GOOD BYE DAVAO

GOOD BYE DAVAO

The following day, January 14th we left the Beach Resort at 7:00 a.m. together with the honeymooners Joy and Ramon Fuentesjuna of Cebu City. We heard Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral at downtown Davao. After the Mass we went our way to the Bankerohan Market. We bought pork, mangoes, papayas, bananas and vegetables. Afterwards we taxied to Victoria Plaza and ate at VP Garden. There we left our basket of goodies while we watched “Muling Umawit ang Puso”.

After the movie we walked a round the mall, had snacks at VP Garden then proceeded to Insular Hotel where we killed time while Bebot, the room boy wrapped our basket. Er Abellalosa, the other tour guide, was also there to help. I bought some souvenirs.

Comment: In other countries that we have visited the tour guide always reminded us to be careful with our personal belongings like the clutch bags and wallets, as there were pickpockets and snatchers everywhere. I thought our guide Ariel was only exaggerating that in Davao we could feel at home as we could walk around anywhere without fear of being molested by anyone.

He almost guaranteed our safety even from drug addicts, as there were none. Indeed we felt the veracity of his sales talk when we went out later without a guide. Everyone was very courteous and always willing to give a helping hand with a smile. No doubt the Good Lord gifted Davao with good rainfall, evenly distributed on different areas, absence of typhoon and almost never bothered by earthquake. Davao was not only green and unpolluted, it was also clean, and I mean clean as in C-L-E-A-N, not only at Pearl Farm Beach Resort where we were billeted but also in downtown Davao or at the Wet Market like Bankerohan. I only noticed a few litters of dry leave and some crumpled papers at Carpenter road late in the afternoon.

It was all because Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was good in IMPLEMENTING LAWS and was vigilant on law-breakers who were always punished accordingly.

If it was possible in Davao City, the biggest in the whole world, it could also be possible in a small community like Alfonso in Cavite. The name Davao evolved from the word davo-davo, meaning fire, because according to legend it was in that place that different tribes used to fight each other and it was always hot with fire of war.

Even plants were seemingly happy in Davao. No student can graduate from elementary and high school without planting at least one plant. The secret is discipline through strong political will.