The little mission of Cuabo

Founded in 1883 by Jesuit priest Fr. Domingo Bove, the history of Cuabo, a village in Mati City, is more cursed than tragic, and nature, thrice over, played a violent role in its life. Its first settlers, chosen no less by the priest and known to Davao district governor Faustino Villabrille, were Andres Javier of Sigaboy and his family.

Fr. Bove’s plan to transform Cuabo into a village was simple. The Javiers, upon relocation, would be responsible in keeping the shallow waters of Cuabo River open to foot traffic between Davao and Caraga and the family breadwinner would be able to collect the four-year debts contracted by the Moros from him as agent of a trader from Davao.

But the rise of the new settlement had its own share of opposition in Sigaboy. Some residents resisted the Javiers’ transfer thinking it was part of Gov. Antonio Garcia del Canto’s plan to move the visita or outstation from Sigaboy to Cuabo. To disturb the idea, they even floated the claim there was no water in the new site, but this was negated after a good potable source and a stream feeding Cuabo River were found.

With Andres starting to build his house, Fr. Bove, while in Mati, received news from a former constable, part of the small village in Surigao, about the escape of seven families that comprised the settlement. They were ordered to go to Caraga but decided instead to proceed to Davao district. He told the priest about the plan of his group not to settle anywhere but open a new visita. The padre promptly sought the approval of Davao governor Joaquin Rajal for the transfer of the wanderers from the Surigao jurisdiction to Davao district. All told, the escapees joined the Javiers as the first settlers of the village of Cuabo.

The former Surigao villagers chose an area behind the bar of Cuabo shoreline to provide better refuge for their boats against inclement weather. The place was near a massive tree that secured the chapel and the rectory from the northerlies. They also opened a space under the tree shade enough to dock the small bancas. For food, the new settlers built a fishpond and trained dogs to help in hunting wild boars. For staple, they planted sweet potato on the sandy soil.

This would severely change, however, when the southwesterlies came. The strong winds created foaming waves that pushed the current over the banks, inundating the entire village, washing away vegetation, and eroding the sand. When the next high tide arrived after a full moon, the wind arrived with much greater force. The waves dug up the trees, engulfed the road near the church, destroying part of the convent. Even the centuries-old tree was not spared.

But this was only a start of two more traumatic episodes. Fr. Bove wrote that the “next new moon took its turn in the destructive work, knocking all the posts, leaving not a single trace to mark the site once occupied by the chapel and tiny hut. The same happened to Andres’s house, built more sturdier than the chapel.”

Construction of new structures ensued with the guidance of the padre. But then again came another tragedy that destroyed the place more brutally than the second. Fr. Bove, who saw these things occur, wrote in his July 12, 1883 letter to Fr. Francisco Baranera, saying:

“And indeed, within a month and a half, the waves came in from the sea three times to the attack, finishing off the new orator and poor but decent little house the absent owner had donated to me [for shelter]. Also brought down was the old corpulent tree… With such agitation in the sea and in the river, the poor inhabitants of Kuabu, all fishers, lost everything, i.e., their fishpond. In addition, the crocodile ate their dog with which they used to go hunting for deer. Nevertheless, they still wanted to build a chapel and a house for the missionary, using the few materials recovered from the destroyed house. But they made it so small that people could not all be accommodated when they assembled for Mass. They had to open two big windows in front to allow those outside to follow the Mass.”

Through all the tragic events that overwhelmed the settlers, Fr. Bove and his gang decided to construct a new church made from solid materials, this time situating it farther from the shoreline. A wide street was opened with its end hosting a little park and two lots were set aside as future school sites. Another structure was also built as the priest’s lodging.

On July 12, 1883, the statue of Cuabo’s patron saint, San Isidro Labrador, was installed. (63)