27 years in Davao: The city is now a powerhouse

27 years in Davao: The city is now a powerhouse | Daily Tribune

So when I learned that Davao City’s economy reached P601.68 billion in 2025, growing by 4.8 percent, I didn’t just nod and move on. I paused and thought about the years that had passed, the roads I had taken, the people I had met — and the long journey that brings me back to this city I still call home.

According to the latest Provincial Product Accounts of the Philippine Statistics Authority, Davao City is now among the Top 10 largest economies in the country. That’s not Top 10 in Mindanao, but Top 10 in the entire Philippines.

Davao City is the only economy outside Luzon to make the national Top 10 list. We accounted for 2.6 percent of the country’s total Gross Domestic Product.

Among all highly urbanized cities in the Visayas and Mindanao, we’re first and in a different league. Cebu City, our closest rival, sits at P353.81 billion. We’re at P601.68 billion — nearly double (FYI, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Klarex Uy). CDO is at P317.41 billion. General Santos, our neighbor and friendly rival, is at P152.60 billion.

There’s no need to brag because the numbers tell one story, but let me tell you about the Davao I’ve seen, lived in, and come back to over the years.

In the early 2000s, I remember going to a friend’s place in Sasa where the roads were still unpaved, and the tricycle drivers knew everyone by name. Today, that same area has subdivisions, malls, hotels, and business establishments.

I remember when people from other provinces would ask, “Safe ba dyan sa Davao?” and I’d say yes, then explain why — because the city had something most places didn’t: consistency, order, and rules that applied to everyone, whether you were a taxi driver or a businessman.

I’ve seen the influx of investors, migrants, tourists, and retirees. I’ve seen BPO offices rise where warehouses once stood. I’ve seen farmers from Bukidnon and Davao del Norte bring their harvests to Bankerohan and go home with better prices because the market here is bigger now. I’ve seen tourists come for Kadayawan and stay for coffee and more.

That P601.68 billion is the sum of millions of everyday choices: vendors opening stalls, families buying their first motorcycles and cars, entrepreneurs registering their first businesses, and workers showing up every day.

And the city is not done yet. The Davao Bus Project will bring a 672-kilometer modern bus network, with around 1,000 buses, including electric units, and more than 1,000 designated stops. It could give hundreds of thousands of commuters a real alternative to the daily traffic grind.

Then there’s the 45.5-kilometer Davao City Bypass Road, which aims to cut travel time between Toril and Panabo, Davao del Norte, from nearly two hours to 49 minutes. With full operation projected for 2028, it will open another route along the city’s shoreline while connecting communities that have long dealt with limited access.

Davao is slowly saying goodbye to its “spaghetti wires” as utility lines move underground, making major streets safer, cleaner, and more orderly. Work is already underway, with more roads next in line.

These projects won’t make traffic disappear overnight. But they could change the way we move around Davao — and maybe, finally, give us back the time we’ve all lost too much of.

Definitely, these infra projects are promises for the next generation, not the next elections.

I’m a Dabawenyo, so I’m proud to see our city growing. Real progress means making sure that growth is felt not only in business districts, but also in every barangay and every household.

The P601.68-billion economy is something to celebrate, and it gives us an opportunity to do more to improve access to water, decent jobs, reliable transportation, and quality education as part of that growth.

The goal is simple: a stronger economy that creates better opportunities and a better quality of life for every Dabawenyo.

Twenty-seven years ago, I came here uncertain. Today, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

I’ve watched this city become the undisputed giant of the south. I’ve watched it carry Mindanao’s economy on its shoulders. And I’ve watched it do it while still feeling like a place where people know their neighbors.

More than growing, Davao City is leading. And as someone who chose to make this city my home, I can say with confidence: Davao earned it.