Davao City is widely recognized today and requires little introduction, as it frequently appears in the news. This prominence can be attributed to Rodrigo R. Duterte, the 16th president of the Philippines. Despite no longer holding the position of the country’s top official, he continues to attract media attention.
Then, there’s “Inday” Sara Duterte, the daughter who currently serves as the vice president. She remains a focal point in the news due to the impeachment proceedings initiated against her.
The city has a total land area of 2,443.61 square kilometers (943.48 square miles), making it the largest city in the country in terms of land area. Its total land area is approximately 7.8 times larger than Cebu and three times the size of the entire Metro Manila region.
For context, Puerto Princesa encompasses an area of 238,000 hectares. In comparison, Davao City is 244,361 hectares.
Davao City, similar to other cities across the country, commemorates its cityhood anniversary. Specifically, Davao celebrates this occasion on March 1. The city recognizes this day as a special non-working holiday, contingent upon an official declaration from the Office of the President, in accordance with Republic Act No. 11379.
But for some reasons, it was changed to March 16, and then back to March 1, and now, it’s celebrated on the 16th day of March.
Let’s travel on time and discover the reason for these changes.
Davao City was originally a verdant forest predominantly inhabited by the Bagobos and Matigsalugs, along with other ethnic communities such as the Aetas, Maguindanaons, and Kagans. These groups primarily established their settlements near the Tagloc River, which is now referred to as the Davao River.
The majority of the population, however, was concentrated near the river’s mouth, where it meets the sea, an area currently known as Bolton Riverside.
During their exploration of the southeastern coast of Mindanao for potential colonization, European explorers steered clear of the Gulf of Tagloc, as Davao Gulf was then known, due to the threats posed by fleets of Moro warships operating in the vicinity.
Datu Bago, a leader from the Maguindanaon community, was granted control over the lands surrounding the Gulf of Tagloc by the Sultan of the Maguindanao Sultanate in recognition of his participation in the campaign against the Spanish in the late 18th century. Relocating from his ancestral home in Maguindanao to the area in 1800, he successfully allied with the Bagobos and other indigenous groups, ultimately conquering the entire Davao Gulf region.
The situation underwent a significant transformation with the arrival of Spanish Governor General Narciso Claveria, who aimed to expand the colony through the conquest of southern Mindanao in 1842.
As per historical records showed, the formal Spanish colonization of the Davao Gulf commenced in earnest in April 1848, when an expedition comprising 70 individuals, led by José Cruz de Oyanguren from Vergara, arrived at the estuary of the Tagloc River. Their objective was to conquer Pinagurasan, the capital of Datu Bago’s territory, with the intention of permanently eliminating the threat posed by Moro raiders to Spanish vessels in the Davao Gulf.
In the subsequent years, extending into the American period, Davao experienced a significant influx of both local and foreign migrants. This led to substantial growth in its population and economy, alongside an increasing presence of Japanese expatriates.
To establish effective administrative governance, cityhood for Davao was proposed by Representative Romualdo C. Quimpo, who authored and submitted House Bill No. 609 on March 16, 1936.
On October 16, 1936, President Manuel L. Quezon approved Commonwealth Act No. 51, also known as An Act Creating the City of Davao. This legislation established the city by merging the existing municipality of Davao with the adjacent municipal district of Guianga.
The Act was officially known as “The Charter of the City of Davao.” It stated: “The City of Davao constitutes a political body corporate and, as such, is endowed with the attribute of perpetual succession and possessed of the powers which pertain to a municipal corporation, to be exercised in conformity with the provisions of this Charter.”
However, it was not until the following year, on January 23, 1937, that President Quezon signed Proclamation No. 132, officially inaugurating the cityhood of Davao on March 1, 1937. This date was designated as a public holiday in the province of Davao and is celebrated annually as Araw ng Dabaw.
Eighteen years later, in 1955, Republic Act No. 1368 was enacted, which mandated that all government officials be elected by the populace. Before that, all officials were appointed by the president.
Subsequently, on May 8, 1967, Davao was divided into Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental. As a result of this division, Davao City ceased to be the capital and became politically and administratively independent from the newly established provinces, while still serving as the regional center.
In 1992, the 16th of March was a special non-working holiday to be known as “Araw ng Davao” in the city by virtue of Republic Act No. 7551 that became effective on May 22, 1992.
Section 1 of the said Act said: “In accordance with the approval of Commonwealth Act No. 51, otherwise known as the Charter of Davao City, mandating the creation of the city as a distinct political subdivision, this Act declares March 16 of 1990 and every year thereafter as Araw ng Davao, a special non-working public holiday in the entire Davao City.”
Then on February 23, 1994, it was amended by Republic Act No. 7685 calling the day “Araw ng Dabaw.” Section 2 said: “March 16 of every year is hereby declared as a special non-working public holiday in the City of Davao, to be known as the ‘Araw ng Dabaw.’”
Then on August 22, 2019, the holiday was moved to the first day of March every year upon presidential proclamation through the passage of Republic Act No. 11379 that was approved by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The said Act said: “On March 1 of every year, the officials of Davao City shall lead appropriate and meaningful celebrations and activities that shall give significance and meaning to the aspirations of the city’s founding fathers, and its glorious history and contributions to national development.
“They shall be participated in by officials and employees of the national and local government units, agencies and instrumentalities, civic, religious, non-government organizations, private companies and other interested parties,” the Act further stated.
As the coronavirus pandemic affected the city, the celebrations for Araw ng Dabaw transitioned to an online format during the years 2020, 2021, and 2022 to adhere to the established health protocols.
In 2023, the Araw ng Dabaw festivities extended throughout the entire month of March. Notable events included an agricultural trade fair, various sporting competitions, an arts and music festival, an anniversary program, talent contests, beauty pageants (Reyna Dabawenya and Mutya ng Dabaw), and the Davao Unity Awards, among others.
In its 88th year, Araw ng Dabaw is celebrated from March 1 to 16. “Together, let’s honor our history and embrace a bright future, symbolized by the soaring eagle that represents our boundless potential,” the organizers said.
