My Davao City

I am now 85 years old. This is my unexpurgated version of how Davao became a City. In the 1850s trade between Asia and Europe increased because of the palm oil, rubber, TIN, tea plantations in India, Burma, Malaya, Borneo, (UK) Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos (French), Indonesia (Dutch). The sea trip from Asia to Europe was 50-60 days because ships had to pass India, Middle East, down to cape of Good Hope in Africa before turning to Europe.

In 1869, the Suez Canal was opened reducing the Asia to Europe voyage to 25 days. The Asia-Europe trade increased requiring more ships. One of the biggest cost of ships was the constant replacement of ropes. Cotton was brittle and after a year had to be replaced because of sea water salt corrosion. In the late 1890s Spain discovered that abaca Fiber was better than sisal, maguey, cotton, and ramie. Abaca was first planted in Bicol, but the yearly habagat typhoon season from September to December destroyed the plantations so they turned to Davao.

In the early 1900s, America built the Kennon Baguio Road with Japanese laborers. When Kennon Road was completed, the Japanese workers were brought to Davao by some enterprising Japanese farmers/investors to develop the abaca plantations. By the 1920s all ships in the world used abaca rope made in Davao but called Manila Hemp. The 20s, 30s were Davao’s Golden age because of Abaca. People from Luzon and Visayas came for business opportunities. In the 1930s Davao was called Little Tokyo. Davao had the biggest Japanese Colony in the world, (not Spain, Brazil, Marianas). Today, Davao is the only Philippine City with a Japanese Nikkei Association Complete with a school compound and the biggest supplies of the Filipino Japanese workers to Japan.

From 1898 to 1935, Filipino and foreigners (Chinese Japanese, Spaniards, Americans, etc.) could buy agriculture lands. Because of the Abaca and Copra boom, foreigners were able to buy thousands of hectares of prime agricultural lands. The Americans made Malita before going to Davao City their first civilian and military center. Thus, Davao Del Sur had the biggest number of American plantations (Joyce, Jhonson, Crumbs, Dalton, Hughes, Walstrom, Carr, Patstone, Laez, Layawon, Mindanao Estate, etc.) The Japanese abaca coconut plantations were mostly in Davao City like the 500-hectare Furukawa Daliao, with its own railroad to gather abaca all over Toril, OHTA in Talomo, Bago Oshiro in Mintal, Tadao Nambo in front of the GSIS. Some Filipinos were alarmed by the big increase of farm lands owned by foreigners.