The Then and Now of Davao City

Posted on October 31st, 2007 in History by Davao Hotel Guide

In 1848, when the Spaniards came headed by Oyanguren, they saw several communities of Mandayas, Bagobos, Mansakas, B’laan, Atas, Manobos, Guiangan, Tagacaolos, and Moros in Mindanao. The Spaniards made a Christian settlement named Nueva Vergara and it has a small chapel.

Neuva Vergara was known as Davao as its native name. During the Spanish regime, the economic condition of Davao was not improved. There was no developed industry and no significant economic activity established in Davao.

During the American regime, a Military administration was established in Davao. During this time, Davao was at last noticed as having a great potential in the agricultural industry. Before World War II, Davao has become the home of many Japanese migrant workers.

These workers have contributed largely to the development of abaca plantations in Davao and other agricultural crops like rubber, coffee, and cotton. The development of the agriculture industry in Davao led to its economic advancement.

On March 16, 1936, a bill was sponsored in the Philippine Congress making Davao a chartered city in Mindanao. Then President Quezon signed the house bill on October of the same year. Davao was officially made a chartered city on March 1, 1937.

When the Japanese soldiers invaded in 1941, fear struck the people of Davao. A big chunk of city’s population moved to the city’s outskirts. When peace and order was regained, the evacuees moved back to the city.

The people of Davao engaged themselves in merchandising, government employment, and farming. Schools were opened within the city where languages like Nippongo, Tagalog, and English were taught. Despite of the peace and order restoration, life was still not normal because of the atrocities of the Japanese soldiers.

When the World War II ended, the progress of Davao started to march forward. The main industries of the city were copra, logging, corn, banana, ramie, abaca, fishing, and mining. With the decline of the logging industry, the banana production industry became the leading product exporter.

Davao City became dynamic and vibrant in the 80’s and 90’s era of the Philippines. The favorable climate of the city and its sustained peace and order situation attracted many investors. The outpouring of investments helped the city advance its economic developments.

Throughout the Mindanao Island, the City of Davao was made into a center of trade and commerce. Domestic and international business boomed thus making the commercial and industrial establishments in the city increase.

Today, Davao City is a highly urbanized area. The people of Davao are proud of their hometown. The City of Davao has become one of the fastest growing cities in the Philippines.

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Witness the Famous Kadayawan sa Davao Festival

Posted on October 30th, 2007 in Fiesta and Events by Davao Hotel Guide

Every third week of the month of August, Davao comes alive, vibrant, and merrymaking because of their weeklong festival celebration called the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival. The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is a celebration of thanksgiving for the year’s bountiful harvest. This festival in Davao has now become internationally renowned.

“Kadayawan” is a Bagobo term in Davao which really means “a celebration for a bountiful harvest”. The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival has various festival activities such as trade fairs, fruit and flower shows, traditional sports activities, street parades, and horsefights. The highlights of the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is the street dancing and the beauty and brain search for Mutya ng Davao.

The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is given the title as the “Festival of Festivals”. Today, the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is one of the biggest annual festivals in the Philippines.

The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival also coincides the harvest time of the exotic fruits of Davao like Durian and the blooming of the beautiful orchids called waling-waling. The bountiful harvest of these products during this time is celebrated during the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival.

At the culmination of the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival, a grand floral parade tops off the entire occasion where countless floats are adorned with fresh, real flowers such as the waling-waling. This floral parade is accompanied by colorful and enjoyable street dancing which makes the festival lively from start to finish.

Various dance troops from Davao and other places in Mindanao Island participate in the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival. The floral parade during the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is known as the Philippines’ biggest floral parade.

The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival was institutionalized in 1986 for the purpose of uniting the people of Davao after the chaotic Martial Law years in the Philippines. Apo Duwaling was the previous name of the festival. The word is a contraction of the famous symbols of Davao: Mt. Apo, durian, and the waling-waling.

Two years after the festival was institutionalized, the name was changed to Kadayawan sa Davao Festival. This name highlights the indigenous theme and the merrymaking spirit of the people of Davao during the celebration.

The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival celebration brings a lot of local and foreign visitors to Davao. Hotels are full, even the smaller inns and lodging houses as well. As a renowned annual festival not just in Davao but the whole world, the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is truly an event that will unite the people of Davao.

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The Majestic Mt. Apo

Posted on October 29th, 2007 in Sightseeing by Davao Hotel Guide

Mt. Apo is the Philippines’ highest peak. This mountain overlooks the city of Davao. Mt. Apo is a huge stratovolcano that is flat topped and with three peaks. There is a volcanic crater that is 500 meters wide with a small crater lake within.

The name Mt. Apo means grandfather. Mt. Apo’s last eruption is unknown and the mountain is a good source of geothermal energy. Mt. Apo is in the center of the Mt. Apo National Park that stretches throughout the North Cotabato and Davao del Sur provinces.

Mt. Apo National Park has a land area of 72,800 hectares and is considered as the largest park of the Philippines. The mountain is also the home of the endangered Philippine Eagle. Former Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon declared Mt. Apo as a national park on May 9, 1936.

Over 270 species of birds can be found in Mt. Apo. More than a hundred of these birds in the mountain are considered as endemic. Mt. Apo has been considered as Mindanao’s center of endemism. The mountain has a high biological diversity per unit area.

Mt. Apo has three forest formations. These are lowland tropical rainforest, mid-mountain forests, and high mountain forests. The slope on the east side of the mountain is under the UNESCO Hydrology Environment Life and Policy. The focus of this network is for watershed stakeholders to have building collaboration among them.

Mt. Apo is among the famous mountain climbing destinations in the Philippines. Don Joaquin Rajal and his party are the first people who climbed the summit of Mt. Apo on October 10, 1880.

Climbing Mt. Apo can be done any day of the year. The area of Mt. Apo is outside the typhoon belt area so it is safe to climb any time. October to December and March to April are the preferred months to climb Mt. Apo. Every Holy Week, an annual climb to Mt. Apo occurs with lots of mountain climbing participants. The Philippine Tourism Authority organized this annual event on the mountain.

Towards the summit of the mountain, a lake called Lake Venado is nestled beautifully with crystal clear water that mirrors Mt. Apo’s twin peaks. In this place, you can take a deep refreshing breath and shout to your heart’s content. At the mountain’s summit, you will be able to view the wide expanse of the surrounding provinces of Davao.

Mt. Apo is indeed the grandfather of all the mountains of the Philippines. The mountain’s towering height and its vastness is a great sight to see in Davao. Be ready to be amazed by the majesty of this mountain.

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The Archdiocese of Davao

Posted on October 29th, 2007 in History by Davao Hotel Guide

With the arrival of the Augustinian Recollects in 1848 and followed by the Jesuits, Davao was made into a Catholic community. Davao City is under the province of Davao del Sur. The city is facing the Davao Gulf on the east side of the province. Throughout the years, the City of Davao has remained to be the principal commercial center not just within the three Davao provinces but also in the east-southeast region of Mindanao.

On December 17, 1949, Davao’s Prelature Nullius was established. On July 11, 1966, the Prelature Nullius was elevated into a Diocese of Davao. Then finally, it became the Archdiocese of Davao on June 29, 1970. The Archdiocese is comprised of the following places: the City of Davao, the Island of Samal, and the Talicud Municipality in Davao del Norte.

The following suffragan Dioceses are under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Davao: Mati, Digos, and Tagum. These three cities are presently the capital cities of the three provinces of Davao. The titular patron of the Archdiocese is Saint Peter the Apostle. Every 29th day of June, the feast of their patron saint is celebrated in Davao. Of all the population within the Archdiocese of Davao, 88% are Catholics.

Held on November of 1982, the First Archdiocesan Pastoral Assembly of Davao (or APAD 1) was celebrated. The purpose of this and other conferences is to confirm the work of God and the Holy Spirit among the people of Davao. There were several pastoral conferences that were also held with this ideal in mind. The people under the Archdiocese of Davao are disposed to listen and accept Jesus Christ and the Good News willingly when properly and adequately taught.

Through the innovations from the Vatican Council 11, the Archdiocese strengthened the structures that build the people’s faith through establishing schools, seminaries, and parish churches in Davao. The pastoral programs of the Archdiocese were identified and given more focus to give service to the people.

Through the implementation of the Archdiocese’s mission, the people of Davao were ask to have a radical conversion, to have a renewed integral evangelization, to be an active Church of the Poor, to live a life of integrity, and to have a restoration of the Filipino values.

The Archdiocese has 59 diocesan and 68 priests that are administering to the faithful in Davao. The Archdiocese is comprised of 75 parishes that are under the five vicariates.

The Archdiocese also assists in the Catholic educational institutions of Davao that include three seminaries, six colleges, two universities, and 14 high schools.

The Archdiocese that was established in Davao gives the people the balance in their spiritual life and temporal life.

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Davao’s Search for Mutya ng Dabaw

Posted on October 29th, 2007 in Fiesta and Events by Davao Hotel Guide

Every year, Davao celebrates the Araw ng Dabaw. This is in celebration of the day that Davao became a city in 1937. In this celebration, the people of Davao are drawn into one of the important events in the Araw ng Dabaw, the Mutya ng Dabaw search.

So what is the significance of the Mutya ng Dabaw search during this celebration? The word “Mutya” is a Tagalog word that means “jewel, pearls, or a precious thing or person”. The yearly Mutya ng Dabaw search is finding that single woman in Davao who properly fits the meaning of the word Mutya.

The bearer of the title Mutya ng Dabaw each year is a woman in Davao that has the noble ideals and great aspirations for the contentment and progression of the City of Davao. This woman must truly represent the hearts and minds of the people of Davao. She is a symbol of Davao’s fervent hopes and dreams for that future of the city and its people.

The Mutya ng Dabaw is a woman of beauty, brains, and dreams. Seeing the Mutya ng Dabaw means seeing all what Davao City has. The sincerity and industry of the people of Davao are seen in her poise and grace. The light-heartedness and cheerfulness of the people of Davao are resembled by the radiant smile of the Mutya ng Dabaw.

Davao’s dreams and ambitions as a developing urban city are interconnected with the dreams and ambitions of the reigning Mutya ng Dabaw. The aspirations for brotherhood, goodwill, and peace for the people of Davao are what she must aspire. The most treasured possessions of the Mutya ng Dabaw are the priceless treasures that are kept within the very heart and soul of the people of Davao.

The first ever Mutya ng Dabaw is Rachel Arkoncel who was crowned in 1969. And every year since then until to the present day, a certain woman in Davao bears the title as the Mutya ng Dabaw, whom the people adore, respect, and love.

Being the Mutya ng Dabaw, that woman’s zest for life must be more evident than before. As a reigning Mutya ng Dabaw in a certain year, that woman will certainly have the most cherished and sweetest memories of her life that she can be proud of as years pass by.

The yearly celebration for the Araw ng Dabaw is not complete without the Mutya ng Dabaw search. This is a time for the women of Davao to stand out of the crowd and be noticed as someone precious in the city.

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