As we commemorate the 89th Araw ng Davao, we reflect on how this celebration has seen increased interest among Filipinos. A look at the city's unique history may help explain why.

Davao the indigenous settlement was first touched by Spanish colonizers only in 1848 making its exposure to Spanish colonialism relatively recent when compared with other major cities in the country which were organized pueblos for 300 or so years.

At the dawn of the 20th century Americans settled into what they considered very fertile land for the cultivation of vital crops like coconut and abaca, and a hub for trading. At the same time the significant Chinese population began migrating into Davao, which explains the city’s vast Chinatown. The Japanese also entered the scene in the early years of the last century, first by tilling the lands organized by the Americans and thereafter owning plantations of the aforementioned crops, along with trading houses and other businesses, swelling their population to the thousands.

I can imagine the cityscape prior to World War 2 as a melting pot of migrants, all with their capital, professions and trades defining the commerce around the Sta. Ana port area, which I believe was the base port for coastal shipping around the Davao gulf and southern Mindanao.

As the years progressed even after the war, Davao was a vital entry and exit port for natural resource businesses such as timber production and early mining ventures. In the late 1960s the banana industry took root in investments which enabled the country to be the world’s second largest exporter of the beloved fruit. By this time, migrants from the Visayas and Luzon swelled the city’s population, making it an even more diverse melting pot of cultures, folkways, cuisines and expressions. While the 1970’s saw the city as a hotbed for insurgency, the last three decades saw Davao city shed this part of its past.

In the last 15 years Davao has emerged as a major hub for the Information Technology and Business Process outsourcing sector, a vital set of businesses employing close to a hundred thousand. It has also become a vital Meetings, Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions destination for tourists, who often return to see more of the city. Its physical skyline has risen with hotels, residential and office condominiums, and new schools providing the expertise to continue building a innovative economy and harmonious community.

The diverse 1.8 million residents of Davao City today have collectively built an economy worth about half a trillion pesos, making it a vital city-based economic hub of the Philippines. A look at this history shows that Davao was not defined as a Spanish settlement with a centuries-entrenched, landed elite in the same way it does in other Filipino cities. Rather, it is framed by the harmonious meld of migrants, their influences, dreams and ideas interacting with each other and the indigenous population, collaborating with government to build the strong economy and culture. Upon this history is built a diverse culture, vibrant economy and a bright future.

I would like to congratulate the organizers of the recently held National Private Sector Representatives (PSR) convention, bringing together the various PSRs of the different Regional Development Councils (RDCs) of the Philippines in Davao City last week. I am confident that the learnings and discussions will enable stronger public and private sector collaboration within RDCs, as we face a challenging future.