Metro Davao

Metro Davao Kalakhang Dabaw Kadakhang Dabaw Zona Metropolitana de la Ciudad de Davao
Metropolitan Area
Metropolitan Davao
Skyline of Davao City
Map of Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur showing the location of Metro Davao
Country	Philippines
Region	Davao Region (Region XI)
Province(s) Covered	Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur
Area
• Land	4,041.39 km2 (1,576.14 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,262,518
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)

Metro Davao, officially called Metropolitan Davao (Cebuano: Kaulohang Dabaw, Filipino: Kalakhang Dabaw), is a metropolitan area in the Philippines. It includes the cities of Davao City, Digos in Davao del Sur, Tagum, Panabo and Samal in Davao del Norte. The metropolitan area also encompasses the two municipalities of Carmen in Davao del Norte and Santa Cruz in Davao del Sur. Metro Davao is one of twelve metropolitan areas in the Philippines.^[1] However, unlike Metro Manila, Metro Davao does not have a formal legal framework, such as a metropolitan development council (although it has a de facto one) to stand on, existing not as a juridical entity but only as an informal reference to the area.

History

Comparison to Other Philippines' Metropolitan Regions

The agglomeration of Metro Davao has no formal legal framework early on its initial stage of development process either by an act of Congress, by an executive declaration of the President or by a formal agreement among component cities and municipalities of the metropolitan area.

In the case of Metro Manila, the component cities and municipalities were grouped into a province through a [decree issued by then-President Ferdinand Marcos, and designated the former first lady Imelda Marcos as governess. From then on, Greater Manila, as it was known earlier, became Metro Manila.

To formalize its juridical identity, Congress passed into law Republic Act No. 7924, instituting the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Under the current law, the head of the agency shall be appointed by the President and should not be on a concurrent elected position as mayor.

Metro Cebu is a concept created in the 70's and formally adopted by the Regional Development Council of Central Visayas as a platform for integrating parallel development in the metropolitan area.

Formation of the Metropolitan Area

Although Metro Davao was formed in 1995 by mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the mayor of Davao City at that time, it does not have the birth perspective of either Metro Cebu or Metro Manila. The metropolitan concept of Metro Davao is being spearheaded by the mayor but no formal agreement or an act of congress have been executed to formalize its legal and juridical identity.

Government

Metro Davao is not an administrative political unit but an agglomeration of independent local government units (LGUs), the third level government in the Philippine political system. However, it already has its three own governance councils, namely: Davao Integrated Development Program Board, Metropolitan Davao Committee, and Metropolitan Davao Management Office. As of now, the Davao Regional Development Council serves as the metropolitan area's development council, since Metro Davao not only defines the LGUs in the said metropolitan area, but also all of Davao Region.^[2]

Definitions of Metro Davao

As years passed on, the definitions of Metro Davao had changed in recent years.^[3] Metro Davao, as of now, has taken on three identical geographical definitions,^[4] namely:

• The metropolitan area is synonymous with Davao City itself, since the city is one of the largest cities in the world by land area and its land area encompasses as more than six times the size of Metro Manila and three times the size of Metro Cebu.

• The metropolitan area encompasses Davao City and, not counting their provinces, its adjoining cities and towns of Tagum, Panabo, Digos, and Samal, Carmen, and Sta. Cruz.

• The metropolitan area refers to Davao City and its nearby four provinces, namely: Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental Davao del Sur,and Davao Occidental^{[note 1]}

Note

Component Local Government Units

Geography and Demographics

The metropolitan area has 4041.39 km², making it one of the two most area-wise largest metropolitan areas in the Philippines, the other being Metro Cagayan de Oro; it also has a population of 2,274,913 in the combined population sizes of the local government units that make up the metropolitan area during the 2010 LGPMS Census, making it as the third most populous metropolitan area in the country after Metro Manila and Metro Cebu, and the most populous in the entire Mindanao island.

However, as based on geographical studies, only about 12% of the portion of its land area accounts for its urban area, the rest are rural; yet, almost 80% percent of the population live in the urban areas, primarily at Davao City, Tagum City, and Digos City. Thus, the metropolitan area centered around Davao City is considered as urban.

Economy

The economy of Metro Davao is one of the largest in the country and the most economically active in Mindanao. Davao City, its metropolitan center, is known as the Crown Jewel of Mindanao because it is the premier city, the financial and trade center, and hub of Mindanao. It also has the greatest economic activity, population, urban build-up and modern amenities in Mindanao, and is the single most important economy in the island as well as the third most important urban center in the Philippines. It is also the largest city in the BIMP-EAGA Economic Circle, a subregional economic cooperation initiative in Southeast Asia.

Tagum City, from being a predominantly agricultural area, has become Mindanao's fastest-rising urban city due to its strategic location, being in the crossroads between the rural areas of Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley and at the urban Metropolitan Davao itself.

List of Cities in Metro Davao by Annual Income

Agriculture

Davao City is one of the country's leading producers and exporters of durian, mangoes, pomeloes, banana, coconut products, papaya, mangosteen, and even flowers. Panabo hosts one of the country's biggest banana plantations, which is owned by the Tagum Agricultural Development Company (TADECO) that covers around 6,900 hectares of banana fields. Digos is popular for the mangoes produced in the city.

Education

Metro Davao has a number of educational institutions catering to the needs of its residents. These colleges and universities are mostly found in Davao City. There are also a number of international schools that serve the metro. Here are some notable institutions in Metro Davao.

Public

• University of the Philippines Mindanao (1995)
• University of Southeastern Philippines (1978)
• Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (1982)
• Davao del Norte State College (1995)

Private

• Ateneo de Davao University (1948)
• Philippine Women's College of Davao (1953)
• University of Mindanao (1946)
• University of the Immaculate Conception (1905)
• Holy Cross of Davao College (1951)
• San Pedro College (1956)
• Davao Doctors College (1975)
• Davao Medical School Foundation(1976)
• Cor Jesu College (1959)
• St. Mary's College of Tagum (1948)
• Brokenshire College (1954)
• Holy Child College of Davao (1981)
• Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku (2002)
• Academia de Davao College (2007)
• Polytechnic College of Davao del Sur (1986)

Infrastructure

Airport

Francisco Bangoy International Airport is the main international airport serving Metropolitan Davao.

The international airport in Davao City, Davao City International Airport, is the largest and most developed in Mindanao, has the second longest runway in the island after that of General Santos International Airport, and the third busiest in the country, after Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Mactan-Cebu International Airport. It can handle both domestic and international flights, serving several flights to Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, and as far as Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, South Korea, Manado, Indonesia, and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; it is the only airport in the island to handle flights like these. Its ATC Tower is the most advanced in the country. The airport serves as the main international gateway to the entire Mindanao island and as well as Metro Davao.

Seaport

The International Seaport of Davao is the busiest port in the Visayas-Mindanao region.

Three of the four main seaports operate in Metro Davao, namely: Sasa International Seaport in Sasa and Sta. Ana Pier in the Chinatown District, both in Davao City; and Panabo Seaport in Davao del Norte. The former two, both of which are located in Port of Davao in Davao City, can service both interisland and international shipments. Sasa International Container Port, also located in the Davao International Seaport, is the busiest in the entire Visayas-Mindanao region.

Media

Davao City, having over a million night-time population and an estimated 4 million day-time population is home to many media outlets. Large media networks like ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network, GMA Network, Inc., TV5, National Broadcasting Network, and RPN9 maintain their respective local stations and branches for viewership, commercial and news coverage purposes. Most of these stations broadcast local news and public affairs as well as entertainment and dramas to cater the local viewers.

Moreover, there are cable television operations in the city offering for a free worldwide array of television stations for news, sports, science and technology, movies and documentaries, history and natural sciences, action and sci-fi, lifestyle and fashion, cartoons and children's shows, entertainment and showbiz-oriented programs and more.

Aside from the 24 national daily newspapers available, Davao City also has 20 local newspapers. Among the widely read are the Sun Star Davao and Mindanao Times.

References

v t e Metropolitan areas of the Philippines Angeles Bacolod Baguio Batangas Cagayan de Oro Cebu Dagupan Davao Iloilo-Guimaras Manila Naga Olongapo