Origin of Davao

THE ORIGIN OF DAVAO

                The name Davao has many interesting meanings. Folktales about Davao are too many. Davao is more folklore than fact. Davao is said to have derived its name from the word Dabadaba, a region of flames or fire as recorded in the books of early Jesuit priests. Some sources say this word is of Bagobo origin which is the name of the sacred brush that belonged to the chieftain of the early Bagobos named Datu Duli who lived in the rolling hills of the Sandawa Mountain.as was the custom during ancient times, the Bagobos kept the fire burning twenty four hours a day throughout the year. And the fire was supposed to be burning at the foot of the sacred brush called Daba-daba. It was said that Datu Duli, the Bagobo chieftain was kind and just in his decision over an accused person. Other Bagobos then pronounced the word Daba-daba with the sound of “o” at the end.  It was said it had been practiced by Datu Duliwhen he rendered decisions in settling cases. As time went on the Bagobos of the succeeding generation changed the word Daba-daba to just Daba and added the letter “o” to justify the actuations of Datu Duli in rendering his decisions. Thus the ancient Bagobo word Daba-daba is now pronounced Davao by both the natives and immigrants.

                 Some also sat that Davao was derived from the name of a Manobo rebel Dabao. Other maintains that the name Davaw was derived from the word dabahan, a big basin for laundering used by the natives. Still another derivation of the name was from the word daba meaning earthen pot or palayok which the early natives made and sell as their means of livelihood. When mountain dwellers got down to the lowlands the first thing they looked for and bought was the daba.

THE PEOPLING OF DAVAO

                Davao, in its early beginnings, was peopled by different races and groups from different regions and countries. The waves if migration into the Philippines from the Asian countries of Borneo, Malaysia, Indonesia and Persia via Celebes Sea first landed in Mindanao then pushed their explorations toward the North. On their way some of them probably weary and tired from the voyage, settled and lived in Sarangani Island, then later found their way to what is now Davao. Among these groups were the little people known as the Dawn man of the Australoid Sakai Type, Proto-Malays, Indonesian B types of the late Neolithic period. From these migrations in history came the aboriginal/ethnic tribes. These ethnic indigenous groups are of varied cultures and racial types.

                The major ethnic indigenous tribes that compose the natives of Davao are the Guiangas (inhabitants of the woods); the Bagobos; the Bilaans or Bilanes; the Manobos or Manuba (Mansuba, river dweller); the Tagacaolos (inhabitants of the “head of source” of rivers); Mandayas (Man-daya, people of the lowland, ilaya); Mansakas (people of the mountain); and the Atas (from the word ataas or itaas) who live in the “heights”. These indigenous ethnic tribes were forced to move into the hinterlands to give way to the new wave of migrants such as the Muslim Maguindanaons from Cotabato who settled at the banks of Tagloc River. The Atas or the dark-skinned short people were pushed inland to the foothills of Mt. Apo.

                The Muslim Maguindanaons came originally to settle but majority of them did business as they were by nature traders and merchants. These Moros (as the Muslims were called then) became the settlers at the Banks of Tagloc River (as called by the early natives) led by Datu Bago, their chieftain. Bago lorded the place from 1830 to 1847.

                Other groups of migrants who came were the Indonesians, Hindus, and Bombays from India; the Arabian-Persians: the Chinese; the Spaniards; the Americans; the Japanese; and the adventurous Christian Filipinos from Luzon and the Visayas. The Indians and the Chinese made up the biggest groups of foreigners then.

                The Chinese came to Davao in the early 1800’s or even earlier to trade with the indigenous tribes or natives. During the middle and later part of the 1800’s some of these Chinese came to settle down permanently although Davao was very swampy and under-developed. Most of them came from the provinces of Fookien and Kwangtong (Canton) in search for better living. After years of hard work in trade coupled with frugality, they prospered and some of them became store owners and proprietors of businesses. They survived competition from other groups because of their being strong-willed people specially when it came to business.

                The Europians arrived when Jose Oyanguren, a Spaniard “conquered” Davao for the Spanish government. He brought with him his Spanish soldiers and their families and native volunteers from Surigao and Caraga. Next came the Americans who were members of the survey mission after the end of the Spanish-American War of 1898; commanders and soldiers of military units sent to maintain peace; and the American discharged soldiers who later became plantation owners.

                In the early 1900s the Japanese labourers who finished the construction of the Baguio-Kennon read were recruited to work in the plantations of the American and Filipino hacenderos. However, the very first Japanese who arrived in Davao were those brought by a certain Matute, a Spanish trader, in the 1800s hired Juan Awad, a Lebanese pioneer migrant and by Teodoro Palma Gil to work in their farms in Lapanday and Tigatto.

                Then came the adventurous Christian Filipinos from Luzon and the Visayas to seek their fortune in this faraway place. Some of these Filipinos were “imported” by the pioneer American planters to work in the newly opened coconut and abaca plantations. Ever since early times the motive of people coming to Davao was economic in nature. The motive behind the Muslims of Cotabato coming to Davao then was originally to settle but later engaged in trade and commerce.Years before the coming of the Spaniards the Chinese were already plying the route from South China to Davao as commercial traders bringing with them Chinese goods in exchange for native products.

Don Jose Oyanguren conquered Davao for the Spanish government on only after an agreement was signed that he would be given the exclusive right to trade in the region. Oyanguren was a Spanish lawyer in Manila who became a trader. He fell in love with a beautiful girl named Luisa (a direct descendant by the name of Joaquin Jack Rodriguez who resides in New Manila. Quezon City claims that Luisa is surnamed Gonzales). As the story went, it turned out that Luisa had an older brother by the name of Antonio who was an officer of the Spanish boat that first came to Davao was killed by the natives while engaged into commerce. In exchange her hand in marriage, Luisa demanded that Oyanguren must first avenge the death of her brother. This, and the prospect of better and more business made Oyanguren volunteer to come to Davao and conquer Datu Bago who lorded the place from 1830 to 1847.

                The Americans settled in Davao in the early 1900s because they bought/acquired big plantations planted  abaca and coconuts. Some of these American pioneers came with their families. The migration of Japanese labourers was motivated by the same purely economic stimulus which attracted them to work on the Kennon road in Baguio. At first they were hired by the American planters to work in the newly opened plantations of the Americans. Later, they acquired their own plantations.

The early Christian Filipinos from Luzon and the Visayas came because they were recruited to be paid by the pioneer planters to work in the coconut and abaca plantations of the latter. All evidence down the line indicated that the real motive of people coming to Davao was purely economic in nature.

The Spaniards, Americans, and Japanese have come and gone but the Chinese remained and integrated themselves into the mainstream of the Davao society. people of Davao accept the fact that the Japanese contributed to the progress of Davao in their pioneering work in abaca plantations but the Chinese specially after World War II contributed much to the progress and development of Davao City, economic wise. They poured great investments to boost the city’s economy. Supermarts and department stores were opened such as the Gaisano Enterprises, Felcris Supermart, NCCC (New City Commercial Complex), Mantex Superstore among others for the consuming public. The Chinese in Davao since then and now have not exercised political dominance in Davao. Their pre-occupation is in trade.The population now in the city is a mixture of businessmen, industrialists, agriculturists, capitalists, farmers, fishermen, professionals and even plain homeseekers both Christians and non-Christians.