Indeed, the realizations from writing this article-series on reexamining Davao of the Past is to re-locate and recalibrate the self in the study of Asia. Geopolitically, Mindanao has been relegated to the periphery of the Philippine nation-state and consequently of the Southeast Asian region and the world. My only wish is to offer fresh insights on the historical value of relearning Davao and Mindanao of the past for that matter.
In approaching Mindanao as an issue and how leadership matters in its development, we have to understand its complexities
At the outskirts of Davao going down South of Mindanao, lie my humble beginnings my hometown in Balut Island of the Municipality of Sarangani. You could reach this faraway land through General Santos City, the Tuna capital of Mindanao, if not the whole of the Philippines.
As I opened my migration class last week, I read a riveting quote by Isabel Wilkerson: "what I love about the stories of the Great Migration is that this is not ancient history; this is living history. Most people of color can find someone in their own family who had experienced a migration of some kind, knowing the sense of dislocation, longing, and fortitude.”
Davao is indeed turning into a “center of attraction” with a mayor-president steering the “national ship” as many scholars would describe it as a stark departure from its peripheral past.…