered a new set of challenges in Martial Law and insurgency. Upon the fall of the dictatorship, the city was more able to bounce bank.
“New investments were coming in, and residents who secured shelter elsewhere when insurgency was at the height threatening even in the urban center, had started coming back,” historian Antonio Figueroa wrote in local news platform Edge Davao. “Academic population and retail business were registering good results, and business enthusiasm was visible in the expansion introduced by local establishments.”
As the city was brought in a new sociopolitical direction by the rise of then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Davao was further brought to economic progress. With an outpouring of diverse investments in the succeeding decades, Davao further advanced as the gateway for Mindanao.
Noted for its gradual yet robust development, Davao achieved commendable feats. It was the only Philippine city to be included in the Top 100 fastest-growing cities and urban areas in the word by City Mayors Foundation back in 2011. The city ranked 87th.
Last year, it was recognized as the 3rd Most Competitive Highly Urbanized City in the country by the Department of Trade and Industry-Competitiveness Bureau. This makes Davao the sole city apart from Manila that consistently ranked among the Top 5 Most Competitive in the Highly Urbanized Cities category in the last three years. Moreover, it placed 2nd in economic dynamism and 3rd in government efficiency, infrastructure, and resilience indicators. —