DAVAO CITY is seen as one of the model cities in the Philippines in terms of peacekeeping and good governance, a government official said.
"Maraming mga pinatupad na batas dito sa Davao na gusto din naming i-implement sa Batangas. Pagdating sa political will, maganda[ng] gawing model ang Davao City," Philippine Councilors League-Batangas Federation (PCL-BF) President Board Member Mildred Sanchez said at the sidelines of the annual conference of PCL on Friday, March 3, at the Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Dubbed as "Laying the Solid Foundation in Local Legislation for Sustainable Growth and Development," Sanchez took the initiative to hold the meeting to discuss about possible ordinances and laws they can adopt in their region.
Sanchez lauded the efforts of the Davao City Government and named it as the "Model City" of Batangas Province.
She added that their government is interested to adopt local ordinances such as the Liquor and Anti-Smoking ban.
"The thing with the laws being implemented in Davao, makikita mo talaga na it shows on the people. In our three-day visit here, we can observe na lahat ng Dabawenyos disiplinado. We would also want to establish that in our province," Sanchez said.
Over 100 participants including councilors and vice mayors from different cities and municipalities in Batangas gathered during the conference.
Last November 2016, Region 13 made Davao City the destination for its annual PCL conference. They named it the best in terms of infrastructure and growth.
Davao as Mice Destination
With the increasing awareness among the national and international organizers, Davao City is emerging as the top destination for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (Mice), a specialized sector of tourism in which large groups with planned activities are together for a particular purpose.
With the Mice friendly facilities and services, Department of Tourism Region (DOT)-Davao Regional Director Roberto Alabado said that many of the conventions that were not held here before were already staged here.
"With the major conventions, Davao is now one of the preferred destinations for Mice," he said.
He added that DOT plans to stage more road shows that will introduce the city and showcase Davao's unique features to various organizers who intend to hold their conventions in the city.
Currently, Davao is one of the top three Mice destinations of the Philippines and one of the top five tourism destinations along with Cebu, Boracay, Bohol, and Palawan.