THINK ON THESE – Davao City turns 79

Beautiful flowers, particularly the waling-waling, bloom in Davao City. It is not only the ornamental flowers that bloom yearlong but also that of the fruit trees — durian, mangosteen, pomelo, mango, papaya, guava, lanzones, rambutan, coffee, cacao, and banana.
Today Davao City turns 79. It has been almost eight decades since Davao became a city. From a sleepy city, it has now turned into a bustling metropolis. From Asia’s “murder capital” it is now one of the safest city in the world.
Today, Davao City not just blooms — it also booms.
An example of it booming is its population. Based on the 2015 census done by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Davao City’s population has grown to 1.9 million, 300,000 more than its 2010 head count.
Maria Leah Magracia, PSA senior statistical analyst, foresees that the city’s population may swell to 2 million as more people from nearby provinces and other parts of the country migrate to city.
Davao City, which serves are the region’s center, continues to attract migrants. Government regional offices, big businesses, and industries make Davao as a bustling hub.
Even with the changes in the city’s landscape and buzz, it is still considered as one of the best places to retire.
Zipporah Antonio, who works as a content writer of Housing Interactive, Inc., wrote about Davao as a place where “modern meets the old.”
“Indeed, this dynamic province is a perfect marriage of traditional culture and cosmopolitan living. It may have the usual hustle and bustle of city life, but it is able to retain that ‘small town’ feel. Signs of Davao’s progress and success are seen through the rise of developments throughout the area. This is mainly to accommodate the burgeoning number of expat and local communities,” he said.
“Its rich history, picturesque landscapes, breathtaking islands, exciting water-related activities, and remarkable tourist destinations are few of the main reasons that make the province an interesting place for retirement. Likewise, the cost of living is definitely more affordable than Metro Manila and Cebu,” he further added.
In 2006, Davao City hosted the tourism forum of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“Davao is slow compared to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Manila, and Cebu,” wrote Ernie Abella, editor of Madayaw, a magazine that was released in conjunction with the event. “But you can get from sea to mountain by the time you finish the juice of a fresh coconut.”
There are several reasons why Davao is considered as one of the top tourist destinations in the country.
The visitors of the website toptens.com gave some reasons on why the city is such a good place to visit.
“With its unique emergency response system, you can call 911 in whatever situation you are in. The city is known for its tight security and strict implementation of the law,” wrote one visitor. “It is also known to be the ‘fruit basket of the Philippines;’ from the exotic durian and mangosteen to one of the most exported product of the Philippines, banana, you will find all of them here.”
Another commented that “Davao City is one of the most livable cities in Asia. It has a very low percentage of crime. It is not only typhoon-free but so far has not been visited by a huge typhoon or any great disaster. Davao City also has very delicious and very cold clean water.”
Along with its progress, Davao City also has to address several issues that come with growth.
One issue that needs to be addressed is the sea-level rise, a direct result of climate change, which may cause destruction in the city.
The Business Risk Assessment and the Management of Climate Change Impacts, published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), said the most likely to be affected by the rise in sea level are the city’s seaports.
“Located along the relatively shallow channel between the city and Samal Island, these port facilities are a nerve center for Davao City’s economy, and serve a variety of ships handling both cargo and passengers,” the risk assessment said.
Another problem the city needs to address is water.
“Davao has traditionally tapped surface water from its rivers as its main water source,” the WWF/BPI report said.
“It prides itself in the relatively high quality of its drinking water. However, salt intrusion has already been reported in city districts to shore, especially in portions of the city where groundwater extraction continues. Sea-level rise may aggravate this situation.”
Despite all these problems, Davao City has gone a long, long way. And who knows, its current mayor may soon become the country’s highest official.