Ang Dabawenyo

When you go around town, you’ll notice quite a few ongoing construction projects and new restaurants and coffee shops. There are more businesses registered with the Department of Trade & Industry, albeit mostly SMEs. It really looks like Davao City is a boomtown again. But if you look closely, you might notice some things that are a bit disappointing. Like how they’re half-baked.

For example, a restaurant that looks magnificent on the outside, and might even be quite presentable inside… but doesn’t spend a peso on staff training. Or — and here’s a pet peeve of mine — a well-designed and glossy brochure that you know cost an arm and a leg to produce… but the literature is poorly written.

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I couldn’t believe I let myself walk into a McDonald’s today. It was past one in the morning and none of my preferred joints were open anymore, and I was hankering for french fries. Still, I didn’t order any of their meat burgers — I had a Fillet-o-Fish, believing as I want to that  it’s a less unhealthy form of fast food. (Wonder what kind of fish they put in it though…)  It tasted awfully like cardboard.

The whole time since after college, I’ve eaten at McDonald’s (or at Jollibee for that matter) maybe a little more than a dozen times all in all. No kidding. Aside from fast food being full of fat, cholesterol, sodium, etc., somehow the McDonald’s outlets here in Davao just aren’t the same.

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It’s not officially Christmas season yet, but in the Philippines it already is. It’s not even December yet, but malls, restaurants, shops, etc. have started adorning their places with Christmas decor. Such is the Filipino Christmas spirit. And it’s no different in Davao.

Take a look at Victoria Plaza. Their Christmas tree — which has become an expected fixture during the Yuletide season — is already up and brightly shining. The mall’s suurounding parking area is festooned with a thousand colorful lights, it looks so festive! Read more »

Recently, a reader left a comment on one of my posts regarding the importance of blogging as a means of getting a message across. Curious, I clicked on her name’s link, and it brought me to an advocacy blog called In Defense of our Safety. The way I see it, the blog is (1) an effort to document the blog owners’ activities concerning an issue they feel strongly about; and, (2) a way to let the community know about what’s going on.

What is going on? Well, apparently, there is a growing concern for the safety of the residents of Trinidad Greenhills in Ma-a. New housing developments, in their drive to complete more residential projects, are reportedly neglecting the safety of existing homeowners and their properties. Read more »

Undas. Kalag-kalag. Day of the Dead. Technically — according to the Catholic Church — 1 November is actually All Saints’ Day; it’s the day after that’s supposed to be the day for remembering our departed relatives. But in traditional practice (one might even say it’s now part of our culture), millions of Filipinos troop to cemeteries on the 1st of November. That’s why each year, the President has to declare that day a non-working holiday.

(This year, even 2 November has been declared a holiday, by virtue of its being sandwiched between a holiday and the weekend. Is it logical? Go ask business owners. But that’s for another post….) Read more »

The past years’ Kadayawan sa Dabaw celebrations, it’s been thought, have veered away from the authentic spirit of this most important of Davao’s festivals. People have started talking about how ‘commercialized’ the Kadayawan has become over the years. And this probably explains the knee-jerk reaction by this year’s organizers — their unexpected move to change the festival’s schedule.

The city officials responsible for Kadayawan 2007 have reasoned that, since this festival is all about the harvest season, then it should be celebrated during the actual time of harvest, which is early August. This was monumentally unwise. But it’s a good thing that the festival highlights (the Indak-Indak and the floral float parade) were kept on the same period as usual (middle of August). Read more »

I heard from a reliable source in the travel industry that the organizers of the Kadayawan sa Dabaw are seriously considering moving the festival’s dates! This is going to be a huge mistake, if it happens. Philippine festivals are probably our #1 tourist attraction: that is, it’s our best way of pulling tourist arrivals. What does this mean? Simple: visitors to Davao, especially those who come for Kadayawan, plan their vacations way ahead of August.

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Took this photo while in a cab, just before the ramp of Bankerohan Bridge. By now we all know the traffic situation in that part of the city due to the impassability of Bankerohan Bridge I. And look! Right above these jaywalkers is a pedestrian overpass…. Read more »

Somehow I haven’t witnessed any expressions of gratitude or jubilation after the installation of new traffic lights all over the city. Some say that’s because of the traffic accidents that have happened ever since. And this, in turn, is apparently due to Davaoeños’ not being used to so many traffic lights.

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Yesterday, after a pleasant time with my friends Bob & Feyma Martin, I wrapped up some loose ends for the day and proceeded to one of my favorite cafés to unwind. Basti’s is usually a bustling place at that time of day, and this foreigner didn’t have a table, so he asked if he could sit with me. Well, why not, I thought, share a table and win a friend! And so I did. Read more »