The Davaoeño people or Davaoeños are the permanent residents of the Davao Region of the island of Mindanao in the Philippines regardless of ethnicity or religion. Locals are themselves often referred to as a "tripeople", composed of indigenous peoples, Moros and descendants of twentieth-century settlers from the Visayas and Luzon.
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. Davaoeños often also codeswitch between Cebuano and Tagalog, a phenomenon called Bisalog. English is also widely used.
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.
Notable people
Culture
Alfredo E. Evangelista – archaeologist
Candy Gourlay – Filipino author based in the United Kingdom
Randy Halasan – winner of the 2014 Ramon Magsaysay Award 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
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 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 Cassandra Ponti – actress, dancer, model, and Pinoy Big Brother Season 1 3rd Big Placer 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 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 Tricia Santos - volleyball player, actor, TV host Lady Morgana – drag performer, Drag Race Philippines (Season 1) contestant
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 Teodoro Casiño – politician, activist, writer and journalist; was a member of the House of Representatives for Bayan Muna Rodrigo Duterte – 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 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