EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society
Special Supplement
Old and new City Hall
Icons of Davao
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LOSE to half a millennium after Sarangani found its way into Spanish chronicles, Davao, as a region, has slowly turned into a metropolitan hub. With six cities underscoring its socio-economic and demographic transformation, more urban settlements would rise in the next decade as the volume of investments shoots up.
The amazing makeover of Davao region, though, is best appreciated by the historical events, which serve as backdrop of its march towards progress. In particular, these episodes, brought together as a single catalyst, serve as the pedestal on which the region’s cultural heritage now stands proudly. To highlight this transformation, 20 places and 20 individuals, including groups of persons, have been chosen in no special order to give Edge Davao readers a broad perspective on how certain areas in the region were like in the eyes of foreigners, and what are the contributions of certain luminaries to the region’s impressive history. Landmarks
SARANGANI: This town, of then Davao del Sur and now Davao Occidental, is a cluster of islands, which takes pride as the first place in Davao region to have direct contact with the Spaniards. Antonio Pigafetta, the Venetian diarist of explorer Ferdinand Magellan, wrote that on October 16, 1521 “we entered a port between the two islands Sarangani and Candigar (Balut), and cast anchor to the east, near a village of Sarangani, where pearls and gold are found.” DAVAO GULF: In pre-colonial times, it was known as Tagalook, a rich source of biao (beeswax). The Dutch in the late 16th century called it Boutuan (Boetuan) Bay. When the Spaniards arrived, they renamed it Seño de Davao. The Americans
By Antonio Vn. Figueroa
later called it Davao Gulf. More importantly, it is the source of the country’s first pearl export (1907) and the original “tuna capital” (1929).
IYO (HIJO): As a kingdom, Hijo was the original trading center in the gulf and a vital link to the Agusan River headwaters at the eastern sector of Tagum. In the August 30, 1628 report of Dutch merchant-sailor Daniel Ottens, it was identified as one of the negeris (districts), while Englishman Thomas Forrest, in his 1775 travelogue, cited Eu (Iho), along with Lupon and two other areas, as a settlement. PANTUKAN: The town, which got its name from pantuk, or shortcut, was the customary home of the Mansaka, shared in part by the Mandaya and the Kalagan who live on the coastlines. During the American Occupation, it was considered as the “abaca plantation in the east,” as opposed to Malita, the “abaca plantation of the west.” Since colonial times, Kingking, a village under it, has been known for its gold deposit.
LAPANDAY: Formerly known as Belen, the place was the site the first-ever abaca plantation of Davao in 1893. When Datu Bago was defeated by Spanish conquistador Don Jose Oyanguren, it was here that he hid before escaping to Bincungan, in Tagum City. Similarly, during World War II, the area bécame the hiding place for evacuees, mostly prominent families, displaced by the entry of Japanese forces in Davao City.
LIGGETT ISLAND: The land mass known as Ligid Island in the Island Garden City of Samal, was named after Lt. Gen. Hunter Liggett of the U.S. 31st Infantry, the first American military governor of Davao. In his honor, Fort Hunter Liggett, a base on California, Hunter Liggett Army Airfield at Fort Stewart, Liggett Hall on Governors Island in New York, and USS Hunter Liggett, a passen-
ger ship, were named after him.
DAVAO PENAL COLONY: Established on Jan. 21, 1932, this sprawling 5,212 hectares of land was reserved under Proclamation No. 414 and was placed under the justice department and the corrections bureau to train and reform inmates and to arm them with vocational skills and higher literacy. During the war, it was home to around 2,000 prisoners of war (POWs) and had an operational 3.5-km railroad.
ISING: This patch of land in Carmen, Davao del Norte, was where the historic “Battle of Ising” was fought. The U.S. 130th Infantry Regiment launched an offensive to clear the national highway of enemy obstacles. The battle took 10 days. The final conflict was tragic; more guerrillas were killed than Japanese. Despite the casualty, they stopped the enemy advance, thus hastening the liberation of Davao City.
DIGOS CITY: One of its villages bécame the site of the carnage known as the “Digos or Rano Massacre.’ Thirty-nine Sunday mass churchgoers of a small Protestant church were killed by the New People’s Army (NPA) in sitio Rano, barangay Binaton, on June 25, 1989, many of them children. Its pastor, Ruben Ayap, and his brother, were beheaded. The reason for the slaughter was the refusal of leaders to cooperate with the rebels.
DAVAO PEARL FARM: Then known as Aguinaldo Development Corp., it hosted the first scientific cultivation of pearls in Davao Gulf. In 1958, a farm of 12,000 white-lipped oysters from the Sulu Sea was opened. The oysters could manufacture white, pink, or gold-lip pearls. It was owned by Daniel Aguinaldo, a Manila trader after whom the Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School (DRANHS) is named.
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Old Bangko Sentral
New Bangko Sentral
Icons P1 MAGSAYSAY PARK: Dedicated to the Philippine President Ramon F. Magsaysay (1953-57), the place was once a mangrove area before it was developed into a public park. It is the first reclamation in Davao City. The park was the brainchild of the late Elias B. Lopez, the visionary Bagobo mayor of the city who also established Araw ng Dabaw, Mutya ng Dabaw, the Datu Bago Award and the city’s anthem “Tayo’s Dabawenyo.” The park was carved out partly from the former site of the Sta. Ana public market and the receiving station of the Davao Penal Colony. To develop the reclamation área at the least cost, Lopez assigned the city’s various civic and profesional service clubs to develop portions of the site gratis.
SAN PEDRO CATHEDRAL: Originally built in 1849, the structure has undergone numerous renovations. Dedicated to St. Peter, the old munisipyo’s patrón saint, it was the site of two gruesome bombings in Davao’s history. On April 20, 1981, it was blasted with grenades by suspected members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), killing close to a dozen people. On Dec. 27, 1993, alleged members of the the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) bombed it again, killing seven persons. The cathedral is considered one of the city’s landmark and tourist attraction.
MINTAL: It was known as the “Little Tokyo” given its sprawling pre-war abaca plantations owned and managed by Japanese. For decades, it was surpassed only by the trading activities in the city’s central business district. It was here where the primary Japanese facilities, from hospital to landing strips, were established. With the intermarriage of Japanese and landed Bagobo, the place bécame a virtual Tokyo. CARAGA: It refers to the old province of Carhaga, which had jurisdiction over two-thirds of the island of Mindanao; it later became the surviving name of a town in Davao Oriental. Ancient missionaries attribute the deriva-
Old San Pedro cathedral
Old Bankerohan Public Market tive of the word to kalag, Visayan for “soul.” Anthropologically, the term is the same name given to a river where people residing along its banks are known as the Caragan and Kalagan.
AGUSAN RIVER: More than just a significant waterway, many pueblos were built along its riverbanks, among them the present municipalities of Monkayo and Composterla, in the northern sector of Davao, and the defunct towns of Jativa, Gandia, Gerona, and Pilar. The river, which has a length of nearly four hundred kilometers, starts in the uphill of Mawab and empties itself into Butuan Bay. MOUNT APO: Its only recorded eruption took place in 1640. Also the home of the Philippine eagle, the Bagobos view the landmark as “a gigantic altar of sacrifice.” Jesuit priest Fr. Francisco Colin wrote in 1660 about it as a mountain that spews “snow” (sulfur), and repeated by Fr. Jose Fernandez Cuevas, who wrote about it as being “covered with sulfur which in the reflected rays of the sun looked like snow.” MT. DIWATA: Informally called as Diwalwal, the mount derived its named from the Javanese term, devata. For centuries, according to accounts, it had been known to harbor a huge deposit of gold. It was only in 1983 that its secret was discovered after Camilo Banad, a Mandaya, spilled the beans about where he was getting the gold nuggets he sold to jewelry shops to buy drinks for his friends and neighbors. SAMAL ISLAND: One of the earliest archaeological digs in Samal was done here in 1882. Dr. Alexander Schadenberg of Breslau, Germany, found interesting burial-caves in the isle, including 23 skulls, artificially deformed skeletal specimens, ceramic shards, large dragon jars from the Yuan or Early Ming dynasties, a celadon jarlet, human and animal bones, iron weapons and tools, and bronze and shell bracelets. MALALAG: In 1971, archaeologists opened an area located
on a ravine a kilometer inland and a cavern close to the open ocean named Asin Cave. In both sites earthenware potteries were found but there were no traces of porcelain, stoneware, or metal associated with the pots. At Pangpang, an open cave on a rough and steep rock face, potsherds were recovered, some of them plain.
BAGANGA: On July 4, 1631, Captain Pedro Bautista, fort commander of Tandag, accompanied Fray Jacinto de Jesus, parish priest of Tago, set out to Baganga to punish agitators. The expedition involved ten boats separately led by Spaniards and a party of native chieftains. For eight days, the troops travelled to Baganga with very little resistance because the residents were already forewarned. Only 16 prisoners. Icons
DATU BUHISAN: Also known as the king of Candahar, Buhisan was the first ruler of Davao to voluntarily give up power and territory to the Dutch on Sept. 10, 1688. He wrote: “I, Datu Buisan… give order and transfer all the right, land and the claim that I have of such as the lands on Mindanao, the bay of Boetuan and Saranganie, including all its dependencies and appendages.” This placed Davao under Dutch control. DATU MAMA BAGO: A Maguindanao-Tausug scion, he governed Davao for nearly five decades and was one of the region’s most colorful rulers. Known for his fighting prowess, he fearlessly engaged the invading Spanish contingent led by Don Jose Oyanguren but succumbed to superior weaponry then fled to Lapanday. Davao City’s most prestigious award, the Datu Bago Award, is named after him.
THE JESUITS: In pre-American era, the Jesuits gave much to the conversion of Davao into a Christian territory and as a catalyst of quality education. Two of the society’s vital contributions to Catholicism were former Davao parish priests, Mateo Gisbert and Saturnino Urios, whose beatification were launched on November
New San Pedro cathedral
New Bankerohan Public Market 7, 2005 by Oliverio Suazo Divino, a Dabawenyo residing in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA.
THE SYRIAN-LEBANESE: These Christian Orthodox migrants of Syrian-Lebanese extract were among the first foreigners to succeed in business in Davao. Juan Awad started the first abaca plantation in Lapanday and built the first four-story building; his relatives also made good: Charlie Sasin operated post-war movie houses while Salim Borghaily opened Borghaily Hermanos Store in 1929.
THE THOMASITES: The appellation originally referred to American educators who arrived in Manila in 1901, on board the Army cargo transport USS Thomas. A good number of them helped the Westernization of Davao schools, namely,Thomas W. Barnett, Leora Day, Frank Fox, Rudolf F. Nyman, O.G. Wolcott, Maud Jarman, Christian Ade, William Gohn, Frederic W Abbot, and Carson Calhoun. THE BAGOBOS: Davao región may be considered as multi-ethnic in charácter but only the Bagobo can rightly claim to being the first global tribe. During the St. Louis World’s Fair, or the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, in Missouri, U.S.A., in 1904, it had its own village, which consisted of four houses that were home to thirty-eight Bagobos. One of them
was Datu Bulan who became one of the most photographed chieftains in the exhibit due to his luxuriant growth of waist-length hair.
the Japanese in possessing indigenous lands. In 1940, he won as governor although his residency was challenged in court.
KYOSABURO, Oda: Also known as K.S. Ohta, he was credited for having brought to Davao City the first Japanese contract workers. In 1905, he moved to Davao where he established the Ohta Development Company in 1907. In just three years, he cultivated 298 hectares of virgin soil, on top of the 1,015 hectares the government granted to his company. His success lured more Japanese to invest in corporations in Davao.
CLIFFORD, Col. Thomas E.: A Distinguished Service Cross awardee in the Leyte Campaign, he had “dash, audacity and brilliance.” On June 24, 1945, during the mopping-up operations of the Allied Forces near Tamogan, Calinan, he was fatally hit by a shell aimed in their direction by Japanese. For his sacrifice, Davao honored him with a town plaza and theater, and was dubbed as the ‘liberator of the city.’
BOLTON, Edward R.: A lieutenant in US Army, he was the first American quasi-civil governor of Davao. On June 6, 1906, he was killed by a native chief in Lacaron, Malita, Davao del Sur. Contrary to the bad reviews, he wanted to remain in Davao “until peace and better government” was attained. An Oriental Mindoro river, a Davao bridge, a terrestrial fern, and a village of Malalag, are named after him.
FURUKAWA, Yoshizo: Founder of Furukawa Plantation Company, Ltd., his land holdings in Davao reached 1,010 hectares, which were tilled as abaca plantation. He acquired lands mainly from American plantations and companies. He is the guy who introduced the Tangongon, an abaca variety endemic to Davao, in Ecuador where he is recognized as ‘the father of the abaca industry.’
QUIMPO, Romualdo C.: He sponsored the law that made Davao a city. In 1935 he won as Davao’s legislator to the 1st National Assembly. As lawmaker, he was accused of nepotism and for asking fees for homestead applications. He was one of local leaders suspected to have connived with
PELAYO, Pantaleon Sr.: As 1935 Constitutional Convention delegate, he stirred a hornet’s nest when he declared that “insular, provincial, and municipal officials in Davao are in connivance with Japanese,” leading to the proposal to adopt stringent regulations in acquiring lands by foreigners, whether through dummy or marriage. In September 1940, President Quezon appointed him as city mayor.
FLOIRENDO, Antonio O.: Although a mining engineer, his legacy is best known in the fields of motoring and agricultural. As trader, he exclusively owned the Ford distributorship for Visayas and Mindanao, but as an agriculturist, he established the world’s largest abaca plantation, and later founded the world’s largest family-owned banana plantation. He was popularly known as the country’s ‘banana king.’ ALMENDRAS, Alejandro D.: A scion of the Durano clan of Cebu and related by affinity to the Duterte family, he held the distinction of being the first and only senator, the first Cabinet secretary, and the first to become member of both chambers of Congress from the Davao región. While still active in
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The 6 elected
mayors of Davao City
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HE first election of Davao City’s mayor was in 1955. Since then, 60 years ago to this day, there have only been six persons elected to the position, half of them serving for more than one term. Three of the mayors served for more than 10 years each, while the remaining two were in position for only one term, which is equivalent to three years. Four of the mayors were lawyers by profession, one civil en-
gineer and another one a college dropout. The lawyers are Elias B. Lopez, Rodrigo R. Duterte, Benjamin C. de Guzman and Sara Duterte-Carpio. The civil engineer was Carmelo L. Porras, while the college dropout was Luis T. Santos. Porras served for 12 years, Santos for a little more than 10 years, Carpio and de Guzman for three years each. Rody Duterte has been mayor a total of more than 20 years now and still counting.
Carmelo L. Porras (1955-1967)
Elias B. Lopez (1967-71; 1982-86)
The first elected mayor was Porras, a civil engineer from Zambales. “Meloy” Porras first served as city engineer and as was ex-officio member of the city council at the time. He was elected mayor against three rivals -- two lawyers and a fellow civil engineer. They were engineer Gaudioso Tiongco, attorney Fermin Abella and a
In 1967, Porras, by then mayor for 12 years (or three terms), lost his bid for a fourth term to his brilliant vice mayor, Elias B. Lopez, who became the first and, so far, only Bagobo native mayor. Before winning as vice mayor, Lopez, a University of the Philippines-trained lawyer who was an outstanding orator, successively topped the race for city councilors who were elected by the voters of the entire city, not just by district. As mayor, Lopez introduced and institutionalized many “firsts.” He built the Magsaysay Park from scratch. He embarked on a reclamation of the burnt site of the old Sta. Ana public market, Davao Penal Colony receiving station and old fish landing area beside the Sta. Ana pier. Then, he apportioned the reclaimed area among civic, professional and other volunteer service organizations for development according to a blueprint. Enthusiastic and proud about being given
Carmelo L. Porras
lady attorney named Pomperada. Porras and Tiongco squared off for the second time in 1959 with Porras coming out victorious again. Porras won his third term in 1963 against lawyer Manuel “Noli” C. Sotto, who, at 26, was the youngest vice governor of the then undivided Davao province. In those days, one can served for life as there was no limit in the number of terms, unlike today when one can only serve three terms, of three years each term, successively. Also, in the past before the passage of the 1987 Revolutionary Constitution, a term was equivalent to four years.
mayor they ever had at the time. Months after Santos assumed office as mayor, then President Ferdinand E. Marcos proclaimed Martial Law on September 21, 1972 and suspended local elections until 1981. It was during the Santos city administration that the monolithic Davao City Water District was established. The other big ticket projects –the on-site development and relocation of thousands of squatters (now euphemistically called “informal settlers”) under the Slum Improvement and Resettlement (SIR) Program along Piapi-Quezon Boulevard and the Sandawa area, the construction of the Davao City Overland Transportation Terminal (DCOTT) or Ecoland Terminal and the multi-million peso improvement of the Bankerohan and Agdao public markets— happened during the Santos administration with all loans facilitated by the Marcos dictatorial government. In 1981, when Marcos called for local elections, Santos lost to comebacking Lopez but managed to hold on to his position for 18 months. With the support of the Marcos-sponsored Kilusang Bagong Lipunan political party, Santos refused to yield City Hall to Lopez, claiming that there was failure of elections in vote-rich Paquibato, a hinterland area in what is now Second Congressional District, and therefore the need for another balloting through a special election. When one and a half year had lapsed and no special election was in sight, Marcos, listening to a growing public clamor in Davao City, ordered the Commission on Elections to proceed with the proclamation of the true winner. It was then that Comelec chairman Leonardo Perez proclaimed Lopez as winner. This was in 1982. In August 1983, just months after the ouster of Santos from city hall, former senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr., father of President Noynoy, was assassinated in the tarmac of the Manila International Airport, triggering a nationwide protest movement against the Marcos dictatorship. It was an occasion for Santos’ return to the folds of the opposition. He joined marches and rallies called the Yellow Friday Movement for the ouster of the dictatorship.
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Elias B. Lopez
importance in a giant task, all civic groups cooperated and did their share in the development of the park which took more than two years. To instill in Dabawenyos a sense of identity and belongingness, he started the Araw ng Dabaw festival, created the “Tayo’y Dabawenyo “ city anthem, founded the prestigious Datu Bago award and put up the Mutya ng Dabaw annual beauty pageant.
Luis T. Santos (1971-82)
In his bid for reelection in 1971, Lopez lost to Luis T. Santos, a prosperous logger who had served as his police chief, a legendary guerilla leader in Nueva Ecija and neighboring Luzon areas. The election results shocked many Dabawenyos who thought Lopez was the best
Luis T. Santos
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Accessible and affordable health care at Brokenshire BY CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY
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HOSE who have less in less must have the same service on health care. With this as its primary goal, the Brokenshire Integrated Health Ministries Inc. (BIHMI) has embarked on an expensive expansion program to make health care more affordable and accessible to the community. “We are always in that principle of affordability and accessibility,” says Rev. Ruben L. Dela Cruz, CEO of BIHMI. BIHMI’s expansion program includes the strengthening its community development, putting up new structures and buying new equipment to improve its service to the community. BIHMI is an agency of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines which has three integrated ministries--the Borokenshire Memorial Hospital, Brokenshire Community Health and Development and Brokenshire Resource Complex—and all these components have different expansion programs which are ongoing and targeted for completion by 2016. For the structure and equipment alone concerning the hospital, BIHMI is allocating around P257 million. For the Brokenshire Community Health and Development Center, BIHMI’s flagship pro-
gram, Dela Cruz said they are now into eight provinces serving more than 30 pilot communities. “We would like to expansion further in the primary health care,” dela Cruz said. He said they are now into Southeast Mindanao after setting ao Mission Hospital 1929 up a pilot commu- Dav nity in Northern Mindanao, specifically in Bukidnon. Aside from this, Dela Cruz said they have built their ninth water system in Alabel, Sarangani that greatly improve water service in the area. If it takes residents one hour to get to their source of drinking water before, now they only have to reach it in a minute with the new water system. This water system had its blessing last December. Dela Cruz said they are planning to build five more water systems. As for the Brokenshire Memorial Hospital, which is also Brokenshire 1948 called the referral center, Dela Cruz said they have launched
Brokenshire 1992
Brokenshire 2014
the first set of expansion on the pediatric intensive care, radiology and dialysis which costs around P25 million, including the equipment. The Medical Arts Building will also be built entailing a budget of P72 million. BIHMI is also planning to acquire new equipment like the 128-Slice CT Scan, which is P50 million, and MRI Scanner which costs P110 million. BIHMI is also constructing the second building of its twin-hotel Brokenshire Re-
source Complex, which is the sustainability mechanism for their community health program. Dela Cruz said all these programs and projects are really meant to give those who have less in life the same service. “For every acquisition of equipment, we always think about its social responsibility component, so even those who have less in life they can access health care,” he said. Presently, the hospital
has 200 beds and Dela Cruz said they can expand up to 250 beds in five years time, which is going back to its original structure in 1968. The old Brokenshire hospital was razed by a city-wide fire in 1964, reopened but closed down in 1985 due financial and labor crises. Now, the BIHMI edifice is proudly standing in its present location in Madapo, a survivor of the global war which emerged from the ashes to become an icon of Davao.
Rev. Ruben L. Dela Cruz
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Rodrigo R. Duterte
In 1984, Santos ran for a seat in the Batasang Pambansa but lost. However, he benefited immensely from the eventual assumption by the late Corazon C. Aquino to the Presidency via the EDSA Revolution in 1986. He was elected congressman of the city’s newly established third congressional district and later appointed by Mrs. Aquino as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
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Benjamin C. de Guzman (1998-2000) Lawyer Benjamin C. de Guzman was Duterte’s former city administrator, vice mayor and political ally when Rody was no longer qualified to run for mayor in 1998. Duterte supported de Guzman for mayor against Prospero C. Nograles. In 2001, however, de Guzman refused to give way to Duterte, and ran for mayor again. De Guzman lost to Duterte in a bitter contest between former allies.
Rodrigo R. Duterte (1988201_)
After being assistant city fiscal (now prosecutor) for several years and appointed OIC vice mayor for more than a year, lawyer Rodrigo R. Duterte became the fourth elected Davao city mayor when he defeated OIC mayor Zafiro L. Respicio in 1988. Duterte had a falling out with Respicio over a still unclear issue, and eventually became political rivals. Duterte was re-elected in 1992 and 1995. In 1998, since under a new law he couldn’t run for a fourth term, he ran for congressman of the first district and won. He returned as city mayor in 2001, 2004 and 2007. In 2008, he slid to vice mayor, won and served in that capacity until his return to the mayorship once more in 2013.
Sara Z. Duterte
Icons P2 politics, he was governor of the undivided Davao and congressman of Davao del Sur. DUTERTE, Rodrigo R.: Acknowledged as the longest-sitting city mayor of Davao, his iron-fist policy, although criticized for alleged human rights violations, was the key in developing the city as the world’s fourth most peaceful city. In 2014 he voiced out his preference fedérate the entire archipelago, and as a result was strongly endorsed by partisan blocs to run instead for the presidency in 2016.
NOGRALES, Prospero C.: He first made history as the first Davaoeno to receive the coveted Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award in 1986. Ear-
Benjamin C. de Guzman
Sara Z. Duterte (2010-2012) In 2010, Rody Duterte launched the candidacy for mayor of his favorite daughter Sara, a new lawyer, who was his vice mayor from 2007. Sara, newly married to fellow lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, trounced Nograles with the widest margin in the annals of city electoral history, a defeat that the House Speaker couldn’t accept. He filed an election protest which was yanked out by the Commission on Elections. The Supreme Court later upheld the Comelec in its decision to dismiss the election protest. Sara has been the youngest and the first lady chief executive of the city. She ruled Mindanao’s premier city with a gentleness and meticulousness of a woman but with a firmness and maverick ways that showed her to be very much a chip of the old block. With her stunning German mestiza looks and personal warmth in dealing with people from all walks of life, observers say she could easily charm her way back to city hall when the opportune time comes.
Elected vice mayors Davao City’s elected vice mayors , 11 in all, are Ramon Morada, Fermin Abella, Elias Lopez, Manuel Sotto, Cornelio Maskarino, Dominador B. Zuno Jr., Luis C. Bonguyan, Benjamin C.de Guzman, Rody Duterte, Sara Duterte-Carpio and Paolo Duterte. Nine are lawyers, one a certified public accountant and the 11th a business management graduate. Antonio M. Ajero lier, he topped the Bar as No. 2 and went on to serve the first district of Davao City as five-time congressman. His notable achievement was his election as Speaker of the House of Representatives (20082010), the first from Mindanao. FRANK, Patrick Henry: He is an obscure figure although he founded in 1937 Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC), with the primary objective of serving the central section of Davao. He later sold his stocks and those of the incorporators to Don Ramon Aboitiz. The duo concluded the sale of DLPC and agreed to sign the deal on Jan. 1, 1942. But war broke out. The contract was consummated only on July 25, 1946.
LANZAR, Antonio C.: A former PC colonel, he was assigned in Mindanao at the height of American pacification campaign to quell Moro insurgency. In the 1930’s, he was appointed police-military head of a detachment at Malalag, Davao del Sur. Given his good traits and sterling constabulary record, he was appointed first post-war governor of Davao in 1946 and later installed as Malalag’s first municipal mayor.
VALDEROSA, Nicasio S.: He is related to Davao’s history twice over: first, President Manuel L. Quezon appointed him city mayor of Davao on Nov. 20, 1936, together with Santiago Artiaga, as first city mayor of Zamboanga; and second, Luz Valderosa, the wife of former
Davao City mayor Pantaleon A. Pelayo, Sr., was a relative. On Dec. 5, 1936, Quezon swapped the appointments of Artiaga and Valderosa.
OYANGUREN, Don Jose: By virtue of a decree issued by Governor-General Narciso Claveria on Feb. 27, 1847, he led an expedition to conquer Datu Bago, the chieftain of Davao. The voyage carried three conditions: he would be armed; he would establish Christian communities in subdued areas; and he would develop agriculture and encourage the natives to live in organized settlements. Places, like persons, vary in historical significance if viewed from the perspective of contributions to our
heritage. Depending on the extant accounts available to researchers, the importance of a locality or an individual also changes overtime, especially when primary sources start to show up along the way. Interpretation of facts is sometimes affected, in part due to the failure to get a faithful translation of documentary evidences, or as a result of simple oversight. Nevertheless, the histories that go with places and persons are not always constant. With new archival records reaching the attention of scholars, understanding of events as they transpired centuries ago vary a bit. History, as a matter of discipline, is a living endeavor that is not restricted by appreciation and time. AVF
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