ATTY. DENNIS R. GORECHO KUWENTONG PEYUPS

Imagining what Davao was like a century earlier provides us a peek into a past that was characterized by growth. From just being a subport of Zamboanga, by 1924 it was turning into an export hub for hemp and coconut, and Santa Ana pier was classified as independent.

As the port of entry, Santa Ana Pier was supplying one-eighth of the country’s hemp production. Freight rates and the delivery of telegraphic and mail notices were fairly fast from Davao.

E. C. Walters, who wrote ‘The Present Status and Volume of Davao Commerce,’ in the August 1925 edition of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal, noted that Manila export-ers, since 1923, were already exporting directly from Davao to other parts of the world by virtue of a special authority issued by the government.