The Museo Dabawenyo is one of the Divisions under the City Mayor’s Office of the City Government of Davao established through City Ordinance No. 0266-06 Series of 2006.  It is being run in collaboration with the private sector.  It is a “people’s museum” and its programs are geared towards better historical and cultural awareness, understanding and integration.

Our Vision-Mission

The Museo Dabawenyo is an institution in the service of the community and its development, accessible to the public, and not intended for profit.  It shall obtain, keep, study, and present material evidence of people and their environment, and shall inform the general public about these activities for the purpose of study, education, and research.

Our Goals and Objectives

  • As an educational institution, the Museum shall take the lead in disseminating knowledge of Dabawenyo cultural and historical heritage and  developing a  corps of  professional  personnel knowledgeable about  the preservation, enrichment and dynamic evaluation of the Dabawenyo culture; and
  • As a cultural center, the Museum shall take the lead in the study and preservation of the City’s rich artistic, and cultural heritage, in the reconstruction and rebuilding of our past, and the development of the City’s cultural wealth

Our beginnings

The Museo Dabawenyo is the former Court of First Instance of Davao City constructed in 1953 along Magallanes Street now A. Pichon Street.  In 1993, when the court transferred to Ecoland, it became the office of the Davao City Disaster Coordinating Council.

In 2005, Mrs. Soledad “Nanay Soling” Duterte spearheaded the creation of a Museo Dabawenyo Project Team headed by Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and with working committees composed of selected   City Government officials together with experts in the field of architecture,    history,   culture and arts from the private sector.  This team was tasked to do the conceptualization and planning for the museum, including the reconstruction and restoration of the old CFI building where the museum will be built.

In 2005, the building was demolished to make way for the construction of the museum the following year.  The museum building was completed in 2007.  On November 15, 2006, Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law City Ordinance No. 266-06, “An Ordinance Establishing the Museo Dabawenyo, Providing for its Permanent Home and for Other Purposes”. The ordinance was sponsored by then Councilor Susan Isabel Reta, the Chairman of the Committee on Tourism and Beautification.

The museum was formally opened on March 14, 2008 during the 71st Araw ng Dabaw Celebration.  The Chief-of-Staff of Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte,  Ms. Patricia Melizza B. Ruivivar concurrently served as Officer-in-Charge, Museum Director, with Mr. Richard D. Vilar and Mr. Orly L. Escarrilla of the City Tourism Operations Office handling the showcase and administrative concerns respectively. Later, Mr. Roland Victor Fortun was hired as Acting Head of Research, Information and Dissemination.

Most of the artifacts on exhibit during the first few months of operations were donations from Ms. Baby Babao of the Davao Historical Society, Kaliwat Theater Collective, paintings of Mr. Mark Tolentino and some collections of Mr. Ven Gallego and Architect Jose Racho.  Students of Philippine Women’s University of Davao painted a seascape and a landscape that served as backdrop of the Indigenous and Muslim Peoples Galleries.

Who we are

What We Do

We showcase the rich historical and cultural heritage of Davao City through exhibitions in the  various galleries of the museum.