Davao City travel info, things to do in Davao City, places to see in Davao City

Davao City is touted to be the largest city in the Philippines even though the central commercial areas only extend so much. Davao, like the rest of Mindanao, suffers from the collective stigma of bombs and insurgencies. But that is like saying it's dangerous in California because someone got mugged in New York. More than any other city in Mindanao, Davao is the most peaceful, thanks in large part to the iron-fist of its controversial mayor, Rodrigo Duterte. TIME Magazine proclaims him as The Punisher and Listverse describes him as "the most badass mayor in the history of world...with justice, served ice cold". Regular city folks love him for keeping their streets drug-free and crime-free. Criminals on the other hand leave town...or else!

Great Things Going for Davao City

Davao has a 911 system where response is swift and effective - nowhere else in the Philippines
peace and order is Davao is unparralled in the entire country with respect to cities of the same size and population base
one of the cleanest potable water in the country
smoking is banned from commercial establishments
pineapple samurais are endemic here and nowhere else in the country (pineapple vendors who cut-up whole pineapples into chunks with just a few strokes of their carving knives)
public utility drivers conspicuously display their IDs
durian Mecca of the Philippines (not to mention Marang, Mangosteen and Sweet Pomelo)
the Waling-waling flower, the "Queen of Philippine flowers", can be found here
Davao is the de facto home of the Philippine Eagle, the largest of the extant eagles in the world
taxi drivers still give you change...even small change!
if you want to go to the mall in Davao, there's SM, Abreeza, NCCC, etc. But if you want to go white water rafting or scuba diving, it's only minutes away. If you want to climb a mountain, the highest peak, Mt. Apo looms mighty on the horizon. Davao offers a broad spectrum very few cities can rival
Davao is practically impervious to typhoons - when it rains for a full day, you can bet the rest of the country is experiencing floods

Not So Great Things Going Against Davao City

the weighing scale of fruit vendors specially the durian push cart vendors are a blatant cheat - sometimes showing almost twice the actual weight
some beggars are becoming aggressive - they poke you and get in front of you while you're walking

Davao City in a Nutshell:

Ethnic makeup - its a melting pot of local tribes and migrants from the Visayas and Luzon
Religion - predominantly Catholic with a strong presence of the Muslim minority
Climate - typhoon-free since tropical storms and tidal waves are blocked by a peninsula. Balmy all year round weather. Temperature ranges from 20 to 32 degrees
Land area - 2,443.61 square kilometers
Location - southern most part of the Philippines
Language - Cebuano and Tagalog. English is universally understood and spoken. It's the medium of instruction in the school system
Peace and order situation - under the helm of Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, Davao City is almost crime-free
Population - 1,363,330 (2007 census)

Davao City travel info and tips, things to do in Davao City, places to see in Davao City