The Davaoeño people, Davaoeños or Davaoans are the multiethnic permanent residents of the

Davao Region Davao Region, formerly called Southern Mindanao (; ), is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region XI. Situated at the southeastern portion of Mindanao, enclosing Davao Gulf, it comprises fiv ...

of the island of

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

regardless of ethnicity or religion. Locals are themselves often referred to as a "tripeople", composed of

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

, Moros and descendants of twentieth-century settlers from the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kabisayaan'' ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, a ...

and

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

. Cebuano is the ''lingua franca'' of the Davao Region, used by its inhabitants of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds to communicate with each other. Native minority speaks the near-extinct Davaoeño language, especially among the elderly residents who live in the region in their lifetime. Davaoeños often also codeswitch between Cebuano and Tagalog, a phenomenon called Bisalog. English is also widely used. Tagalog ( Filipino) is also used as a secondary lingua franca, especially in

Metro Davao Metro Davao, officially Metropolitan Davao (; ), is a metropolitan area in Mindanao, Philippines. It includes the cities of Davao City, Davao, Digos, Panabo, Samal, Davao del Norte, Samal and Tagum and spanned parts of all five provinces of the ...

. The following is a list of notable people who were either born in, lived in, are current residents of, or are closely associated with the Davao Region (especially from the highly-urbanized city of Davao).

Notable people

Culture

* Alfredo E. Evangelista – archaeologist (

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...

) *

Candy Gourlay Candy Gourlay (née Quimpo) is a Filipino journalist and author based in the United Kingdom whose debut novel ''Tall Story'' (2010) was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal (literary award), Carnegie Medal. Biography Gourlay was born and raised i ...

– Filipino author based in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

(

) * Randy Halasan – winner of the 2014

Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, ...

for Emergent Leadership, for nurturing his Matigsalug students and their community to transform their lives in ways that preserve their integrity as indigenous peoples in a modernizing Philippines (

)

Entertainment

* Gladys Reyes – actress (

) * Kaye Cal – singer-songwriter who rose to popularity after becoming a grand finalist of the first season of the talent competition Pilipinas Got Talent * Sharmaine Arnaiz – actress (

) * Thor Dulay – singer-songwriter and vocal coach ( Panabo) * Jay Durias – composer, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer known for collaborations with South Border (

) * Juris Fernandez – singer and songwriter; former lead singer of acoustic group MYMP from 2003 to 2009 (

) * Erich Gonzales – actress, host and '' Star Circle Quest'' Grand Teen Questor (

) * The HiMiG Gospel Singers – choral group from Davao City * Mimi Miyagi – model and actress (

) * Iwa Moto – actress, model and teen star (

Tagum Tagum, officially the City of Tagum (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Davao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 296,202, making it the most po ...

) * Cassandra Ponti – actress, dancer, model, and '' Pinoy Big Brother'' Season 1 3rd Big Placer (

) *Lie Reposposa – '' Pinoy Big Brother: Otso'' housemate (

) *Ruben Gonzaga – TV host (

) * Ryan Ramos – actor and host (

) * Steven Silva – footballer, actor, reality TV show contestant (

) * KZ Tandingan – singer who rose to fame after winning the first season of ''The X Factor Philippines'' in 2012 ( Digos City) * Krissel Valdez – singer; the first runner-up of ''Star Power: Sharon Search For the Next Female Superstar'' (

) * Maris Racal – actress, singer, PBB All in 1st runner up, member of It's Showtime's GirlTrends (

) * Chokoleit – actor, comedian (

) * Jona Soquite – singer, The Voice Teens season 1 champion (

) * Tricia Santos – volleyball player, actor, TV host (

) * Lady Morgana – drag performer, Drag Race Philippines (Season 1) contestant * Esnyr - Social Media Influencer and Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition housemate ( Digos City) * Fely Irvine - Hi-5 Series 11-13 actress. * Andre Garcia - Goin' Bulilit alumni (2008-2013)

Politics and government

* Franklin Bautista – politician; member of the Liberal Party; elected to two terms as a Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the Second District of Davao del Sur * Noel Felongco – politician; lawyer (

) * Marc Douglas Cagas IV – politician; member of the Nacionalista Party; elected in 2007 as a Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the First District of Davao del Sur * Antonio Carpio – incumbent Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (

) * Ronald dela Rosa - Senator ( Davao del Sur) * Teodoro Casiño – politician, activist, writer and journalist; was a member of the House of Representatives for Bayan Muna (

) *

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

– lawyer, politician and mayor of Davao City (1988–1998, 2001–2010, 2013–2016); 16th President of the Philippines (2016–2022) (

) * Sara Duterte – lawyer and politician; current mayor of Davao City (2010–2013, 2016-2022), 15th Vice President of the Philippines (2022–present) (

) * Bong Go – senator (

) * Vincent Garcia – politician; member of the Nationalist People's Coalition; elected to three terms as a Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the Second District of Davao City * Antonio Lagdameo, Jr. – politician; husband of actress Dawn Zulueta; a scion of the wealthy family in Mindanao, the Floirendos; public servant (

) * Romeo Montenegro – peace advocate * Sebastian Duterte – politician and traveller (

) * Prospero Nograles – former Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines (

) * Corazon Nuñez-Malanyaon – governor of the province of Davao Oriental * Allan L. Rellon – Filipino politician and a member of the PDP Laban Party ( Samal) * Isidro Ungab – politician, former banker, former local legislator of the City of Davao * Wanda Corazon Teo, businesswoman, and former secretary of Tourism * Manuel E. Zamora – politician; member of the LAKAS-CMD Party; elected to three terms as a Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the First District of Compostela Valley * Carlos Isagani Zarate – member of the Philippine House of Representatives, representing Bayan Muna Party-list (

)

Sports

* Jerwin Ancajas – World Champion Boxer from Panabo, Davao del Norte; competes in the Super-flyweight division * Amani Aguinaldo – footballer who plays as a defender mainly as a centre back for Global F.C. in the United Football League, and Philippines national team * Francis Allera – professional basketball player; currently plays for the Kia Carnival in the Philippine Basketball Association; small forward * Baser Amer – professional basketball player who plays for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association * Mark Anthony Barriga – boxer from Panabo, Davao del Norte; competes in the light-flyweight division * Donbel Belano – retired professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association; former head coach of the UV Green Lancers * Lee Vann Corteza – professional pool player * Samigue Eman – professional basketball player who currently plays for the Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association * Erwin Emata – mountain climber * Pong Escobal – professional basketball player who currently plays for the Air21 Express in the Philippine Basketball Association, having played for Meralco Bolts * John Ferriols – professional basketball; plays for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association * Diosdado Gabi – retired professional boxer * Ernie Gawilan – swimmer; first Filipino Asian Para Games gold medalist. * Marice Magdolot – footballer for the Philippines women's national football team; midfielder * Sheila Mae Perez – diver; Southeast Asian Games gold medalist. * Randy Petalcorin – professional boxer from the Sandman Gym in General Santos * Nesthy Petecio – boxer ( Santa Cruz) * John Pinto (basketball) – basketball player who currently plays for the San Miguel Beermen of the PBA; drafted 19th overall by the Batang Pier in the 2014 PBA draft * RJ Rizada – professional basketball player who currently plays for the Petron Blaze Boosters in the Philippine Basketball Association; twelfth overall pick in the 2006 PBA Draft * Juanito Rubillar – professional boxer; current WBC Continental Americas light flyweight champion * Tricia Santos (volleyball) – volleyball player; TV reality show contestant * Daisuke Sato (footballer) – Japanese-Filipino footballer for CSM Politehnica Iași in Romania's Liga I and for the Philippines national football team * Alfonso Solis – retired professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association * Alvin Teng – retired professional basketball player who spent 14 seasons in the PBA, mostly with the San Miguel Beermen franchise * Scottie Thompson (basketball) – professional basketball player who currently plays for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the PBA (

Padada Padada, officially the Municipality of Padada (; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Davao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 29,878 people, making ...

) * Rustico Torrecampo – retired professional boxer, notable for being the first fighter to defeat Manny Pacquiao

Media

* Aljo Bendijo – broadcast journalist in the Philippines; anchored ABS-CBN's flagship newscast ''TV Patrol'' from 2001 to 2003, and ''Batingaw'' (later becoming ''Teledyaryo: Final Edition'') of People's Television Network from 2008 to 2012 * Desidario Camangyan – radio journalist for Sunrise FM in Mati City in the southern Philippines; slain on stage in Manay, Davao Oriental, Mindanao, while hosting a singing contest * Alex Santos (newscaster) – field reporter, news director and radio commentator for DWIZ, and television host for UNTV and former newscaster and television host for ABS-CBN and DZMM, now on current for PTV-4 *Tulfo Brothers (

) ** Ben Tulfo – freelance journalist connected with IBC, TV5, PTV-4 and UNTV **

Erwin Tulfo Erwin Teshiba Tulfo (; born October 6, 1963) is a Filipino politician, news anchor and columnist who is a Senate of the Philippines, senator-elect of the Philippines. He has served as the representative for ACT-CIS Partylist and as a deputy maj ...

– journalist for PTV and Radyo Pilipinas, formerly with TV5 Manila, ABS-CBN, RPN-9 and Radio Mindanao Network ** Raffy Tulfo- journalist for TV5 Manila, formerly with PTV-4, RPN-9 and Radio Mindanao Network ** Ramon Tulfo – radio host for DWIZ, columnist for Philippine Daily Inquirer, formerly with RPN-9 and DZIQ

Fashion, designs and arts

* Ang Kiukok – painter; national artist * Yam Laranas – director and cinematographer * Danny Sillada – surrealist painter, poet, philosopher, essayist, musician, performance artist and literary, art and cultural critic; from Mindanao

Pageantry

* Lia Andrea Ramos – Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2006 and representative of the Philippines in the Miss Universe 2006 pageant held in Los Angeles, California. * Mary Jean Lastimosa – Miss Universe Philippines 2014 and Top 10 Finalist in the Miss Universe 2014 pageant held in Doral, Florida. A native of Tulunan, North Cotabato, Lastimosa studied and resided in Davao City. She won Mutya ng Dabaw (Miss Davao) and was crowned Reyna ng Aliwan in 2008 representing Davao and the Kadayawan Festival. * Katarina Rodriguez – Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental 2017, Miss World Philippines 2018 and First Runner-Up in the Miss Intercontinental 2017 pageant held in Egypt. She competed in Miss World Philippines and won the Miss World Philippines title. She also competed in Miss World 2018 held in

Sanya Sanya; Chinese postal romanization, also spelled Samah is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan, Hainan Province in Southeast China, South China. According to the Sixth National Populati ...

, People’s Republic of China. * Jehza Mae Huelar – Binibining Pilipinas Supranational 2018 and Top 10 Finalist in Miss Supranational 2018, held in Poland.

Religion

* Apollo Quiboloy – co-founder of SMNI News Channel, founder and religious group leader of the Philippines-based Restorationist church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name, Inc (

) * Leo Soriano – Bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 2000 in the Philippines.

Gallery

File:Iwa Moto at Estrella's Home Clinic, April 2010.jpg, Iwa Moto File:Juris Fernandez in APC 2006.JPG, Juris Fernandez File:Candy Gourlay.jpg,

File:Rodrigo Duterte 2013.jpg,

File:Paolo Duterte.jpg, Paolo Duterte File:Sara Duterte - Dec. 2018 (cropped).jpg, Sara Duterte File:Mimi Miyagi 2.jpg, Mimi Miyagi File:Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio Official.jpg, Antonio Carpio File:Danny C. Sillada.JPG, Danny Sillada File:Allan Lopez Rellon.jpg, Allan L. Rellon File:Bangsgarcia.png, Bangs Garcia File:Alex-Santos-Best-TV-Anchor.jpg, Alex Santos (newscaster) File:Anton F. Lagdameo Jr..jpg, Antonio Lagdameo, Jr.

References

{{reflist * Davao Davao