ABOUT
In the early days, Digos was a watercourse, a meeting place of inhabitants belonging to the
Austronesians settled along the southern foothills of Mt. Apo. The Digos River meets the Davao
Gulf and it is ideal for fishing and bathing.
During the Spanish Era, a group of natives carrying bows and arrows were approached by some
Spaniards traversing the very fertile tracts of land in Davao. One Lopez Jaena Pacheco, a
conquistador during the administration of Governor Claveria serving as the head of the group,
inquired about the name of the place from the barefooted natives. Believing that the Spaniards
were asking where they were bound to, the natives answered "Padigus", which means
"to take a bath". Since then the place was identified as Digos.
As a portion of the "food bowl" of the province of Davao del Sur, otherwise known as
the Padada Valley, Digos lured many migrants, majority of whom came from the Visayas and Ilocos
regions to settle permanently in the area. Before World War II, an enterprising American by the
name of N.E. Crumb leased 10.24 km² and transformed the place into an Abaca Plantation.
This became the hub of economic activity in the locality during those days.
Digos was occupied by the Japanese troops in 1942; In 1945, through the brave efforts of the
combined forces of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, the local Davaoeño guerrilla units
from the Davao peninsula, and the United States military, the Japanese soldiers were
defeated.
Through the initiation of then Congressman Apolinario Cabigon, Digos, became a regular
municipality in 1949 by virtue of Presidential Executive Order No. 236, dated July 19, 1949
issued by President Quirino. Its Coverage included the barrios of Tres de Mayo, Goma Bansalan,
Matanao, Darapuay and the Poblacion where the seat of government was located. Before its
creation into a municipality, Digos was a barrio of Sta. Cruz, a town 16 kilometers away. On
July 19, 1949, the town was formally inaugurated with Benito Rabor appointed as Mayor.
Digos in later years, before its conversion into a city, was regarded as the capital town of the
Province of Davao del Sur, long before it gained the status of a First Class Municipality in
1993, being center for trade, commerce and education, accruing to its strategic location at the
cross point of two principal thoroughfares in the south.
In July 1998, the bid to convert into a city was moved and initiated by Mayor Arsenio A. Latasa,
considering its very satisfactory qualifications required for in R.A. 7160 House Bill No. 5672
dated November 24, 1998, of Congress authored by Congressman Douglas Ra. Cagas, led to the
drafting of Republic Act 8798, converting the Municipality of Digos into a component City of
Davao del Sur, which was signed by President Joseph E. Estrada on 14 July 2000, and ratified by
the Digoseños on September 8, 2000.
