The History Of Pujada Bay, Mindanao, The Philippines
- The Persaud Catalog
- Sep 30, 2025
- 8 min read
Today's article shall be discussing the oceans of Pujada Bay, Philippines. Pujada Bay is a bay located in the Southern Philippines, on the island of Mindanao. Mindanao is approximately 946.86 Nautical Miles (1,753.58472 kilometers or 1,089.62703 miles) away from mainland Asia.
On November 17th of 2019, the Bay was put on the Most Beautiful Bays in the World List. For this reason, the bay is well known for being one of the most beautiful, as well as most biodiverse, bays on earth. The bay is confirmed to have at least 25 genera of both hard & soft coral, & it has at least 2,000 acres worth of mangrove along its coast. In addition to all of this, the bay is known to have at least 19 different species of seagrass.
Since the bay is considered to be an international treasure, it is in a protected area. This area covers both the bay itself, & the landscape surrounding it. In addition to the landscapes surrounding the bay, the islands in the bay are also protected. The bay currently has 4 islands, known as Pujada Island, Uanivan Island, Oak Island, & Ivy Island. In addition to absolutely magnificent plant life, the bay has an incredibly rich history.
Unfortunately, the bay is simply too large to cover the history of each surrounding town, so we will be focusing on Davao City. Davao City is a city overlooking the northern area of the Bay. Davao City is the largest city in the Davao Region, with a large population of 1,776,949.
At the time of publishing, Davao City is the third largest city in the Philippines, after Quezon City, & Manila. Davao City is extremely large in land area as well, being approximately 943.48 square miles (2,443.60198 square kilometers).
Currently, Davao City is home to the largest volcano in the Philippines, that being Mount Apo. At its highest peak, Mount Apo is approximately 9,692 feet (2954.122 meters) tall. The Volcano can be seen from the city center, standing gloriously on the horizon.
In this article, we will be discussing the documented history of Davao City, the aboriginals of Davao City, the most destructive natural & man-caused disasters to affect Davao City, & the economy of Davao City. With that being said, let us delve into the Crown Jewel of Mindanao.
The Documented History Of Davao City
Before Colonization
Before the founding of Davao City, at least 6 indigenous peoples' groups lived on the land.
After Colonization
Historical Events From The 1800s
The Spanish Conquest of Mindanao began in 1620; however, it didn’t reach Pujada Bay until 1848. We are unable to find any historical documents dating before 1848 concerning the area. During this year, Don Jose Cruz de Oyanguren of Spain received a grant to “conquer & subdue the entire gulf district, expel or pacify the Moros there, & establish the Christian Religion”. Oyanguren then organized an expedition with 70 men & women, & set sail for Davao. Upon arrival, they allied with Datu Daupen, chief of the Samal Mandayas, a local indigenous group. Daupan saw an opportunity in Oyanguren's expedition, an opportunity to get back at Datu Bago.
Datu Bago was the Muslim leader of Davao Gulf, & had the Mandayas as inferior vassals. Oyanguren first attacked the Datu Bagos settlement located at the mouth of the Davao River, & failed. The ships in his fleet could not properly sail through the channel, & were forced to retreat. He built a small camp near Bagos settlement, & constructed a causeway across the swamps to haul in cannons.
During the three-month building process of the causeway, Oyanguren had to fend off several attacks from Datu Bagos against his workers. Soon after, help arrived from Zamboanga. Don Manuel Quesda, a Spanish Naval Commanding General, & his company of infantry joined the fight against Datu Bago. Despite receiving backup, Quesda & Oyanguren fled the area, hoping to continue the battle another day.
Later on, Oyanguren wrote that he gained peaceful possession of Pujada Bay near the end of 1849, though he did not receive much support from the government in Manila. He began campaigning for the natives to live in larger settlements, to reach them more easily for trade. Unfortunately for him, the natives refused, & little economic development happened in the region because of it.
By 1852, the government in Manila was dissatisfied with Oyanguren, & he was relieved of the command of Davao. His duties fell onto Governor General Blanco, Marquis de Solana. At this point, 526 settlers were living in the area, along with the natives. The next census of the area was in 1855, & reported the Christian population now at 817 people, which is a population increase of 55.3232%.
In the year 1867, the first settlement at the mouth of the Davao River was relocated to its current area, with the Saint Peter's church acting as the center of town. Americans began ruling the area in Late December of 1898, & began slowly growing the town as a center of trade. The majority of the American settlers were retired soldiers from Manila, Cebu, & Zamboanga. Upon arrival, they began to realize the agricultural potential of the area. These soldiers began purchasing hectares by the hundreds, & planting imported coconut trees as well as abaca plants.
As these plantations were popping up at a rapid rate, they encountered a large hurdle. This hurdle was a lack of workers to man these plantations. To combat this, they hired many workers from Luzon, Visayas, & many Japanese workers. After working on these plantations, the majority of the Japanese stayed & became landowners.
Historical Events From The 1900s
Beginning in 1900, Davao began dominating trade in the Philippines, particularly with exports of abaca, copra, & lumber. Additionally, the port of the town began to become a well-known commercial international port. Around this time, there were at least 80 Japanese plantations, & 40 American Plantations. Particularly between 1903, & 1925, Japanese immigration to the city increased dramatically, as well as international focus.
On October 16th of 1936, under Commonwealth Act 51, & sponsorship of Rumualdo C. Quimpo, it was finally decided that Davao City would become a city. The city would go on to be inaugurated on March 1st of 1937. The population of Davao when it was inaugurated was approximately 68,000. By the year 1940, it had increased to 98,000, which is a 44.1176% increase.
The population would continue booming despite World War 2, seeing as in 1945, the population had increased to 111,263. Though the population grew, World War 2 pulverized the city, & brought many economic setbacks.
Davao was one of the first areas to be occupied by Imperial Japanese forces. Upon arrival, they immediately began fortifying the city. Because the city was an agent for the Japanese government, it was constantly bombed by Americans, largely by General MacArthur.
While the United States was attempting to liberate the city, the Japanese built a series of tunnels & put up a massive fight. The campaign to liberate Davao City was the longest out of any Philippine city, & took a total of 6 months. Davao was destroyed in the conflict, & took years to rebuild physically, & economically. Slowly, through the exportation of plywood, copra plants, banana, & Abaca, Davao regained its agricultural prowess.
The Aboriginals Of Davao City
The Mansaka Indigenous Aboriginals Of Davao
The Mansaka Indigenous Aboriginals are an indigenous group from the island of Mindanao. They speak the Mansakan language, a language from the greater Mandayan group. Mansaka are a subset of the larger Mandaya people. Currently, their primary crops are rice, & bananas. The Mansaka are well known for their colourful costumes, ornaments, complex beadwork, & dyed textiles.
Their villages are primarily located in the inland, & not on bodies of water. The family structure tends to be nuclear; however, it may also be polygynous. Each house in their villages may house up to 3 separate families, so they may look after each other easily. Each village seems to have a council of Elders governing the area, as well as a head of state known as a bagani.
The Manobo Indigenous Aboriginals Of Davao City
The Manobo Indigenous Aboriginals are a group of indigenous peoples from the Philippines. Currently, there are 8 different clusters of Manobo around the Philippines, each with slightly different cultures & dialects. Each group speaks one of the Manobo languages, as there are at least 16 different dialects. It is unclear which cluster lives around Davao City, so for this reason, we will be focusing on broader details.
Each group practices agriculture with hand-dug irrigation systems. Unfortunately, it is unclear what their most popular crops are. In the Manobo Culture, the husband is the head of the house. For this reason, their social life is male-oriented, & male-dominated.
In the majority of the subsets, polygyny is practiced amongst all men. Each Village in each subset is governed by a ruler, known as a Datu. The Datu is the most powerful figure in the Manobo culture, & handles most social ceremonies in the community, such as weddings. Below the Datu, there is the royal family, who rule the lower classes along with the Datu.
The Mandaya Indigenous Aboriginals Of Davao
The Mandaya Indigenous Aboriginals are an indigenous group from the island of Mindanao. Currently, they live in the Mountains of the larger Davao Province. Including the Mansaka, there are 5 groups of Mandaya people. They speak the Mandaya Language, which is very similar to the Mansaka Language. Their culture is similar to the Mansakan people, with few differences. There are currently 33,000 Mandayan people.
The Most Destructive Man Caused, & Natural Disasters Affecting Davao City
Disaster No. 1: The Floods Of 2023
Davao City experiences frequent flooding due to its location. These floods usually cause damage, & occasional displacement of families. However, very few of these floods have the same effect as these did. On April 9th of 2023, extremely heavy rains flooded the Davao Area. These floods pulverized a total of 8 homes, & damaged 2 others. They also caused 350 people to be temporarily displaced, & moved to evacuation facilities.
Unfortunately, 5 deaths were reported, as well as 1 missing person, as the final result of this rain. We were unable to find the names of these victims. In total, 1,538 people were affected by this crisis.
For all of these reasons, the floods of April 2023 are considered to be one of the worst disasters in recent Davao history.
The Economic State Of Davao City
The primary industries of Davao are lumber processing, agriculture, & grain processing. The largest agricultural exports are banana, durian, pineapple, & coffee bean. Davao has been steadily growing for many years, with a 7 to 9% growth rate over the last decade. Aside from this, there is little information in the public domain on the economy of Davao.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Davao City: History, Sights & Excursions in the Largest City in Mindanao“, Written by Melvin, & Published on May 19th, 2020. Published by Kapwa Travel. Retrieval Date: January 12th, 2024.
Citation No. 2: “The History Of Davao History”, Written By Liana S. Clapis, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Scribd. Retrieval Date: January 12th, 2024.
Citation No. 3: “11 Tribes In Davao City You Must Know”, Written By 投稿者, & Published on September 22nd, 2023. Published by We Love Davao. Retrieval Date: January 12th, 2024.
Citation No. 4: “Mansaka”, Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by California State University, East Bay. Retrieval Date: January 12th, 2024.
Citation No. 5: “Manobo Tribe”, Written By Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Philippine Clearing House Mechanism. Retrieval Date: January 12th, 2024.
Citation No. 6: “Mandaya Tribe”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Philippine Clearing House Mechanism. Retrieval Date: January 12th, 2024.
Citation No. 7: “Philippines – 5 Dead, 1 Missing After Floods and Storms in South”, Written By Richard Davies, & Published on April 13th, 2023. Published By Floodlist. Retrieval Date: January 12th, 2024.
Citation No. 8: “A Thoughtful Look Into The Davao Economy” Written By John Tria, & Published on July 23rd, 2023. Published By the Manila Bulletin. Retrieval Date: January 12th, 2024.
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