Davao del Sur

BRIEF HISTORY

The early inhabitants of the Davao provinces, particularly the area now called the province of Davao del Sur, were the Bagobo-Guianggas who occupied the places at the foot of Mt. Apo, the B’laans of Hagonoy Valley, the Manobos in Malita and Jose Abad Santos, and other primeval tribes. These aboriginal tribes are believed to belong to the second wave of Indonesians who came to the island from Southeast Asia years before the birth of Christ, probably between 1,000 and 2,500 years ago.

Davao del Sur was created by the defunct Congress on May 8, 1967 under Republic Act No. 4867. It started functioning as a province on July 1, 1967 comprising ten municipalities, with Digos as its capital. The elective provincial positions were filled by appointment by the President of the Philippines until officials were duly elected and qualified in the 1967 election.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

Davao del Sur is located in the southern part of
the Philippines. It lies between 125° 5’ and 42’
longitude and 5°22’ and 6°58’39’’ latitude.
Situated in the southern tip of
Mindanao, Davao del Sur is
bounded by Davao City
on the north; the
provinces of North
Cotabato, South
Cotabato and
Sarangani
on the west;
Celebes Sea on the south
and Davao Gulf on the east.

Strategically, the province is located between two (2) major growth centers: General Santos City of Region XII and Davao City of Region XI.

LAND AREA

Davao del Sur occupies a total land area of 3,934 square kilometers. This represents 20 percent of the total land area of  Region XI (Davao Region).

POPULATION

As of May 1, 2000, the population of Davao del Sur stands at 758,801. Among the cities/municipalities Digos City has the largest population at 125,171 or 16.5 percent share to the total population of the province. But in terms of population density (persons per square kilometer) Magsaysay is the most populous with 568 persons per square kilometer.

PEOPLE

The majority of the population descended from Visayan migrants. As a result, Cebuano is the most widely spoken language.

Other prominent migrant groups are the Ilonggos and the Ilocanos.

Among the indigenous ethnic groups in the province are the B'laans, Bagobos, Manobos, and Tagacaolos. These early settlers occupied the slopes and base of Mount Apo and developed their own cultures which are well preserved to this day.

The Bagobos are known for their colorful dresses woven from abaca fiber and ornamented with beads, shells, metal disks, and embroidery in geometric patterns. They also wear bells as anklets or costume accessories that jingle as they walk or dance.

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