Pinoy Pie

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/5 May)— While conversations about the Davao River have largely focused on conservation and sustainability, recent discussions have also revived another question of how the river figures in the city’s history, and how that history is remembered. At a forum held last April 30, speakers described the river as part of a broader landscapeshaped by resistance and colonial history, tied to one of the city’s most important historical figures, Datu Bago — a local leader who resisted Spanish incursions into the Davao area in the mid-19th century. In the 1840s, Spanish forces led by José Cruz de Oyanguren launched expeditions into the Davao Gulf, eventually establishing a colonial foothold in the region. Historical accounts consistently place these encounters within the wider Davao area, where Datu Bago, as the story goes, resisted these advances. Some accounts go further in associating these events with specific locations along the river. A history published by...