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ASEAN chairmanship launching

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ish all that has prevented our promise from shining- unpeace, violence, the threat of terrorism, and the long standing tendency to consider ourselves unworthy of the promise of development our forbears hoped to achieve.

With a President from Mindanao, doors have opened to reveal the bounty and potential that the rest

of the country has already lost.

There are new frontiers of cooperation that will make this fulfillment palpable. The old thinking that we depend on our nation’s capital to strengthen us will no longer be tenable- because it has never really worked. It is time to seek new ideas and partners to add to what we already have.

ASEAN beckons, and we are at its doorstep.

It is also time we stop depending on others to show us what we can do, to tell us our potentials. We know, and can, as we have consistently done well over the years as a regional economy. We have been measures and have exceeded their expectations.

The Davao region in particular has bucked

the impression and trend.

Consistently outperforming the national GDP wroth rate, most recently at 9.4% compared to the nation’s 6.9%, this is what drew investors to the Davao investment conference last July 22.

Beyond the numbers, the images of development are clearproperties opening up to new construction,

mixed use developments, new manufacturing enterprises.

Public infrastructure is barely keeping up with the demand, thereby causing vehicular traffic. Thankfully, mass transit is in the planning stage, before we are inundated.

Thus, despite the supposed stigma of martial law, the investors did their homework, and were

pleasantly surprised at the numbers. This is a region on the move despite what others think of her.

Who wouldn’t be impressed?

Hearing them impressed not only impressed us , but made us see the gem we hold, that they also want. We stand tall and resilient. This is our time to shine.

Birds eye view of Davao City

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RESILIENCE Davao City: Progress of bloody episodes a mid half a century

By Antonio V. Figueroa

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nder martial law and through the post-Marcos era, Davao City, Mindanao’s most progressive urban center, has not been spared from the troubles that have hounded the decadent global environment. Its saga in the past half a century (1971-2016) has not been about invasions, aerial bombings, and colonial persecutions. But its ordeals, all of them stained with blood, had links to ideological ambivalence and social-class discords.

The 1970’s may be appropriately called an insurgent era because it was the period when the communist insurgency, anchored on issues of social injustice and agrarian reform, started to grip the countryside, engaging in recruitment to stop state-linked oppression. Out of this emotional struggle was the birth of an armed rebellion of the New People’s Army (NPA) that has stalked Philippine democracy since then.

A year before martial rule was declared, insurgency was already peaking. On the streets, the protests were rabid and violent; in the mountains, camps for cadre training sprouted like mushrooms. In safe houses, the plan to challenge the state went on high gear, complemented by the plan to launch a full-scale confrontation against the fascist government.

In the next decade, Davao City transmut-

ed into a rebel hotbed.

Under a martial-law regime that went haywire in just two years after its proclamation, the abuses committed by state actors further incensed the resolve of student militants to go underground and start a fullscale armed struggle.

The city would become the hub of Mindanao insurgency, “a communist laboratory, ” The rise of insurgency, though, was not without its gory results.

Blood was spilled for reasons that at times defied logic. Mere suspicion of military links resulted in assassinations (or ‘purges’ as the communist labelled them).

Uncertainty was further aggravated by the growing threat of secessionist Moro groups that also pursued their own ideological agenda.

Rise of vigilante Death squads, known as ‘sparrow units’, were let loose to hunt down anti-communist personalities, ci-

vilian or uniformed service. Whether the killing spree was committed on the hills or in the urban jungle, hundreds of lives, most of them victims of suspicions, were lost. The decadent peace and order, which spelled doom for the local economy and sowed fear in the hearts of nonviolent citizens, later gave rise to a mass-based vigilante group, the Alsa Masa.

Alsa Masa’s emergence resulted in even bloodier murders solely focused on communist-linked insurgents operating the city.

Though the idea would catch up later and inspire the creation of similar hunts in the provinces, the vigilante group also created its own subculture and produced iconic figures like Gen. Franco Calida, later mayor of Malalag, Davao del Sur, and the late feisty radioman Juan Porras Pala.

Born amid the turmoil that enveloped informal settlements which were easy preys of armed ideologues and insurgents, the rise of Alsa Masa swiftly resulted in gory skirmishes launched with state sanction. Agdao district, which earned the pejorative term Nicaragdao, bore the brunt of the campaign to hunt down urban rebels. As a result, a village adjacent to the old Ipil Beach became the human abattoir, prompting people to label it as Barrio Patay.

‘Religious conflict’ Ironically, the first headline-hogging incident that took the city by shock was the April 20, 1981, an Easter Sunday, when San Pedro Cathedral was bombed twice

by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) elements. Close to a dozen church-goers were killed in the attack, while around 70 individuals were injured.

Jaded pundits raised the alarm the first bombing was purposely instigated to transform the then prevailing Christian-Muslim conflict, which largely embroiled central Mindanao in armed secessionist movements, into a religious struggle.

A similar bloody assault, which involved three separate explosions, was repeated twelve years later when the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a breakaway group, bombed the same church on December 27, 1993, also a Sunday, killing seven persons and injuring 157. Two years later, police and marine intelligence raised the possibility the second church bombing was the handiwork of a then obscure group known as Abu Sayyaf.

On June 25, 1989, the worst NPA-linked atrocity happened. Known as the Digos Massacre, the incident resulted in the carnage of 39 Sunday mass churchgoers of a small Protestant

church in sitio Rano, barangay Binaton, Digos City; many of the victims were children.

The incident was perpetrated by the NPA under Amado Payot, aka Benzar.

Adding insult to the massacre was the beheading of the church pastor, Ruben Ayap, and his brother. The main reason for the butchery was the refusal of the village leaders to cooperate with the rebels.

Although the CPP-NPA later admitted responsibility for the mass murder, the promised indemnification did not come.

Ports under threat Over two decades later, the worst attack to hit Davao City during peace time occurred. On March 4, 2003, Davao International Airport was bombed, leaving 21 casualties, including a foreign missionary, and injuring 148 others. The incident was blamed on Muslim terror groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah, an Al-Qaeda cell.

Less than a month later, Sasa Wharf, the region’s premier port, was blasted on April 2, 2003.

The attacked was well timed just as the passengers of a docking ship were exiting the harbor.

Seventeen lives were wasted, and 56 persons were wounded.

To get to the bottom of the incident, a truth commission was created but it failed to pin down exactly the iden-

tity of the perpetrators.

The testimonies of people invited to shed light on the bloody events only befuddled further the direction of the investigation, especially in knowing the groups behind the massacres.

One angle that was less explored was the economic implications the bombings of ports had on the safety of the city and its draw as an investment hub.

Overall, with local leaders in firm control of the situation, these brutal incidents, though, did not shoo away investors. In fact, the phenomenal rise of Davao region, as the emerging metropolitan center in the south did not escape observers, and Davao City went on to earn the honor as one of the world’s most liveable cities.

Living with danger The backdoor channels created by the city leadership in dealing with insurgency in farflung areas produced in some way stability to the urban progress.

Peace as a primary key to bringing back rebels to the fold of law was pursued. Still, amid the positive offers extended to the insurgents in the hills, the occasional armed attacks, kidnappings, and destruction of properties remained even as the communists pursued their extortions in the guise of revolutionary taxes.

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INVESTING ON CHILDREN How sports can be a tool for peace while developing a better generation of Filipinos

By NEILWIN JOSEPH BRAVO

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or decades, children in war-torn areas of Mindanao are Yes, the always the ones first caught in the cross- Children’s Games fire. They are the is a simplistic first to give up classapproach towards rooms to give way getting kids for evacuation sites. to sports and The problem is not of Mindanao alone. In other save them from regions, it may not be war that displaces children, it the troubles of could also be natural casociety—the lure lamities which often hit that part of the country. of recruitment And then there’s the more common conflict from terror area which happen in every household where chilgroups, the lure dren are the first to suffer from domestic violence. of criminality, It’s always the children.

With this mindset the lure of illegal came an uncanny development in the least funded drugs. agency of government— the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

Already cash-strapped and relying on its shares from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office

(PCSO) and the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), the government sports agency could hardly fund the national athletes’ training needs and competition expenses because of limited resources. Sports afterall, is not among the highest of priorities in this country.

There are other concerns most imperative than sports development like health, education and infrastructure Faced with this prospect, second-termer Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission William “Butch” Ramirez did not blink on his vision to realign the concentration of the sports agency towards a more significant and holistic development agenda. Growing up in impoverished environs, Ramirez knew exactly the situation on the ground.

He is no conventional sports leader who measures his success on the number of medals won by

the country in the playing arena.

For Ramirez, the real gold medals are the children.

And so the Pinoy Children’s Games for Peace became the vehicle for the government sports agency to save the children from the different modes of displacements.

The Children’s Games, which puts emphasis on participation by children aged 12 years old and below in all regions of the country and even overseas involving Fil-foreign kids, has become the primary sports agenda of the government. From its humble beginnings in Davao City, the program has gone as far as Mountain Province and has touched the lives of displaced children from war-ravaged Marawi City.

There are said to be 50 more Children’s Games expansions before the year ends and by far, the program has caught the attention of the UNESCO which lauded the

novel approach to peace through sports.

Unesco consultant Caroline Baxter Tresise considers the program as “aligned with what Unesco promotes.”

Recently, the PSC-Philippine Sports Institute honed 35 volunteers from Muslim, Lumad and Christian communities to assist participants of the Sports for Peace Children’s Games set August 18-19 in Davao City.

PSC consultant Sergio Opeña, overall in-charge of the Children’s Games, said the Ates (elder sisters) and Kuyas (elder brothers) were trained not only as volunteers for the children but as community leaders.

The training included team building, leadership, basic child psychology, and sports leadership.

Ramirez cannot hide his excitement over the journey of Children’s Games. “It’s not easy

but we are excited the Philippine government has this program and it just so happened that we have an ongoing crisis in Marawi City. We hope the Children’s Games will bridge the gap between Muslims and Christians.”

Ramirez can only look at the smiles on children’s faces and he knows the government’s resources, meager as it may be, are wisely spent on these young generation of Filipinos.

Yes, the Children’s Games is a simplistic approach towards getting kids to sports and save them from the troubles of society—the lure of recruitment from terror groups, the lure of criminality, the lure of illegal drugs.

How the government scores with children, is going to be the real scorecard on whether or not it has delivered the promise of change—a better life for all.

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Showcasing

RESILIENCE Recognizing the vital role of Davao City’s 11 tribes

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f the recent 4th Davao Investment Conference were an indication, it would easily show how the city of Davao, even in the middle of the implementation of Martial Law in Southern Philippines, has withstood the challenges.

By Lady Leslie L. Francisco

Of course, it is not the first time for the city to exhibit resilience in the middle of a challenging period in its illustrious history. Several times, the city’s spirit was tested by events that would continue to define itself as it has withstood challenges as a result of either natural occurrences or human missteps.

This will be more

‘

in the mood of a celebration, the mayor also does not want to just forget the suffering of people in other areas, particularly those in Marawi City who have been suffering from the armed conflict. She said: “Despite the celebration that we have here in Davao City during the month of August, let us not forget that we have Mindanaoans showcased as the city fellow commemorates the 32nd Kadayawan Festival this week.

It is, therefore, apt for the festival to carry a theme that is depicting the true character of the city: Stand Tall, Resilient and United.

On Monday afternoon, Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio banged the gong as a symbolic

who are within challenging times.”

At the start of the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao on May 23, the city, along with the rest of the island, immediately felt the impact especially on its economy. City Tourism Operations Officer Generose Tecson said that a week after the declaration, the tourism industry lost about

The most important of all is our offer of gratitude to the 11 tribes, headed by our deputy mayors, (because) without your participation, this (festival) will never become successful.

’

-Davao City Mayor Sara D. Carpio way of opening the celebration which is intended to recognize the contribution of the tribes to the growth of the city not just economically, but, more importantly, culturally.

Unlike other festivals, most often designed for commercial as well as religious purposes, Kadayawan is intended tto recognize the contributions of the tribes, the

very first inhabitants of the city, to its progress.

In her message during the event, the mayor said: “The most important of all is our offer of gratitude to the 11 tribes, headed by our deputy mayors, (because) without your participation, this (festival) will never become successful.”

Even if the city is

P20 million in receipts as those wanting to visit the city as well as those holding events immediately cancelled their undertakings.

But, the situation started to normalize in no time. In the business front, based on the survey conducted by property consultants Prime Philippines, only those investors outside

the city were fidgety, as homegrown businesses treated the situation as business as usual. Another indication that the situation in the city has normalized is the occupancy rates of hotels and other accommodation establishments. For someone who wants to book a room this week, it would not be far-fetched that he or she would be

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Hiyas ng Kadayawan 2017 candidates representing the 11 tribes of Davao City.

turned down by at least five of the biggest hotels in the city as they have reported at least on average, 95% occupancy.

One event that showcased the city’s resiliency was the Davao Investment Conference, an event that aimed to gather either investors or would-be investors in the city or those outside. As an indication, foreign delegates, particularly those coming from the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area, came over to start looking for business opportunities.

Even a delegation from the British companies in the country, headed

by Chris Nelson, chair of the British Chamber of Commerce-Philippines, also attended the event. “We are here to look for opportunities because we know that the city will eventually emerge victories in this crisis,” said Nelson, who also headed a trade mission in March.

Arturo M. Milan, chair of the organizing committee of the event, said

that while his group, the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, tamed its expectation about the success of the event, what happened was that attendance even overshot the target that was set even before the declaration of Martial Law. Milan was referring to about 500 investors, including top captains of their respective companies, who decided to ignore the negative publicity generated as a result of the martial law declaration and attended the event.

This was because, the organizers only thought they could only gather about 300 participants especially because some embassies raised advisories.

The event even generated not just leads, but concrete investment initiatives from foreign participants as two Indonesian companies as well as several European investors have decided to start their businesses.

Therefore, challenging times or not, the city will continue to stand tall and be resilient.

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revolts, betrayals, and uprisings

Davao City’s colorful past

By Antonio V. Figueroa

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he 2017 Kadayawan theme—‘Stand Tall, Resilient and United’—aptly reflects the historical events that have shaped the glorious, if at times bloody, past of Davao City, an erstwhile tribal settlement that has now earned global credit.

The city’s history, in fact, has been interspersed with colonial invasions, tribal revolts, assassinations, struggle for new social orders, and even conflicts between government and the people. In her struggles to survive the odds, there are ambivalent perceptions from various political lenses that have served as inspirations.

Histories, so the old adage goes, are written by victors and conquerors.

Conversely, losers proudly recollect failures and defeats to highlight and remember the valour, patriotism, and conviction of local heroes who offered their lives even when that was the only option available.

Standing tall in the face of adversity, resilient amid the ordeals, and remaining united in the vortex of doubts, that’s what this year’s Kadayawan gala is all about.

Alien encounters Since its establishment in 1848 as a Spanish pueblo, Davao City has been through three key colonial events: the conquest

by Don Jose Oyanguren, a Spaniard, on June 28, 1848; the arrival of Gen. James Bates, an American, on December 14, 1899; and the landing of Gen. Masaharu Homma, a Japanese, on December 20, 1941.

The Spanish conquest of Davao was a watershed in local history. While there’s no exact figure how many died in the overthrow, the greatest loss was inflicted on the forces of Datu Bago, the Moro ruler of the gulf, which were pitted against a superiorly equipped foreign-led contingent. With the natives of Samal contributing geographic knowledge about the chieftain’s turf and providing warm bodies to beef up the raiders, the balance of power was clearly tilted in favor of the outsiders.

The 50-year Spanish rule has had its share of abuses that encouraged ambushes, revolts, and betrayals committed by the natives. The most prominent victim of this vengeful period was Jose Pinzon y Purga, Davao’s sixth Spanish governor, who died in the hands of the Moros of Tagum.

The American takeover of Davao, which lasted 46 years, started on a peaceful note. Local leaders welcomed the new colonists with open arms, jubilantly meeting them at the wharf during the arrival. But this friendliness turned sour after the foreigners started labelling local residents as ‘niggers’, bigoted natives recruited for the Philippine Constabulary (PC),

Bagobos during American occupation in the 1900s. photo from the web

and launched a series of juez de cuchillo, or extrajudicial killing, against uncooperative tribesmen.

Consequently, Americans, including Gov. Edward Robert Bolton, became subjects of tribal vendetta.

But the worst was yet to come. The Japanese takeover of the city destroyed whatever vestige there was of a booming plantation economy. At the height of the war, both Imperial and Allied forces, in asserting their respective dominance, peppered the city with aerial bombs that literally flattened and ruined the city’s business and residential districts.

The Japanese Kempetai killed hundreds using fixed bayonets, shootings, beheadings, and incinerations. For their part, the Americans showed no mercy in carpet-bombing enemy positions that killed civilians in friendly fires, and violated rights of civilians suspected as enemy informants. Worse, thousands died from sickness, hunger, injury, and indiscriminate firing.

Battle at Inayawan Historically, Davao’s past is a story written in blood arising from the many revolts, encounters, and rebellious activities aimed chiefly to suppress colonial abuses. The assassination of Gov. Pinzon

in 1861, for instance, resulted in the battle of Inayawan. As a countermeasure, Don Antonio Cervantes, a former deputy of Oyanguren, recruited men to intercept the Moros at Inayawan, near the boundary of Toril, where the invaders were to strike first. He recruited 15 men from each of the four wards under him and formed a militia of 17 tercios or militiamen.

The information received by the government stated that the Moros of Padada under Datu Diamoro would, at the instigation of the Moros of Tagum, attack the town of Davao. Instead of meeting the raiders elsewhere, the militiamen waited for the other Moros sympathetic to the datu, at Tagulaya River, in Coronon, Sta. Cruz, and ambushed them. This was conducted to erase any possibility of a united Moro front invading the town.

The colonial forces engaged the Moros in a feisty battle that ended in a rout.

The raiders retreated and left behind the wounded and the dead. The Bagobos of Tagulaya saw the enemy withdrawal as a chance to exact revenge. Along with other tribes that had tasted abuse in Moro hands, they showed up armed in the area of conflict and killed the injured Moros. The

clash, one of the bloodiest in local history, led to the creation of a naval station in Davao and the setting-up of a detachment in Digos.

Samal revolt of 1870 Spanish insistence the natives must pay tribute to the colonial government led to the first tax revolt in Davao. Although the uprising did not end in blood, the natives of Samal tested the patience of the Spaniards until they gave in to their demands to be spared from paying tributes and exempted from embracing Catholicism.

The first signs of discord between the Spaniards and the local residents started in 1868 when the first Jesuits arrived in Samal. Along with the district governor, naval station commander, and the police contingent, the priests disclosed their intent to convert the natives and oblige them to pay tribute. Although there was no open resistance to the clerical demands, in private the tribal chiefs raised their opposition.

Despite the dispute, the Samal residents still cooperated with the Spaniards in building a small church and the living quarters of the priests.

The antagonism, though, took a dramatic turn on January 24, 1870

when Datu Taupan, a major player in the conquest of Datu Bago, and his twelve chiefs visited Fr. Domingo Bove, a Jesuit missionary in the island.

Armed with lances, the datu stated that poverty was the main reason why they could not pay the tribute. He reiterated the promise of authorities to spare them from paying tax as a reward for helping conquer Datu Bago.

The padre listened to their overtures and promised to resolve them as soon as possible.

After reporting the datu’s visit, the governor arrived in Samal to resolve the issue and quell a possible rebellion. He sent an emissary to the natives holed up in the hills, telling them the governor was waiting and ready to listen to their grievances. But the chieftains expressed reluctance because of the soldiers deployed on the beach.

Jose Marina, the new district governor, decided instead to personally go to the forest with the priest and a few unarmed companions to talk with the natives. But on their way up to Binulin Hill, they were prevented from proceeding by the bamboo stakes planted on the trail.

Unwilling to provoke the natives, he returned to the

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Reflecting the elegance, simplicity, and comfort that define the Dusit signature style, the residences features a combination of Thai and classic Filipino decor, furnishings made of silk and teakwood, and world-class amenities that distinguish the hotel.

The Dusit Thani Residences community will be the first of its kindone that perfectly blends urban living with the finest hotel amenities that offer the renowned Dusit Spa, lap and childfriendly pools, specialty dining outlets, a business center and fitness area, among many others.

With a long established reputation for exceptional service, the luxury complex will likewise feature room house keeping and luxury services .Personal concierge services will also be offered for the parking and package-delivery needs of its residents.

Situated right JP Laurel, Lanang in Davao City, the complex will showcase a panoramic view of the ocean as well as sprawling , 360 –degree view of the entire community and skyline of the city.

A sanctuary amid a bustling cityscape, the Dusit Thani Residences Davao is a luxury apartment complex offering 175 irresistibly spacious full-service residents units.

Building Amenities • Hotel Lobby Lounge & Bar • All Day Dining • Specialty Restaurant • Grab n Go • Spa

• Meeting and Function Rooms • Swimming Pools (lap and children) • Kids Play Area • Residential Lounge • Residential Pool

Business Center • Special Services • 24-hour concierge • Valet and Limousine Services • Executive Butler

• In-Residence Catering and Chef on Demand • Housekeeping and Laundry Services • Medical Clinic Services

The luxury serviced residences and hotel is expected to open its doors in 2018 and will truly offer an intimate world-class retreat that blends the best of Filipino and Asian culture with worldclass standards.

KADAYAWAN SIGHTs

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lowlands and left the negotiations to Father Bove.

The removal of the tribute resolved the tax revolt peacefully.

Monkayo rebellion of 1890 Tribal violence was also palpable in some areas where the conversion of pagans was making inroads. Some of the reasons for the unrest were due to the installation of tribal leaders whose non-acceptability was linked to past abuses. Particularly in Monkayo, this feeling was prevalent. Intertribal conflicts were all over, some due to minor spats but often ended fatally.

In 1890, the sons of Dagohoy, the first gobernadorcillo of Monkayo, were linked to the murder of four women in a farm while cutting rice stalks.

The incident created panic, forcing local farmers to stop the harvests. The arrival of Fathers Saturnino Urios and Salvador Buguña encouraged the threatened residents to stay put and finish the harvest to prevent losses.

Following the missioners’ arrival, the killings

stopped and people returned to their huts. The priests promptly tracked down the sons of Dagohoy, advising them to go elsewhere. Even the rebels from Salug area who sympathized with the duo were told to leave upper Agusan, advising them not to sow terror again.

Still, this did not help quell the unrest in Monkayo.

Just days after arriving in Jativa, Father Buguña informed Father Urios on December 23, 1890 that trouble was brewing in Monkayo, with local residents arming for an attack. Losing no time, he appealed to the head of the Compostela detachment and asked the two local leaders from Pilar to convince the people of Monkayo from pursuing their plan. He also informed the commander that Dagohoy had died after being hit by a lance while in the forest. Mauricio thought his father was killed by Gandia residents, which prompted him to avenge his death.

To take stock of the unsettling events, the priest went to Monkayo only to

find the entire village deserted. Informed about this, even the soldiers and the boat crew that transported him were fearful to alight, thus forcing the missionary to return to Jativa. On the part of the soldiers, the reluctance to arrest the suspects was due to lack of rifles and ammunition. The four soldiers escorting the priest had only two rifles. Fortunately, the rebellion ended peacefully.

Tungud Movement of 1908 Religious conversion in Davao also gave rise to a number of conflicts due to political decisions associated with conversion.

In 1908, a religious movement started in Davao among Manobos residing along Libuganon River, north of Davao City. It was known as Tungud, a term derived from katungod (rights). The uprising was led by Mapakla (Meskinan) who used his sickness to stir a religious following.

Meskinan was neardeath due to a serious illness when relatives abandoned him. He, how-

ever, showed up days later healed and healthy, claiming he was cured by a good spirit. Soon, his assertion was magnified, transforming him from a mere mortal to a priest and later as god. His avowal took a life of its own, converted hostile tribesmen to his fold, and transformed it into a movement against the Americans and as a sign of religious unrest. To add weight to his tale, he fasted and sent out messages to people supposedly to save them from global meltdown.

Among the orders Meskinan issued was the killing of poultry and hogs so farm animals would spare their owners from being eaten alive. He also banned the planting of crops and ordered the setting up of an altar that would later be exposed as channel to deceive the gullible. He also ordered the performance of sacred dances in his honor and the offering of gifts to his make-believe god, Magbabaya.

Though the Meskinan affair was a counterfeit religion and a form of extor-

tion, the religious movement expanded and drew together warring tribal factions. In the Mayo Bay area, the cult was exploited by the Moros. Soon, the tribal leaders rose up in arms and destroyed the Christians. The plan to use the sect to harm Americans was later exposed.

PC mutiny of 1909 Early American rule in the Philippines was not always about sugar and spices. In Davao, it was seasoned with resentment that led to a mutiny in 1909. The acrimony was induced by the bigotry the Americans showed towards the Filipino soldiers enlisted in the PC. The insult was more manifest in the way local militiamen were treated and described.

Unwilling to absorb more of the affront, on the night of June 6, 1909, twenty-three soldiers from Company B in Davao staged an uprising. Led by Sgt. Manuel Rodriguez, the civil disobedience was launched after a certain 3Lt. Antonio de Goicouria was shot. The mutineers left camp and linked with

another group at San Pedro Street. Gov. Allen Walker tried intervening; instead, Rodriguez and his men fired at Walker and his companions. Luckily, they escaped unhurt, ran towards Santa Ana wharf, boarded the launch Fury, and sought reinforcements.

The mutinous soldiers proceeded to Talomo where they planned their next moves. On June 8, they returned to the town proper and engaged the Americans, forcing the governor’s group to seek shelter inside the convent.

Determined to inflict more harm on the foreigners, the mutineers forced their way to the convent where Walker was holed up despite the protest of the parish priest that there were women and children hiding inside.

Unable to penetrate the defense of the reinforcements from other PC detachments along the gulf, the soldiers left town in the evening but looted the stores along the way.

Only the arrival of the PC contingent from Mati that

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night saved the day for the Americans. Hobbled by shortage of ammunition, lack of men, poor tactics, and inferiority of firearms, the shortlived mutiny yielded to the superiorly trained American constables.

Bagobo Revolt (1916-1935) Except for the town of Caraga, Davao region was never a party to any form of government authority over ancestral domains. Although royal titles with limited effectivity were granted to chosen individuals during the Spanish era, the introduction of homestead lots, plantations, titling of untilled lands, and the approval of the Public Land Act of 1921 created a long-term impact on the indigenous peoples. The Bagobos, in particular, saw the entry of Japanese investors who leased tribal lands and later enriched themselves, as reason for showing their discontent.

The first tribal sign of resistance took place in 1910 when five Bagobo chieftains lodged a complaint before the Mindanao Development Company (MDC) against expanding its ownership of ancestral lands with the help of the Japanese, government officials, and PC troops. The first confrontation was the drawing of a gun by Furukawa Yoshizo, a prominent Japanese. After this, the PC and the inspectors from the Bureau of Public Lands interfered and the case reached the office of the governor, who persuaded Angalan, one of the datus Furukawa threatened, to sign an accord. Much against his will, he agreed.

The acquisition of new lands was a watershed event in the Bagobos’ struggle against the Japanese. The natives deemed the lease agreements granted to the foreigners as a farce and contrary to the tribal custom of communal land ownership, adding the use of intimidation and the failure of the local administration to listen to their rights have given rise to a deep-seated anger that would eventually result in the death of around 600 Japanese in the hands of Bagobos.

Other issues that aggravated the takeover of Bagobo lands were the cutting of centuries-old trees regarded by the natives as sacred, the slaughter of animals, premature harvest of crops, and the use of force. Although

the Bagobos were forced to relocate due to the epidemic that hit contested lands, the investors found this voluntary migration as an excuse to take over the lands not covered by the original accord. Ironically, instead of the state defending the natives, the local government warned them their houses would be burned should they continue to kill the Japanese.

The plight of the Bagobos was not lost on other tribes which had similar agrarian troubles with the Americans in the south. The growing domination of Westerners discouraged the natives from openly airing their grievances through violent means.

The tribesmen knew the colonizers favoured the foreigners with money to invest, which meant more taxes for the government. Another consideration was the advocacy to retrieve stolen lands.

Postwar period Liberation years provided hope for the reconstruction of a city in ruins. This optimism, though, was not detached from the other issues that surfaced just as efforts to rehabilitate Davao started to gain traction. The entry of logging drew droves of migrants to the region, changing in just few years the demographic landscape of Davao City and its environs. As a result, old businesses were rebuilt with plenty of chances of recouping their war losses, while new investments were sprouting in areas where there were promising patches of settlements.

On the side, the entry of the industry also commenced the destruction of forests and the rise of conundrums associated with environmental destruction and ecological devastation.

With more trees felled, swidden farming, the kaiñgin, invaded the deforested lands and transformed them into agricultural occupations.

Household wastes also added burden to the mounting garbage threat the growing city was facing.

As land ownership expanded following the declaration of state lands into alienable and disposable assets, more occupations were reported. In response, the government opened new roads, built public works, established ports and opened harbors.

And as the population index rose,

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Davao City’s share of

COLONIZATION:

By Antonio V. Figueroa

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nder SPAIN for 50 years, after Don Jose Oyanguren defeated the forces of Datu Bago on June 28, 1848.

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nder the USA for 46 years, after Gen. James Bates arrived on December 14, 1899.

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nder JAPAN for 4 years under Gen. Masahuru Homma, starting December 20,1941.

REVOLTS S17 residential subdivisions patterned after the Makati experience started to show up in prime locations as the landed gentry started to dispose of their lands for development purposes.

Over a twenty-period, Davao City, now remotely aware of the ruins it experienced from the global conflict, was becoming a boom town that, in more ways than one, reflected the amenities the Manila establishments were offering.

More bloody wars Amid the positive expectations that hid the war experiences, Davao was starting to confront new social disorders that would be as gory, if not bloodier, than the conflicts inflicted by colonial occupation. In the late 1970’s, the threats from ideological movements placed the city in extreme danger. The communists, who embraced armed rebellion, used indoctrination in sowing discord between citizens and government. For a decade they were successful in expanding its

membership under a much-maligned dictatorial regime.

Fortunately, with the rise of Alsa Masa, an anti-rebel vigilante group, the insurgents were forced to move to the hills where they have since been holed up fighting a struggle that has cost thousands of lives. On the other side, the anti-insurgency campaign launched purges that resulted in the destruction of communist cells in well-known rebel hotbeds.

But there was also the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which, in their fight to secede Mindanao from the archipelago, had to resort to bloody campaigns that landed in the headlines.

The post-millennium years, though, would engage another kind of enemy: the drug menace! Though this was an extension of the years when barbiturates, opium, and heroin were the preferred drugs, the campaign to snare pushers took on a high profile, if blood-spattered, turn.

In 2005, a drug laboratory was discovered at barangay Dumoy, Toril District. Six Chinese nationals were killed in a dawn raid that yielded a haul of methamphetamine hydrochloride weighing 76.8 kg with a street value of PhP152 million. Four years later, a 16-kg cocaine valued at PhP16 million was found inside a refrigerated van at the Maersk container yard. Six shipping firm employees were charged for the possession of banned drugs.

On February 21, 2014, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) raided the coastal barangay of Ilang, in Tibungco area. Twenty-six shanties used as drug dens were searched by police and anti-narcotics agents, resulting in the killing of seven suspected pushers. Thirty-six people, including a South Korean, were apprehended inside the drug market.

A month later, on March 22, 2014, again in Tibungco area, PDEA operatives

discovered 24 neatly-wrapped cocaine bars taped to the ceiling of a container van. Authorities claimed there could have been a total of 65 bars stashed inside it. Twenty-seven bars, value of PhP160 million, were later recovered.

Interestingly, amid the voluminous challenges that have attended its growth as a world-class tourism, business, and investment destination, Davao City has bored through the tests, partly scathed but economically healthy and stable.

Eighty years after it got its cityhood, there’s no arguing this highly-urbanized city, the home of the incumbent President of the republic, is continuously breaking records, building hopes, and earning honors.

(The author is a member the Philippine National Historical Society, Inc. and the Davao Historical Society Foundation, Inc., and a trustee of the Manila Railroad Club.)

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RESILIENCE S4 Inside the city where Task Force Davao, a military contingent, was keeping tight watch over individuals or groups wanting to sow terror, reports of sporadic explosions alarmed local residents. On February 14, 2005, Valentine’s Day, Davao City Overland Transport Terminal was ripped by an explosion that killed a minor vendor, which the Abu Sayyaf later owned up.

Eight years later, on September 17, 2013, coincident explosions hit the theatres in SM Ecoland and Gaisano Mall in the city. Though the explosions resulted only in minor injuries to moviegoers, the bombings, fortunately, happened after the Kadayawan celebrations.

But just as city mayor Rodrigo Duterte was eyeing the presidency and the rein of local government safely left in the hands of Sara Duterte-Carpio, the unexpected happened.

On September 2, 2016, two weeks after the Kadayawan festivities, a bomb was exploded at the Roxas night market, killing at least 15 people and injuring seventy.

The militant group Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility for the carnage but intelligence operatives later identified the arrested perpetrators as being linked to the Maute Group.

The bombing occurred two days after vice mayor Paolo Duterte received a bomb threat that an ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) attack was imminent either in the cities of Davao or Gen. Santos.

Perils from the sea The threat to Davao City’s stability also included the menace emanating from the gulf.

In just fifteen years, two Abu Sayyaf maritime attacks affected the tourism of Davao region.

On May 22, 2001, a band of Abu Sayyaf attacked Pearl Farm Resort at the Island Garden City of Samal. The violence resulted in the slaying of two and the injuring of three others. Two of the establishment’s speedboats sustained bullet holes.

Four individuals were initially held hostage but two were released after authorities engaged the kidnappers in a fire exchange.

Fifteen years later, of the Davao City Police Office’s Special Weapons and Tactics unit conduct a foot patrol along San Pedro Street few days before the culmination of on September 19, 2015, Members Kadayawan sa Davao 2017. the bandits, numbering 11 in all and riding on speed boats, returned to the island to snatch three foreigners and a Filipino. Except for the Filipina who was released months later, the aliens met their brutal fate after the Abu Sayyaf beheaded them one by one.

Through all these ideologically-laced ordeals the city had to confront, the City Government, wielding an iron-hand in dealing with the criminals but offering the hand of peace to factions still fighting the State, bucked the odds, neutralized crimes, and installed an environment that remains attractive to migrants, investors, and prospectors.

In so few words, then city mayor Duterte may have assessed his success in ruling a city of 1.6-million inhabitants by saying: “No leader, however strong, can succeed at anything of national importance or significance unless he has the support and cooperation of the people he is tasked to lead and sworn to serve.”

Despite the declaration of martial law on July 22, 2017, Davao City continues on its way to becoming the country’s most progressive urban hub in the south.

Nothing is farther from truth.

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Resilience building: Businesses overcoming disasters human and otherwise

By John Carlo B. Tria

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ith the 6.3 earthquake that just rocked Metro Manila moments ago, thoughts race to wonder what needs to be done in case of an earthquake, landslide , typhoon, flood. Yes, natural disasters that unfortunately are a staple of this country.

Typhoon Haiyan, the Bohol earthquake, and many other natural disasters havecaused untold suffering for people, and in the case of typhoon Pablo in 2012, decimated an entire banana and coconut crop, affecting thousands of families in Mindanao a full year after the event.

Statistics point to an increase

in natural disasters over the last 50 years, with the cost of dealing with the aftermath of such eventsgrowing as well.

Lying on the Pacific “ring of fire” and the typhoon belt, only Western Mindanao is spared the constant calamities.

This same region, however, is also known for many man-made disasters, most notorious of which was the Zamboanga siege in 2013, which held a city of 700,000 hostage by rebel groups. A man-made disaster that caused a humanitarian crisis in the same magnitude of a large typhoon, this represented the first time a major Philippine city was directlyinfiltrated, attacked and taken hostage by rebels.

The entire siege not only caused many lives, but caused so many disruptions, as many entrepreneurs are still feeling the effects of that loss till today. Zamboanga has not been the same. The injury on the social psyche is palpable, as many of the city’s talented individuals and families have decided to migrate elsewhere, feeling no hope for their own futures.

Man-made and natural disas-

Japan Tsunami Photo from the Web

ters require the same response Looking at the “ what needs to be done” does not and should not only cover the immediate relief from the instant damage caused by the disaster. Unfortunately, relief services dominate the conversation about disaster management.

Truly, the initial effects can last for an

extended period. In the case of Pablo and the Zamboanga siege, the effects of the event last longer than hoped.

Looking at typhoon Yolanda, intended resettlement for affected residents has yet to be completed almost four years after the typhoon. Short terms responses cover delivering essential relief supplies food,

water and medicine to treat the injured, and temporary shelter forthose who lost homes and property.

Longer term responses require the restarting of businesses, health facilities, markets, food production, schools and residences. Focusing on immediate relief will not help ease the long terms suffering

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Yolanda photo. from the web

and dislocation. The longer term Business Continuity Planning after the trauma The international labor organization under the United Nations stresses the need for medium and small businesses to try to get up and operate as quickly as possible after a natural or manmade disaster.

This sector of the

economy is the easiest to set up, and provides the quickest livelihood and employment for affected communities. Once these businesses, like stores, markets, clinics and others are established, community life assumes a semblance of normality that helps people gain the confidence to rebuild further and

faster.

These essential businesses supply goods and services, provide immediate employment that can better assure social continuity and community cohesion which are essential elements of a functioning society, much less in a community needing healing after the traumatic events. This

is all the more vital in man-made disasters and conflict, as the trauma of distrust and hatreds are exacerbated by the dislocation, and need to be quickly eased. Communities unable to do so will breed more conflict.

Incentives and programs needed Most of us normally lend a hand in relief efforts, but pay scantattention

to the need to getting these businesses back on line.

Perhaps it is time government provides incentives to get these back up, beyond the usual emergency loans. At the same time, the need to make sure businesses get their continuity plans in place before disasters happen should be institutionalized as

part of the business permit process. The regulatory underpinning pushes entrepreneurs to take such planning exercises seriously. Local business groups and chambers can help mainstream BCP. With proper business preparation and continuity planning we can help each other overcome disasters.

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