DAVAO ORIENTAL . . .

Brief History

When the Spaniards led by Portuguese Explorer Ferdinand Magellan came to the Philippines in 1521, the Southeastern part of Mindanao was then known as Calaghan Island. It is a name derived from the vernacular word calag which means spirit or soul. Thus, Calaghan is interpreted as island of spirited men. So when the Spanish government created the territory of Caraga Province in 1609, they referred to it as region de gente animosa or region of spirited men.

The Caraga Province covered a long stretch of coastal area from Cape San Agustin originally inhabited by indigenous people invariably called Calaghans or Caragan that included the Mandaya, Mansaka, Manubo, Mamanua, Mangguangan, and Tagacaulo. Their Muslim counterparts were similarly called Calagan until today.

Davao Oriental was then a part of Caraga Province and the Encomienda de Bislig through which a distinguished lawyer, Don Jose Uyanguren, upon the order of Spanish Governor General Narciso Claveria, organized settlements in the now City of Mati and Municipalities of Baganga and Governor Generoso. The settlements continued to grow as far as Davao City. So in 1849, Governor Claveria decreed the partition of Caraga Province into Surigao Province in the north and Nueva Vergara in the south with the town of Caraga as provincial capital.

When the Americans came, Nueva Vergara including its adjoining areas became popularly known as Davao, a district of the Moro Province, later the Department of Mindanao and Sulu.

On July 1, 1967, Davao was divided into three provinces: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental.

Today, Davao Oriental proudly keeps its Hispanic heritage including the Catholic religion. Many municipalities and barangays have retained their Spanish names like Tarragona, Montserrat and San Isidro. Its native dialect still carries many Spanish words. And the oldest Catholic Church in Mindanao still stands in the town of Caraga, the old capital of Nueva Vergara.

Location

Davao Oriental is strategically located in the Easternmost part of the Region XI. It ranges about 189.30 in kilometers from its common boundaries. It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean in the East, Davao Province in the West, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur in the North and Davao Gulf and Celebes Sea in the South. Its proximity to the pacific justifies the efforts of grooming Davao oriental as the gateway to the Pacific.

The Province can be reached from Manila and Cebu by taking any of the daily scheduled airline flights to Davao City or regularly scheduled inter-island vessels that ply the Manila - Davao City or Cebu - Davao City route. From Davao City, Davao Oriental is accessible by 25-minute chartered plane (Mati Airport) or via 2-hour private car ride or a 3-hour public utility bus ride on a fully concreted and or asphalted highway entering through the Pintatagan Welcome park in Banaybanay. Other points of entry by bus or private car are the Aliwagwag Falls entrance in Cateel and the Boston entrance. A fastcraft ferryboat system, entering the province from Davao City Sta. Ana Port to the Municipality of Lupon is also operating.

Political Subdivision and Land Area

The diverse natural resources including forest and agricultural products, mineral resources and tourist spots are a source of potential industries, investment possibilities and employment opportunities for the Province. These resources have already been tapped for support purposes but utilization of the same is yet to be fully maximized. Presently, various areas are already being identified and promoted for eco-tourism development and centers for information on potential investments are also in place.

The Province is composed of two congressional districts covering ten (1O) municipalities and one (1) City. These municipalities are further subdivided into 183 barangays. The Province has a total land area of 5,164 square kilometers representing 16.21 percent of the total land area of Region XI. Among its municipalities, Baganga has the largest land area with 1,177.10 square kilometers while San Isidro has the smallest land area with only 205.20 square kilometers.

Topography

The eastern coast of the Province is fringed with mountain ranges while the rest of the area has an uneven distribution of hills, swamps and lowlands. Of the total land area of the province, about 493.68 km2 are classified as lowlands, 235.90 km2 as uplands; 2,263.48 km2 as hilly lands; and about 2,154.35 as mountainous areas. The remaining 17.05 km2 are covered by creeks, braided river beds, lakes and quarries.

Education

There is one (1) tertiary formal education in the province; the Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology (DOSCST) Main Campus in Mati and two (2) extension campuses located at Cateel and San Isidro. Other private vocational institutions in mati namely: Don Bosco Vocational School, Davao Oriental Technological School (DOTS), SOFTWARE Technological Institute (STI), Christian Academy of Davao Oriental (CANDOR), Mati Doctors College (MDC) and Mati Polytechnic College (MPC) are also providing vocational education.

BIMP-EAGA

Using Davao City as transit  point, the province is readily accessible to the markets of the BIMP-EAGA particularly North Sulawesi, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei Darussalam.