Davao City
| Davao City Lungsod ng Dabaw Dakbayan sa Dabaw | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — City — | |||
 | |||
| |||
| Motto: "Love, Peace, and Progress" | |||
 | |||
  Davao City | |||
Coordinates:  7°30′N 126°0′E / 7.5°N 126°E / 7.5; 126 | |||
| Country |  Philippines | ||
| Region | Davao Region(Region XI) | ||
| Province | None | ||
| Districts | 1st to 3rd Districts of Davao City | ||
| Barangays | 184 | ||
| Incorporated (town) | 1848 | ||
| Incorporated (city) | October 16, 1936 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Rodrigo Duterte(Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod) | ||
| - Vice Mayor | Sara Duterte (Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod) | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 2,444 km2 (943.6 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 22.3 m (73 ft) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| - Total | 1,363,337 as of August 1 2,007 (CENSUS) | ||
| - Density | 558/km2 (1,445.2/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | PST(UTC+8) | ||
| Area code(s) | 082 | ||
| Website | 'www.davaocity.gov.ph | ||
The City of Davao (Tagalog: Lungsod ng Dabaw; Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Dabaw) is the largest city located on the island of Mindanaoin the Philippines. It is also one of the Philippines' most progressive cities. Its international airportand seaports are among the busiest cargo hubs in the southern part of the Philippines.
Davao City is also one of several cities in the Philippinesthat are independent of any province. The city serves as the regional center for Davao Region(Region XI). It has a population of 1,363,330 (2007 census) and is named by the Foreign Direct Investment Magazineas the 10th "Asian City of the Future".[1] In recent years, Davao City has emerged as the business, investment and tourism hub for the entire southern Philippines. The city boasts of some of the finest beaches and mountain resorts in the country and its proximity to the Philippines’ most captivating diving spots as well as its highest peak, Mount Apo.
History
Local historians of Davao claim that the word davao came from the phoneticblending of the word of three Bagobo subgroups when referring to Davao River, an essential waterway which empties itself into Davao Gulf near the city. The aboriginalObos who inhabit the hinterlandsof the region called the river, Davoh; the Clatta or Guiangans called it Duhwow, or Davau, and the Tagabawa Bagobos, Dabu. To the Obos, the word davoh also means a place "beyond the high grounds", alluding to the settlements located at the mouth of Davao River which were surrounded by high rolling hills. When asked where they were going, the usual reply is davoh, while pointing towards the direction of the town. Duhwow also refers to a trading settlement where they barter their forest goods in exchange for salt or other commodities.
Spanish influencewas hardly felt in the Davao until 1848, when an expedition led by Don Jose Uyanguren came to establish a Christiansettlement in an area of mangrove swamps that is now Bolton Riverside. Davao was then ruled by a Muslimchieftain, Datu Bago, who held his settlement at the banks of Davao River (once called Tagloc River by the Bagobos). After Uyanguren defeated Datu Bago, he renamed the region Nueva Guipúzcoa, in honor of his home in Spain, and became its first governor. Uyanguren's efforts to develop the area, however, did not prosper.
A few years after the Americanforces landed in 1900, private farm ownership grew and transportation and communication facilities were improved, thus paving the way for the region's economic growth.
A Japaneseentrepreneur named Kichisaburo Ohta was granted permission to exploit vast territories which he transformed into abacáand coconutplantations. The first wave of Japanese plantation workers came onto its shores in 1903, creating a Little Japan. They had their own school, newspapers, an embassy, and even a ShintoShrine. On the whole, they established extensive abaca plantations around the shores of Davao Gulf and developed large-scale commercial interests such as copra, timber, fishing and import-export trading. Filipinos learned the techniques of improved cultivation from the Japanese so that ultimately, agriculture became the lifeblood of the province's economic prosperity.
Davao was formally inaugurated as a chartered cityon March 1, 1937 by President Manuel L. Quezon. Thirty years later, Davao was subdivided into three independent provinces, namely Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental. Over the years, Davao has become an ethnic melting pot as it continues to draw migrants from all over the country, lured by the prospects of striking it rich in the country's third largest city.
On December 8, 1941 Japanese planes bombed the city. Japanese occupation started in 1942.
In 1945, American and the Philippine Commonwealth forces liberated Davao City from Japanese forces.
Culture and Heritage
Easy assimilation is an integral essence of multi-cultural Davao. Being a chartered city, it has grown appreciating differences in culture and tradition by numerous ethnic groups that integrated easily to the local tribes already present during its infancy as a city.
Like most cities in the country, Catholics largely populate Davao. Christian churches and chapels dot the city's landscape along with some temples, mosques, and other places of worship.
Another Spanish influence that remains up to this day is the observance and celebration of barrios (or villages) of the day of their respective patron saint called "Fiesta". It is in these celebrations wherein songs, dances and other forms of arts and merrymaking from various cultures have evolved creatively into the sights and sounds of Davao now. Such showcases point to its ultimate climax as the celebration of all celebrations - the weeklong Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival.
Geography
.
The land area of Davao City is 2,443.61 square kilometers. It is divided into 3 congressional districts, which are further divided into 11 administrative districts containing a total of 184 barangays. Almost 50% of its total land area is classified as timberlandor forest. Agriculture utilizes about 43%. This is reflective of the fact that agriculture is still the largest economic sector. Big plantations that produce banana, pineapple, coffee, and coconuteat up a large chunk of the total land area.
Location
Davao City is approximately 588 statute miles southeast of Manila.
Traveling by sea, its location from Manila and Cebu is 971 and 593 nautical miles (1,098 km) respectively.
It is the capital of the Mindanao and is the biggest urban market in the growth polygon called BIMP-EAGA (Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asian Growth Area)
Presently, built-up areas used for residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial purposes represent about 10% of the total land area. Under the approved land use plan built-up and settlement area will cover 15% of the total area while agricultural will be maximized with 67.19%. The remaining 17.68 will be devoted to forestry and conservation.
Climate
Davao City is typhoon-free due to it's location. Hurricanes and tidal waves are blocked by a large volcano. The city enjoys a weather that remains balmy all year round. It is characterized by a uniform distribution of rainfall, temperature, humidity, and air pressure. It has no pronounced wet or dry season. Weather predictability makes it highly conducive to agricultural production. Temperature ranges from 20 to 32 degrees Celsiusand average rainfall is up to 2,000 mm yearly.
Language
Cebuanoor Bisaya is the most widely spoken language in the city, while Tagalogcomes a distant second. Bisaloglish, an informal mixing of the above languages, is spoken as well. Englishis the medium of instruction in schools and is widely understood and spoken especially in the business community and for all official documents.Religion
The most dominant group is the Roman Catholicat 83%, other Christian groups comprise 15% such as Protestant churches, Evangelicals, Born Again, Ang Dating Daan, Iglesia ni Cristo and the remaining 1.17% belongs to other non-Christian faiths (Islam)
Accessibility
Davao City is very accessible and is the gateway to the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area or BIMP-EAGA.
By land
You will find roaming around the city streets accessible by the number of buses, jeepneys, multicabs, cabs (taxi) that run the city streets. Getting your way around Davao City is never a problem with the mode of transportation available.
Davao City also offers a wide bus network connection to major cities and provinces, not only in Mindanao but even as far as Manila and Pasay City in Luzon. Davao City is connected to Manila by a series of roll on roll off or inter-island ferry connection. You can reach Davao City by bus to and from all of the Cities in Mindanao like Cotabato, Kidapawan, Digos, General Santos, Koronadal, Isulan, Tacurong, Tagum, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Surigao, Butuan, Cebu city and Pasay City in Manila.
By sea
The city is also served by passenger ferries throughout the Philippines at Sasa Wharf and Sta. Ana Wharf.
- Sulpicio Linestwice weekly from Manila.
- SuperFerrytwice weekly to Manila.
By air
You can also travel to and from Davao City at ease as it has direct flights to major cities in the Philippines and some Asian Cities. Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao International Airport) is currently being served by the following carriers:
- Cebu Pacific4 flights weekly to Cagayan de Oro City, 3 flights daily to Cebu City, 3x flights weekly to Iloilo City, 6 daily flights to Manila, and Once daily flight to Zamboanga City
- Philippine Airlines7 flights daily flights to Manila and daily flights to Cebu City.
- PAL ExpressOnce daily flight to Zamboanga
- SilkAir4 flights weekly to Singapore
- Zest AirwaysOnce daily flight to Manila
Economy
Davao City is the "Crown Jewel" of Mindanao in terms of economic activity. It is the most important economy in the island and the third most important urban center in the Philippines.
Like the rest of the country, Davao City operates on an economic system that is market-oriented, although pricing mechanisms remain regulated in a few sectors (particularly on basic commodities) to protect consumers. The competitiveness of the market has been enhanced through the dismantling of protection for "infant industries" and the breakdown of industries with monopolistic or cartel tendencies.
On the international front, the economy has been opened up to global competition, through a tariff, private investments has Davao City's economy is steadily growing in the last two decades. The City has shifted counting investments from millions in the 80s to billions in the 90s and pool of skilled workforce. With over 1.2-Million people as primary market base, the city is conducive to business as evidenced by the presence of the country's top 200 companies. Inflow of investments has been remarkable in the last ten years. Export in the City is now billion dollar industry with a growing niche market for its products. The stable banana and flourishing pineapple industries are among the country's leading export commodities. A net exporter since 1987, Davao City largely contributed in making the Philippines as the world's, papaya, mangoosten, and even flowers.
The productive linkages between established businesses and Davao City community reinforced the competitive quality of life in a city that has consistently maintained single digit inflation rate since 1993. Along with flourishing investments and exports, the low inflation rate serve as concrete illustration of the remarkable gains from Davao City's sustained competitiveness nurtured by high level of responsiveness of the local government which put priority focus in facilitating business-friendly initiatives and in ensuring a peaceful and prosperous environment.
Government
-
Main article: Districts of Davao City
Unique to the local government set-up of the city is the designation of a deputy mayor by the city mayor. Although an appointed official only, the deputy mayor serves as a direct link to the city mayor, especially for people living outside the city proper. The deputy mayor also serves as the city mayor's representative in community events. The functions of the position are considered complementary to the functions of the city vice-mayor, given the large territorial jurisdiction of the city.
The city is politically subdivided into 184 barangays.
The current mayor of Davao City is Rodrigo Duterte, a former government prosecutorand congressman. He is assisted by city vice-mayor Sara Duterte, his daughter.
Davao City comprises 184 barangays with three legislative districts. The City Government of Davao is now proposing to add two more Congressional Districts.
Security and Civil Defense
The city government has invested millions of pesosto ensure the security of people living and working in Davao City. Aside from the usual forces of the Philippine National Police, a special military task force has been formed to insulate the city from terrorist attacks and other forms of criminality. The Task Force Davao, as it is named, is affiliated with the Philippine Armyand is headed by an army colonel.
The city government also maintains a 24-hour emergency response system patterned after the 9-1-1systems in Canada and the United States. People can dial the 911 number to report emergencies and criminal incidents.
A curfewon minors is also observed in the city. All business establishments, in particular barsand discos, are mandated by a city ordinance to refrain from selling alcoholic drinks beyond 2:00 am. Also, motorcycledrivers with no helmets and motorists with defective lights are not allowed to enter or drive in the city. Regular checkpoints in key parts of Davao City and at the city boundaries are conducted 24 hours to ensure the strict implementation of traffic rules.
The use of fireworksand other similar pyrotechnics, as well as smoking, is strictly prohibited in most of the city. Even outdoors, if you are under a roof of any kind, you are prohibited from smoking. Violators are made to pay hefty fines, perform community service, serve jail time, or a combination of the three. Littering is also prohibited.
Davao death squads
The Davao Death Squads or DDS, are a vigilantegroup active in Davao City. The group is allegedly responsible for summary executions of delinquents and drug traffickersin Davao. As of August 2, 2004 the Mindanao Times counted 52 summary-killing incidents involving the DDS. [2] The International Herald Tribune reports that in the first three months of 2005 there were 72 executions. [3]
According to Amnesty Internationaland local human rights groups, since 1998 over 300 people have been killed in Davao City by death squads.[4] Amnesty Internationalstates, Killings and extrajudicial executions continued throughout the year, particularly of criminal suspects. In Mindanao many such killings, including those of minors, were attributed to the so-called “Davao Death Squad” vigilante group. It was reported that local officials in some areas advocated a “shoot to kill” policy with respect to criminal suspects resisting arrest.[5] In 2004, Thousands of people protested the killings in a "walk for peace" and ecumenical prayer service.[6]
Foreign Relations
The influx of foreign visitors and the presence of expatriatesand migrantsin the city have prompted the governments of Japan, Malaysia, Indonesiaand the United States to open consular offices in the city.
The US Embassy in the Philippines opened a virtual consulate where inquiries regarding visaissuances, foreign relations concerns and travel to the United States can be made on the Internet by e-mailand chat. The virtual consulate website [1]is maintained in coordination with Ateneo de Davao University, University of Mindanao, University of the Immaculate Conception, Holy Cross of Davao College and AMA Computer College.
Physical Infrastructure
The presence of basic infrastructure within the city such as airport, seaports, roads, bridges, telecommunications, condominiums, mallsand first class hotels has sustained the economic growth in the last 10 years. Due to the city's unprecedented growth, a clamor for higher capacity infrastructures resulted to a number of modernization projects now ongoing to meet the demands of the new millennium.
Airport
The Francisco Bangoy International Airport(Davao International Airport) is the busiest airport in Mindanao. Expansion and modernization began in 1998. Today, the new DIA (opened in December 2003) has begun accommodating larger jets such as the Boeing 747, the Airbus A330and the Airbus A340.
Roads and Bridges
Construction of more roads and bridges are also underway. The construction of the City's third major road - the Buhangin underpass was completed in the 1st quarter of 2003. A Traffic Management and Computerization Scheme was also implemented. The traffic lights in the city is considered as the most modern in Asia.[8] Davao City is ranked no. 5 among cities in Asia with better traffic flow based on vehicles per kilometer of city road. T