NABUNTURAN was once a barangay of the municipality of Compostela. The name is a derivative from the word “BUNGTOD.” The natives called it such due to its elevated terrain compared to other areas within the valley. The early settlement was governed by a headman called “BAGANI” but was under the supervision of the Municipal District President of Compostela Valley over matters only concerning civil affairs . For the maintenance of peace and order, the area was under the immediate supervision of the Philippine Constabulary Detachment of Camp Kalaw in Monkayo, now a municipality. From barangay Jaguimitan in the north to barangay Mawab, now a municipality in the south, the whole Compostela town was devided into two(2) municipal districts, with the latter’s seat of local government in barangay Nabunturan, now the Municipality of Nabunturan.

There were no government doctors assigned in the (2) districts, so that the health and sanitary problems were only handled by sanitary inspectors who were assigned in each district. Public school system was placed under the supervision and administration of the Supervising Teacher stationed in Kalaw Settlement for schools in the district of Monkayo.

Before the construction of the national road traversing Nabunturan, only few people knew or heard about the place, but courageous pioneers ventured into the area without heeding the threats of malaria, being prevalent at that time. The valley existed as a settlement of Mansaka natives, sprawling along the trail from the municipality of Mawab to barangay Bankerohan in Montevista. The original site of barangay Nabunturan was situated along the Libasan-Saosao Provincial road, about four(4) kilometers from the present Poblacion site. Right on this spot, the early settlers put up a rest house to offer shelter to pioneers and travelers exploring the area.

Settlement from all over the country, mostly from the Visayas region used to pass the night or day in this temporary makeshift, while coming in an dout of the area in the course of exploratory ventures. All these settlers or travelers came all the way by launch via Hijo River from Davao City to Hijo, Tagum. They then hiked all the way from Tagum passing high mountains down to the Municipality of Mawab and finally to Nabunturan. These early settlers had discovered that the place was an ideal site for agriculture and consequently, as a center for trade and business considering its strategic location. When the road was constructed in the year 1938, pioneers and settlers from the Visayas poured in. The natives, nomads as they are, left their settlements and slowly moved farther into hinterlands. They were replaced by Visayas settlers which contributed to the improvement of the community, augmented by the establishment of the Bureau of Public Works (BPEW) camp at kilometro ’90, now the Poblacion of Nabunturan. Right at the vicinity of the BPW camp rose the improved community where settlers met to buy and sell prime commodities and their farm products especially abaca. Small stores started to crop up. Later on, small carenderias, restaurants, bars, clubs, gambling dens and cock pit proliferated. The establishment of these small business attracted more people to settle in the area.

When the war broke out in 1941, the new community became a hiding place for guerillas and the United States Armed Forces of the Far East (USAFFE) contingent, but during the height of the Japanese military occupation, the civilians and the guerilla soldiers fled and left Nabunturan to become the site of the Japanese Kampetai garrison. At guerillas, and the camp regained its status as the center of life and business in the valley. It became a lively community in the Compostela Valley when the guerillas established the provisionar government. Camp Kalaw in Monkayo District was destroyed and abandoned, which somehow contributed to the growth of business in Nabunturan.

After the World War II in 1945 when American Forces landed in Davao City, the Philippine Civil Assistance Unit (PCAU) established the civil government of Compostela right at Nabunturan because of its accessibility to and fro Davao Ctiy. During the liberation, the highway was improved and that lured more settlers. As year marched on, Nabunturan became the center of commerce eventually the conduct of government services. Because of this, the need for converting it into a separate municipality was felt. This need was considered by top-policy makers as urgent. Then on July 23, 1957, thirty (30) days after the passage and approval of Republic Act No. 2038, a new political unit, separate and distinct from the mother municipality of Compostela , was created. It has retained its original name, NABUNTURAN.

Four(4) decades have seen the gradual development of the town with the rest of the neighboring original COMVAL towns brought about many entrepreneurs, big or small investors, farmers, landowners, capitalists and such other economic conscious adventurers. Nabunturan has now snowballed into what it is today, being the model convergence ssite of economic, political and social activities in the valley mainly because of its strategic location and steady growth.

On January 30, 1998, the president of the Philippines, Fidel V. Ramos signe dinto law the creation of the 79^th Province in the country, the COMPOSTELA VALALEY pursuant to Republic act No. 8740, which further creates the Municipality of Nabunturan as its capital town.

The first Mayor of Nabunturan was HON. LAURO C. ARABEJO, who was then incumbent Mayor of Compostela, before the creation of Nabunturan into a new municipality.

Hereunder is the record of local chief executives serving the municipality of Nabunturan from 1957 to present, arranged chronologically, as follows: