Ibong Adarna is real! And Prinsipe Juan is hiding somewhere. Can you see him? LOL!

Here's a list of the Schedule of Activities for Araw ng Dabaw 2013

I know I've wrapped up my "Davao: Life is Here" posts last week, but then I realized I wasn't able to include the newest and one of the must-see places in Davao City - the New Cinematheque Davao. So yeah, please bear with me.


Let's admit it, in a world where entertainment revolves mostly on mainstream movies, it's very difficult to find a place where you can get a doze of Indie Films. There are hundreds of great Indie Films coming from different parts of the world, but the problem is, they rarely reach the concrete walls of movie theaters, probably because of budget constraints and what not. Good thing there's Philippine Cinematheque, a vital part of the Sineng Pambansa or National Cinema Program of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), whose mission  is to "bring Filipino films to Filipinos"

I hope you're not yet tired reading about my Davao: Life Is Here posts. I promise this is the last one. =p

After touring around the metro the whole day, we finally retired and  had our snacks at Zabadani Cafe, an Islamic Ethnic Restaurant that serves authentic halal foods derived from Syria. Zabadani is an Aramaic term, which means "core of goodness".


[photos below courtesy of Gian]

One of the perks of being a blogger is that, not only that you get to dine for free, but you also get to try all the bestsellers in the house. During our Davao Bloggers Tour, we had our lunch at Lachi's Sans Rival Atbp. I've been hearing a lot of great raves about this resto, but I never got around to try it because the place is too far from where I live. Anyway, I'm glad that I was able to finally visit during our Familiariazation tour.

(c) Fra of Davao City Life

The house served all the bestsellers in their menu, so you could just imagine how us, bloggers, went gaga over the food.....taking pictures of the food, that is! LOL!

Anyway, here's what was served on our table (Photos below courtesy of Gian, our official photographer during the tour.):

I remember when I was still in Grade School, my classmates and I would often go to PTA Grounds after class and eat green mangoes with spicy bagoong. Back then, it was just a plain ol' soccer field where people could practice and jog around the oval. Our school used to conduct foundation celebrations and intramurals there, too. I studied at SPED de La Salle (formerly SPED Rizal), by the way . Fast forward 10 years, a theme park grew out of that boring soccer field, and is now one of the most visited places in Davao City.



People's Park opened its gates to the public on December 15, 2007 and was predicted to become the famous landmark of Davao City in the future, although I think it already is famous now. The 4-hectare park was baptized through a "Name a Park" contest conducted by the city government, through which the winner, Romeo Sardon, bagged 50,000php as the grand prize. The park showcases tropical rain forest trees, interactive fountains, large sculptures of native tribes, ponds, waterfalls, a sunken garden, Durian dome, and an open plaza among others.  This theme park is located in the heart of Davao, along Palma Gil street.

Check out these amazing views! (Thanks Fra Diavalo Jamir for the photos)

If you're visiting Davao and you want to get your hands on the best Davao treats and souvenirs, head over to Pasalubong Center. Here you can find Davao made goodies such as indigenous accessories, key chains, bags, sarongs, and of course, the infamous Durian candy among others.



Pasalubong Center was established through the initiative of Mayor Sara Duterte and is supported by the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and other tourism sectors and private organizations. The goal of this project is to create more opportunities for Davao-based SME (small-medium enterprise).

Check out what's in stored for you!

I've been existing in this planet for 26 years, 23 of those were spent in Davao City. I was born to a family who's roots are planted in the northern part of the Philippines. My mother is from Nueva Ecija, while my father is from Pangasinan. In our home, we use tagalog as our main dialect. But whenever people would tease me of being "taga-luzon" everytime they hear me speak tagalog, I would always but in and say I am a true blue dabawenya, loud and proud! I was born and raised in Davao, this is my homeland.

I love this shot! Thank you Gian! =)

For 23 years, I have been pampered with a feast of familiar establishments that have gone through several transformations through the years. I know everything about this city. Wait! Really? Well, that's what I thought until last Saturday when we toured around familiar places and felt an unfamiliar ambiance that I truly enjoyed. That's when it hit me. I haven't truly experienced being out on the streets to get in touch and savor the land I grew up in. I'm really thankful that we took time to visit these iconic establishments:

D'Bone Collector Musuem Inc. is the first musuem in Mindanao to showcase relics and preserved skeletons from various animal species from all over the world including Canada, Russia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Philippines.

The museum is owned and managed by an American Bone Collector, Darrell D. Blatchley, who says that the musuem is the realization of his long-time childhood dream of collecting skeletal remains from various animals. D'Bone Collector was opened in public last January 2012 in the hopes of raising environmental awareness and wildlife education, not only to the citizens of Davao, but to each and every person living in this planet. The bones found inside the museum are from animals that died due to accidents, environmental toxins (sea garbage), irresponsible fishing, and what have you. This three-storey establishment houses bones from bears, whales, dolphins, deers, snakes, insects, and different fish species among others. Most were collected by Blatchley himself since he was 15, while some others were donated to him by concerned individuals and various organizations.

Below are some of the skeletal remains that you will find inside the museum.

In partnership with the Davao City Tourism, 44 Davao Bloggers and photographers went on a daring adventure to capture "Davao: Life Is Here", the official slogan of the Davao City Tourism.

The group was divided into four teams namely: Toril Trailblazers, Calinan Thrill-Seekers, Downtown Explorers, and Uptown Adventurers. The objective of the tour is to put the different places around the city on the map through the power of social media. Thanks to  the pocket wi-fi provided by Smart Communications, the participants were able to live tweet and check-in through Foursquare.

I was chosen to be part of the Downtown Explorers. Our group was able to visit establishments within the heart of the city such as the:

- Davao City Hall
- San Pedro Cathedral
- Museo Dabawenyo
- D'Bone Collector Musuem Inc.
- People's Park
- Pasalubong Center
- Cinematheque Davao
- Lachi's Sans Rival Atbp.
- Zabadanni Middle Eastern Restaurant.

It was such an enjoyable albeit a little tiring experience. I'll take you through all these places in my future posts, so stay tuned! =)

Downtown Explorers! =)