DAVAO CITY — Davao City is recognizing Datu Bago as its hero after an ordinance was passed beholding his greatness in defending the land from foreign invaders.
The proposed ordinance “Declaring Datu Bago as Hero of Davao City”, which passed on second reading, is authored by Councilors Pilar Braga, chair of the City Council Committee on Education, Science and Technology, and Halila Sudagar, chair of the Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs.
In the proposed ordinance, historians and professors like Macario Tiu, Ernesto I. Corcino and Dean Damian Mercader Lomocso were all in agreement that based on their research, Datu Bago is a hero whose life as a warrior fought the invading Spaniards and prevented them from conquering Davao.
It said Datu Bago is the Paramount Warrior of Davao who was also called “Bawwangin” by the local tribes and a brave Kagan Chieftain.
“In 1839, Datu Bago joined by the Bagobo and Kagan tribes, struck his greatest blow against foreign invaders,” the proposed ordinance said.
It stated that Datu Bago was of Kagan, Tausug and Maguindanawon ancestry and settled in Bagobo land now known as Davao where he fought long and hard in keeping Davao Gulf free from foreign control.
“The whole area around the Gulf of Davao was under his control,” the ordinance said. Davao was the last unoccupied territory in the Philippines and he heroically defended it against the Spaniards.
Datu Bago in the eyes of the invading Spaniards was a pirate but for the Moros and nationalist Filipinos, he was a hero who valiantly defended Davao from Spanish aggression.
A previous statement of President Rodrigo Duterte was quoted in the ordinance resolution saying Datu Bago was a leader of the many native tribes in the Davao Gulf area when the Spaniards came initially to trade and then colonize these parts of the country
“It is truly unfortunate that the Spanish trading vessel “San Rufo” was attacked by the men of Datu Bago in 1846,” it said quoting the President’s statement in the past. It said the valiant defense of the Bagobo and Manobo tribes at the mouth of the Davao River was an act of patriotism rather than piracy.
“History it is said is written by the victors. It is of no wonder then that one of the most illustrious heroes of our forefathers was written in a bad light,” the ordinance said quoting Duterte’s statement.
“We named the city’s highest distinction in his honor because we only do not pay proper respects to the old warrior, we re-live his heroism each year as we confer awards to our distinguished citizens.”
In 1969, the city government then under the leadership of the late Mayor Elias B. Lopez, a Bagobo, created the Datu Bago Awards named after Datu Bago the warrior, as the highest award to be bestowed on a Dabawenyo.
The award is for those who contributed to the development of the city with exemplary competence and dedication, who best serves as a model of excellence and an inspiration to Dabawenyos. (Armando Fenequito Jr/PNA)
