Davao City in Commonwealth and as a Chartered City

DAVAO DURING THE COMMONWEALTH PERIOD

Before the inauguration of the Philippines Commonwealth on November 15, 1935 there was the Philippines Constitutional Convention which was convened at the session hall of the House of Representatives in Manila on July 30, 1934. The Davao delegates to that convention were Atty. Rafael Castillo and Atty. Pantaleon Pelayo, Sr. The Dabawenyos voted for the ratification of the Constitution.

                The P.M.E. (Piere Missionaries Etrangeres) Priests of the foreign Mission arrived in Davao in 1937. The Dabawenyos benefitted much in their coming. These P.M.E. fathers contributed to the spiritual growth of Davao City. New Parishes and more Catholic schools were opened and charity organizations were put up. Youth Clubs taught and directed schools and seminaries. They also published newspapers and religious materials.

                The late 1930 marked the coming to Davao City of a group of young teachers, fresh graduates of the Zamboanga Normal School, who were recruited by Superintendent of Schools John Stumbo to teach in Davao.

                The prominent later migrants of Davao during this period were: Nicasio Torres who came in 1937 as manager of the Marsman & Co. (He bankrolled the organization and start-of Roman Tesoro, Martiniano Capili, and Juan Mercado who achieved success in the field of business. The later migrants who achieved success in the field of politics were Romualdo C. Quimpo, Pantaleon Pelayo. Sr., Antonio Habana, Jr., Cesar Sotto and Donato Endriga.

DAVAO AS A CHARTERED CITY

                In 1937 the capital town of Davao city was converted into a chartered city, now the city of Davao. Davao as it is known today was once a part of one Davao province before it was divided into three different provinces in 1967. The formal inauguration of Davao as a city was on March 1, 1937 although its charter (referred to as the Commonwealth Act No. 51) was approved by the Philippines Assembly and signed into law by Presidents Manuel Quezon on October 16, 1936. Hon Romualdo C. Quimpo, the first elected assemblyman from Davao is responsible “creating” Davao into a city which was originally the old municipality of Davao combined with the municipal district of Guianga.

                The known businessmen of the period were foreigners like the Chinese Tung Chong, Lim Juna, and Me Hang; the Syrians Juan Awad and the Borgailys; the Naroomal Utomal, and the Japanese Ohta Kyosaburu and Furukawa Yoshizo.

                Before the outbreak of the Second World War, Davao city was known as “Davaokuo” because of the presence of so many Japanese nationals that even gave rise to the so-called “Davao Problem” of the Philippine National government. There were fears being felt by Filipinos in Davao and in Manila that because of the great number of Japanese nationals acquiring large tracts of agricultural land law-fully and “unlawfully” obtained, Davao might be under the full economic control of the Japanese .

                Although the Japanese were already in Davao as early as the first few years of the American regime, it was only during the 1930s when the landholding question became an issue in Philippine politics.

                Admittedly, the wonderful development of Davao, economic wise, can be attributed to these people. To quote President Quezon in his speech to the people of Davao on June 28, 1939 on the occasion of a trip made by him, he said……

The residents of Davao know that the question of

Japanese colony in Davao took place under the American administration.

That the man who brought OHTA (founder of the Ohta Development Corporation in Talomo, Davao)

Was Carpenter (ex-governor of Davao); that it was Governor Cameron Forbes

Who sympathized with the policy of developing Mindanao even with the help of foreigners.

The Japanese have developed these lands that were undeveloped before.

They have taught us how to have modern plantations.

If the Filipinos should take advantage of what we can learn from the Japanese are doing here,

The coming of the Japanese to Davao, instead of being an evil, it would be a blessings for the Filipinos.

                The Filipino lawyers who were active in the field of politics at the time were Romualdo Quimpo, Juan Sarenas, Pantaleon Pelayo, Sr., Manuel Cabuguio, Sr., Donato Endriga and Antonio Habana, Jr., Cesar Sotto and Dr. Alberto Zamora, optometrists, were also active politicians then.

Davao City under its charter was under the administration of a mayor appointed by the President of the Commonwealth with the approval of the Commission on Appointments. The City council was the legislative body composed of the mayor who was the presiding officer, the city engineer and the city treasurer as ex-officio members, and five councils, two of whom to be appointed by the president with the consent of the Commission on Appointments and be elected by popular vote.

The Davao City Council then was composed of Santiago Artiaga as mayor and presiding officer, Manuel Zabat (acting city engineer) and Jose Elayda (City Treasurer) as ex-officio members and five city councilors – Jose Ebro, Antonio Habana, Jr., Isidro Bastida, Alberto Zamora and Cesar Sotto. On November 14, 1937 there was an election and the first three councilors elected where Manuel Cabaguio, Isidro Bastida and Donato Edriga.

Mayor Artiaga served as mayor up to 1939 when he was transferred to Bukidnon as governor. The next mayor of Davao City was Hon. Agustin Alvarez who served in 1940. Next to him was Mayor Pantaleon Pelayo, Sr., who served up to the time World War II broke out and Davao City was bombed by the Japanese on December 8, 1941.