When you hear the words "Davao City", the next word you will come to imagine is perhaps no other than "Durian".. right?
Or maybe, "Digong", "Duterte", "DDS", or anything that came to you when you heard or visited the infamous city in the south.
Well, let's change all that.. there are more to those words and possibly way better, in Davao City.
Lying in the southeastern corner of the Philippines, Davao City (Dabaw in Tagalog), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, with a total land area of 2,443.61 km2 (943.48 sq mi), making it the largest city in the Philippines, in terms of land area.
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Davao is also known as the jump-off point for climbing Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines towering at 2,954m from above sea level (ASL).
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On to the Eagle's Land.
This Davao getaways was not really well planned. We just accompany my sister-in-law to a wedding ceremony in the city. So, we came there with 3 of my sister-in-law's Arlene, Aileen, and Vanessa, and my brother-in-law, Burt. My wife could not join us due to her commitment to the school where she was teaching foreign students, and I went there for this article - what's really feels like when in Davao..?
Our travel from Pampanga to Manila Domestic Airport commuting was almost a total mess. Catching time to reach the airport before the flight was utterly stressful, due to heavy traffic along the EDSA - passing one of the most heavily congested main road in the Philippines. So we took the train from SM North EDSA to Pasay, to avoid more delays. Then, a taxi ride to the airport saves us from buying new sets of tickets again.
Surprisingly, we beat the time to board and the flight was an hour delayed from the original schedule of departure.
Although I was not totally convinced that this trip will become enjoyable without my wife (naks!), I relaxed aboard the plane in as much as I can.
Touchdown Davao City.
The flight was calm and we were so thankful for the smooth landing in Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City, after the almost 2 hours flight.
Dabawenyo is a language of the Davao Region of Mindanao and is a native Mansakan language influenced by Cebuano and Tagalog.
Davao's exports of banana, pineapple, orchids, and tuna, among others, are considered the best in the world.
Its pomelo, durian, and mangosteen are sought-after by the rest of the country.
The city is also called the "Durian Capital of the Philippines" - we will know why later in this article.
Upon exiting, we immediately proceeded to our hotel just 6km away the airport, unload our stuffs, and rest for a while.
I was able to meet my fraternal brother, Farrel Arcenio, in one of the City's hang-out places. It feels the same as in Angeles City and the ambience was equally amazing as if you are not in the far South of the country called Mindanao.
First time in Davao City.
The Grand Regal Hotel is a 3-star hotel featuring 3 restaurants, a casino, an outdoor pool, a fitness center, and 216 cozy rooms that are fully furnished in elegant and classic style for timeless comfort and convenience, located in J.P. Laurel Ave, Lanang, Buhangin, Davao City.
Davao City was said to be the safest city in the world, and it is. There is a tandem of either police and barangay force on every corner, and all over the City. Break any law there and you will get arrested in a few minutes.
True to the many cities that we visited, the tricycle in Davao City is also kind of unique. It almost resembles a mini jeepney.. nice one Davao TODA's..!
The Durian Fruit in Ramon Magsaysay Park.
The Chinatown Arch in Davao City is in Quezon Boulevard, fronting Ramon Magsaysay Park. If you see this arch, you will have the fresh durian fruit in your arms length nearby.
And the fruit stalls just outside the park will amaze you, when you are in Davao City central east cost.
Fresh durian fruit and other pastries are everywhere.. only in Davao City..!
You can even see fresh durian fruit on the ally ways within the area.
And there you can taste the sweetest fresh durian fruit hacked and served to you in a plastic hand wrapper, for you to savor the taste right on..!
In many food stalls, you can find lots of anything made of durian - even durian ice candy.. hahaha so sweet tasting and quite refreshing when you are under the sun roaming the city.
Metropolitan Cathedral of San Pedro.
Directly adjacent to the most beautiful Catholic church in Davao City is the Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Davao, in Poblacion District, less than 3km away.
Roman Catholic is the most dominant religion in Davao City, comprising around 80% of the population. Other Christian groups make up 18%, while the remaining 1.7% belong to other non-Christian faiths.
The Saint Peter Metropolitan Cathedral is the ecclesiastical seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Davao.
The magnificent Spanish-style cathedral with its distinctive modern design frontal-curved solid structure was first built using nipa and bamboo in 1847 based on its history. It was subsequently rebuilt in wood in the mid-1900s by the late architect Ramon Basa, until it was finally remodeled in concrete in 1964 by Architect Manuel Chiew with a separate bell tower.
Visiting for the first time, we had to include in our prayers the souls of the faithful who died there during the 1981 and 1993 terror attacks just outside the church.
Inside the church is a rather distinct and quiet atmosphere that constantly shifts your attention to the altar from any direction.
Kadayawan Festival.
A festival in the city of Davao is held in August of every year to celebrate life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and the serenity of living, is called Kadayawan Festival.
The eleven tribes represented are: Iranun, Ata, Kagan, Bagobo Klata, Maguindanaon, Bagobo Tagabawa, Maranao, Matigsalug, Sama, Obu Manuvu, and Taosug.
Proudly displaying their unique culture and way of life in the yearly festival, the Ata-Manobo of Davao del Norte (aboriginally called Ata) believed that they origins was from Paquibato, Davao City. The Ancestral Domain of the Ata-Manobo covers portions of the Municipalities of Kapalong, san Isidro, Sto. Tomas and Talaingod.
The Tagabawa-Bagobo people are the predominant inhabitants of the vast areas extending from Cotabato to Davao del Sur provinces, and on the slopes of Mount Apo west of Davao City. "Tagabawa" means people of the south as "Bawa" means south.
At the festival, the tribe's people displayed their ways of preparing their food, primarily rice.
They also displayed the fruits and crops that are abundant in the mountains such as fresh bananas and lots of fruits within their ancestral domain.
To be very honest, while we are paying taxes in having rights to our properties, these people truly own the land - they are not paying anything because they literally own the vast lands in the mountains as their Ancestral Domains; until those land-grabbers disturb their peaceful surroundings, mining here to there, which destroys the natural beauty of nature.
The Most Humble President.
Believe it or not but this is the home of the 16th President of the Philippines, in Talomo, Davao City, Davao del Sur. At the innermost corner of a non-gated subdivision along Quimpo Blvd. Diversion Road, you will not imagine that a son of a former Governor, a lawyer, a former member of the house of representatives, a mayor and vice mayor of Davao for several terms, and the President of the country humbly lives here.
His partner, Ma'am Honeylet Avanceña, a registered nurse, and with whom he had a lovely daughter named Veronica, happily greeted us in their house, while very busy on her garage sale during the time of our visit. You will not imagine this very humble woman is (effectively) the First Lady of the Country, and yet simply living there away from the burden of being her husband in politics top spot.
Out of curiosity, we have spoken to several locals there about President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's very humble way of life. We were told that the President often walk and take his breakfast alone to several of the Karinderia's (open resto near the road for common people) near the only road going in and out of the place - even when he was a Mayor in Davao City.. amazing man..!
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This photo was taken even after he was already the President of the country - but in Davao City, he kept his humble ways away from being too lavish in life. According to him (when interviewed by the media), this is where he finds his true self. Although in Malacañang Palace, he is the father figure (Tatay) and the President of the land.
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As of this writing (July 2, 2022 - five years after), it was reported that former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (Tatay Digong as we Filipinos address him) went back to his old ways to retire peacefully with his wife and daughter in the same house, and in the same humble way of living in Davao City.
Tatay Digong is the most humble in all of the Presidents of the Philippines.. Maraming salamat po sa serbisyo ninyo sa Bayan, mahal na Pangulo.
The Garden City of Samal.
Originally called Sama which was also the ethnic name of the inhabitants living on the island before, this magnificent island was ruled by Datu Taganiyug, a native of Peñaplata.
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Home to at least +80 registered resorts confined within a 301.3sq. km island, Samal Island is the largest resort city in the Philippines. It also has numerous marine reefs and tranquil waters that lure tourists, especially to Talikud Island. It's blessed with pristine beaches and incredible snorkeling and diving sites aside from luxury to budget resorts that make for the ultimate tropical getaway.
Samal Ferry Wharf and the Samal Ferry Terminal.
The port in the side of Davao mainland is in Sasa Barge Rd., Buhangin, Davao City, Davao del Sur, called the Samal Ferry Wharf.
An obviously busy place with lots of goods, trailers, and private vehicles going in and out of the island via this port. It has perfect weather there when we visited, and it's easy to board vehicles in the ferries.
After just a few minutes of ferry rides, we set on, for the first time, in the Garden City of Samal. I never thought I could reach this wonderful place in the South of the country.
Surprisingly, the port called the Samal Ferry Terminal, is located in Babak, already in the Davao del Norte province. Thus, we just crossed the border between the North and the South of Davao Region by that tiny channel. It was a bit hot there since the sun is on its peak on that day.
The Monfort Bat Sanctuary.
The most famous destination in Samal Island is the Monfort Bat Sanctuary, located on the Northeastern side of the island, also in Babak District, in Barangay Tambo, is the sanctuary of peaceful nocturnal creatures well-loved in Davao Region.
And what most people do not know, in the heart of the island lies 70 caves.. yes, caves that were there for a purpose to balance the nature, and provide the best tasting Durian fruit known in Davao Region..
One of these caves has been acknowledged by the Guiness of Book Records to hold the largest colony of Rousetteus Amplexicaudatus or commonly known as Geoffrey's Rousette Fruit Bat.
What makes the Geoffroy's Rousette fruit bat different from other fruit bats is its echolocating ability with more sensitive hearing and sense of smell, and good eyesight which helps it to maneuver well during the flight, specifically at night.
The area has an estimated 1.8 million bats living in the five remaining caves of Samal Island, to a density of 645 bats per square meter. These bats helped the fruits plantation produce the distinctive sweetness taste when harvested from the Davao Region, according to the tour guide.
The area is well protected, and local tourism officers see to it that anyone visiting the area will not cause disturbance to the resting bats in the caves. The lizards in the caves eat those bats falling from the cave ceiling, which is nature's part in maintaining balance cycling.
The Natural Blue Spring and Waterfalls of Hagimit.
Aside from the white sand beaches all over the island and nearby island, there is a waterfalls that will excite you to visit. It is located in the middle of the island of Samal, in the western part of the circumferential road, just 11km away from the Samal Ferry Terminal.
Hagimit Falls is located in Peñaplata, Island Garden City of Samal (ICAGOS). Although this attraction is within the province of Davao Del Norte, most of the tourists arrive via Davao City.
Hagimit Falls is a series of small cascades and streams featuring natural swimming pools and rock formations. The area is hushed and secluded so you can get away from the bustling city life. There are no shopping malls, restaurants, and hotels that can be an eyesore when you're exposed too much to the metro.
The falls area was first developed in the 1950's by a known hard-working and industrious gentleman named Mr. Fortunato Batucan. His son Glicerio Batucan continued the development when his father passed away, until 1969 when Glicerio drowned in one of the underwater caves in the pool system while diving for Uwang (freshwater prawns). See very detailed article of Dr. Scott Nimmo.
When you survive the ordeal of a long flight of stairs descending down, you will be rewarded with a stunning natural pool that's way beyond your imagination - it was extremely beautiful there.
A few steps down the path was another natural pool, almost identical to Siquijor Island's Cambugahay Falls - multi-level waterfalls and pools that's all-natural.
Obviously, the water gashing down from the mountains of the island was very cold and clear that you can enjoy the ultimate water splash as part of nature's reward in getting there.
Truly, the visit to Hagimit Waterfalls was all worth the travel and the efforts in going down and up the very stiff stairways.
Marina Tuna Seafood Restaurant.
After going back to Davao City, we were on the hunt for the best place to eat late lunch, and it's in Barrio Pampanga, Sasa, Davao City - the Marina Tuna Seafood Restaurant. The main attraction there was its “Original Ten Way Tuna Menu Experience” which utilizes all the major choice parts of the tuna into 10 delicious and healthy dishes cooked in the way you want them.
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Starting with its opener, The World Class Quality Tuna Sashimi, to the Original Davao Tuna Kinilaw, to the Cripsy Buntot (Tuna Tail) up to the Famous Mouth Watering Davao Tuna Panga (Collarbone) to name a few are now known to many.
Seafood is everywhere in the Philippines and we were there for one of the best Durian ice cream cakes famously known only in Davao City. A creamy, sweet, and excellent treat, after devouring the mouth-watering seafoods.
Back to Reality.
Onboard an Airbus A320 going back to Manila, still wearing proud the Kadayawan Festival shirt that I bought in the City, the journey to Davao City and to the Garden City of Samal was all so worthy of our time, efforts, and resources.
Although I must admit, we did not fully scour the other and more exciting destinations in Davao Region, the three (3) days that we spent there were utterly exciting moments of our lives.
It was indeed all fun in Davao.
Definitely, I will be back in Davao City, and perhaps visit Tatay Digong there as my top priority - to thank him personally for the six (6) years of sincere public service as President of our country, and for giving back our people's pride: building infrastructures, modernizing the military, increasing wages, surviving the pandemic, avoiding dirty politics, crushing oligarchs, closing biased media, and decreasing crime rates involving illegal drugs. Truly, that humble man left the office with dignity, pride, and legacy.
And to the people of Davao, just as we did in too many provinces, I will be back with Gagay.. promise..!
Byahe lang..!
2017 August 15~17, Davao City
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