| In the early days, Digos was a
watercourse, a meeting place of inhabitants belonging to the
Indonesian-Malay settled along the southern foothills of Mt. Apo. The
Digos River meets the Davao Gulf and it is ideal for fishing and
bathing. During the Spanish Era, a group of
natives carrying bows and arrows were approached by some Spaniards
traversing the very fertile tracks of land in Davao. One Lopez Jaena
Pacheco, a conquistador during the administration of Governor Claveria
serving as the head of the group, inquired about the name of the place
from the barefooted natives. Believing that the Spaniards were
asking where they were bound to, the natives answered "Padigos", which
means "to take a bathe". Since then the place was identified as Digos.
As a portion of the "food bowl" of the
province of Davao del Sur, otherwise known as the Padada Valley, Digos
lured many migrants, majority of whom came from the Visayas and Ilocos
regions to settle permanently in the area. Before World War II,
an enterprising American by the name of N.E. Crumb leased 1,024
hectares and transformed the place into an Abaca Plantation. This
became the hub of economic activity in the locality during those days.
Through the initiation of then Congressman
Apolinario Cabigon, Digos, became a regular municipality in 1949 by
virtue of Presidential Executive Order No. 236, dated July 19, 1949
issued by President Quirino. Its Coverage included the barrios of Tres
de Mayo, Goma Bansalan, Matanao, Darapuay and the Poblacion where the
seat of government was located. Before its creation into a
municipality, Digos was a barrio of Sta. cruz, a town 16 kilometers
away. On 19 July 1949, the town was formally inaugurated with Benito
Rabor appointed as Mayor.
Digos in later years, before its
conversion into a city, was regarded as the capital town of the
Province of Davao del Sur, long before it gained the status of a First
Class Municipality in 1993, being center for trade, commerce and
education, accruing to its strategic location at the cross point of
two principal thoroughfares in the south.
In July 1998, the bid to convert into a
city was moved and initiated by Hon. Mayor Arsenio A. Latasa,
considering its very satisfactory qualificationas required for in R.A.
7160
House Bill No. 5672 dated November 24,
1998 of Congress authored by Hon. Congressman Douglas Ra. Cagas, led
to the drafting of Republic Act 8798, converting the Municipality of
Digos into a component City of Davao del Sur, which was signed by
President Joseph E. Estrada on July 14, 2000 and ratified by the
Digoseņos on September 8, 2000.
Apparently, Digos will enter in the new
era of development in the new millenium. |
