Davao

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(2000 est. pop. 1.1 million). Davao, an important commercial, educational, and cultural center of the southern Mindanao region, is one of the largest seaports in the Philippines. Davao lies on the southeast side of Mindanao Island, occupying a total area of 2,440 square kilometers, with an average population density of 491 persons per square kilometer. Davao port services interisland and international shipments. The city is situated 974 kilometers south of Manila, on the shore of Davao Gulf. "Davao" also refers to three provinces: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental. Davao City is located in Davao del Sur but is politically and administratively independent of the province.

When Spaniards first visited Davao in 1528, they found thriving communities of various ethnic groups, such as Bagobos, Mandayas, B'laans, and Manobos. Some of these later embraced Islam and were called Moros or Moors by the Spanish. The modern history of Davao began in the mid-nineteenth century, when Spanish colonizers defeated a rebellion of Moros and established a Roman Catholic settlement on the strategically important bank of the Davao River. Thus the Spanish gained leverage over the flourishing and lucrative regional trade, yet they were unable to establish full control over many parts of Mindanao Island.

The American occupation of Davao began after the Spanish were defeated in the Spanish-American War (1898). Davao grew further in the twentieth century. In addition to the rich agriculture on Mindanao Island, mining flourished, and international trade grew to supply a strong worldwide demand (especially from the United States) for abaca hemp (from the banana leafstalk), cotton, coffee, and rubber. During this time, a large Japanese community settled in Davao and became one of the most influential communities in the city. In 1937, Davao was formally inaugurated as a city.

World War II arrived to Davao in 1941; the Japanese made Davao the regional headquarters of the imperial army. The city was heavily damaged in heavy fighting between Japanese and American troops in 1945.

Davao was extensively rebuilt after the war, with its economy now based on food processing, textiles, mining, and regional and international trade. During this era, most of the forest in and around Davao was destroyed, damaging Davao's status as a city in a jungle. Between the 1960s and 1990s, Davao experienced a new wave of industrialization and population growth, although in the early 1980s its business environment was heavily damaged by kidnappings and attacks by guerrillas and leftist groups such as the Communist New People's Army.

In response, citizens of Davao formed Alsa Masa, a vigilante group organized with the support of the Philippine military. Some view this organization as exacerbating the already-volatile situation in Davao by focusing its vigilante justice on the New People's Army and Muslim separatists. The political situation in Davao is still unstable, although after the fall of the regime of Ferdinand Marcos (1917–1989) in 1986 most guerrillas ceased their operations in the city. Public officials still tolerate the existence of self-defense groups that engage in extrajudicial killings, ostensibly to fight crime, drug trafficking, and Communists and Muslim extremists, but Davao City is more peaceful than it was during the height of Alsa Masa activity. At the turn of the century, Davao had become one of the fastest-growing cities in the Philippines, with a population growth of 3.23 percent; its population doubled between 1980 and 1999. If the city maintains peace and order through the rule of law, its economy will become even more successful.

Abinales Patricio. (2000) Making Mindanao: Cotabato and Davao in the Formation of the Philippine Nation-State. Manila, Philippines: Ateneo De Manila University Press.

"Davao City." Retrieved March 2002, from: http://www.davaocity.gov.ph/.

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