Why It's Called That
Davao Region: the name the river gave back
Davao was once Nueva Vergara. Its people asked for the river's name, which the city's history traces to Bagobo words. Davao became official in 1868 and names the whole region today.
0:59 · Davao Region · October 9, 2026
The story
Davao was once called Nueva Vergara. In 1848, a Spanish expedition of seventy colonists, led by a man from Vergara in Spain, reached the Davao Gulf. A year later, the old province of Caraga was split. Its southern half became Nueva Guipúzcoa.
In 1867, the settlement moved from the river bend to where San Pedro Cathedral stands today. Then its people asked for a different name. The river's own. The city's history says Bagobo groups called the Davao River Dabo, Dawaw, and Davah.
To the Obo, they say, davoh meant a place beyond the high grounds. In 1868, Davao became the official name. It went on to name a city, a province, and since 2001, a whole region.
The Davao Region. How do your elders say it: Dabaw, or with a soft v? Tell us in the comments.
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