Throughout March 2023, in celebration of the 86th year that Davao has become a city, a cornucopia of activities has defined the month-long festivity. From indigenous exhibits to sporting events, the party is nothing like in the past; it was as grandiose as it was extensive.
Lost in the organizer’s tickler, though, is that 2023 is the 175th anniversary of Davao’s conquest and founding by Jose Oyanguren y Cruz, a Spaniard who was once judge of Tondo, Manila. How this significant historical event has been overlooked is pure disregard. The lapse, intentional or not, sadly reflects what many have already observed as the inordinate preference by activity coordinators for fun proceedings instead of introducing events that inspire people about history.
The oversight, if you may, was cited by Davao-born Dr. Patricia Dacudao, an assistant professor of history at the Ateneo de Manila University, during the recent launch of her book, ‘Abaca Frontier,’ at the Ateneo de Davao University.
Davao’s precolonial period started early in 1847 after Oyanguren sought the government’s support to subdue Moro chief Datu Bago, ruler of the Davao River. It took almost a year, however, for the Spaniard to get his wishes approved, and when it was finally sanctioned, the high court known as the Audiencia had already watered down his conditions. With the issues attendant to the expedition satisfied, the journey to the gulf of Davao, which took months, commenced.
Davao’s conquest, under scrutiny in the last four decades, remains a battlefield of views, especially June 29, supposedly the date when Datu Bago fled or when his enclave was overtaken. Dr. Dacudao explained that the date coincides with the surrounding of the forces of the Moro chief in Tagum. Our take of this episode, however, is a bit off-tangent.
June 29 is actually the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul according to the Roman Catholic calendar. Based on documents and other accounts, the date is likely the day the victory over Davao—achieved in March 1848—was dedicated to San Pedro who, coincidentally, is also the patron saint of the parish where Oyanguren was baptized. (Dacudao correctly points out that Saint Paul is often dissociated from the shared feast.)
Historically, the Spanish-led expedition continued to hunt down Datu Bago after the fall of his campsite on an elevated area near Madapo Hills (then known as Tagum). Fortuitously, he eluded his pursuers who chased him using steamers sent by the colonial government.
Most likely, the institutionalization of June 29 as an important date in the conquest has also led to other engagements, such as the holding of the first Mass in town, the first fiesta in honor of San Pedro, and the informal naming of the street that links the Church (now Metropolitan Catedral of Saint Peter) to the old cemetery in memory of the first Roman Catholic pontiff.
To rectify the omission, the Church, come June 29, should not forget to highlight the feast in conjunction with its significance to the 175th conquest of Davao, which is also about the time when Catholicism was introduced in town by the Recollects.
(In contrast, Christianity reached the towns of Baganga, Cateel, and Caraga in 1622 when they were made visitas or small missions under the care of the parish of Bislig, Surigao del Sur. Historically, 2022 should have been celebrated as the 400th anniversary of Catholicism in Davao.)
On the part of the city, making 2023 an important event during the Kadayawan festival should be an apt rectification. Not only are we allowed to be awed and inspired by the length of time the city has survived since it was founded in 1848 but also affords Davao residents a look back to the past when most of the gulf of Davao, particularly the waterways that lead to the interior regions, were almost completely controlled by Moro settlements.
Again, Davao celebrates this year as its 175th anniversary.
