Davao’s benchmarking; a breathtaking experience

DAVAO City has captured the hearts of the Pampanga executives led by Governor Lilia Nanay Pineda, Pampanga mayors, provincial board members and department heads of the provincial government as they experienced the city’s peace and serenity within their two day stay in the city.

Truly, Davao City’s air is fresh. It is really clean and green. No wonder why it is considered as one of the most livable city in Asia.

Davao City, fertile, typhoon-free region, is famous for its fresh produce and fruits available all year round like durian, banana, pomelo, mangosteen, lanzones and rambutan, making it the "Fruit Basket of the Philippines."

Davao City's best asset is its people – the Davawenyos led by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who has the heart, determination, strong political will to implement what is best for the city.

The people are so warm and hospital. The staff and employees of the mayor and the city tourism office are so warm and hospital including the security personnel who were assigned to escort the Pampanga delegation during their short stay in the city.

Inhabited by almost 1.4 million people from different tribes, culture and faiths, Davao City is abundant with amazing spectacles and destinations as it is also endowed with dazzling landscapes and blessed with wealth in natural wonders.

The tourism officers helped the Kapampangan visitors tour the city to fulfill their benchmarking mission – to see and experience the best practices of its people and make it as models when they comeback to Pampanga.

Duterte's strong political will, capacity to inspire

The city's strong, dynamic local government regarded as a model for other cities in the country making it a favorite destination.

According to Davawenyos, Mayor Duterte is much admired. He has the strong political will in implementing laws, policies and programs, which will redound to the benefit of the people whom he pledged to serve which means enormous progress to the city and for the Davawenyos.

With this dictum that described him, he has built up within him the capacity to inspire people and be of model to other leaders.

Davao is business friendly

Davao City is a preferred destination for trade, investment and leisure because of its responsive local government, high quality of life, dynamic economy, human resource, infrastructure, and favorable business environment.

It is an urban center home to commercial, educational, recreational, eco-tourism, health and wellness institutions.

Peace and order

The city government through the local police ensures the peace and security of every law-abiding citizen, hence, even with a population of less than 1.4 million and an urban density estimated at 2,400 persons per square meter kilometer, Davao City’s crime rate remains among the lowest in the country. This has earned for Davao City the distinction as the Most Peaceful City in the East and Southeast Asia for a number of years already.

Everyone obeys and no one in the city is above the law.

The city is also the first in the country to have an adaptive traffic signalization system and has a state-of-the-art traffic system similar to the system in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Comprehensive anti-smoking ordinance

Davawenyos has City Ordinance 0430-02, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Anti-Smoking Ordinance of Davao City, the first anti-smoking ordinance in the Philippines.

The ordinance makes it unlawful for any person to smoke or to allow smoking in public utility vehicles, accommodation establishments, public buildings, enclosed public places or in any enclosed area outside of one's private residence within the jurisdiction of Davao City.

Mayor Duterte created a task force by virtue of Executive Order 25 who runs after not only smokers, but also proprietors, managers or establishment owners who allow smoking in their areas in utter disregard to the law.

No matter whom you are, when caught violating the ordinance, you will be fine P300 to P1, 000 and imprisonment of not more that four months.

Primarily, the intention is to protect the public from the hazard of second-hand smoke.

Addressing global warming

They are also creating the necessary mechanism to address the issue of global warming in the city through the implementation of Anti-Smoke Belching Ordinance, among other environment ordinances.

The city government also prohibited selling, serving, drinking and consumption of liquors and alcoholic beverages from 1:00 am until 8:00 am.

The mayor has also signed Executive Order no. 39, setting 30 KPH speed limits for all kinds of motor vehicles within the territorial jurisdiction of Davao City in the interest of public safety and order.

Prepared in responding to emergencies

Davao City is the only Asian city facility that has an integrated emergency response system similar to that of the United States and Canada with its Central 911. Central 911 responds to all kinds of emergencies; medical, fire, police assistance, natural and man made disaster. Its services are absolutely for free and totally subsidized by the city government.

The Davao City Disaster Coordinating Council has been cited as the best-prepared disaster coordinating council in the country.

Mayor Duterte ordered all shopping malls and commercial centers to install, operate and maintain high end and high definition closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all entrance and exit points of their premises.

The city government has Public Safety and Security Command Center that monitors through CCTV cameras the day-to-day activity of the city and its people.

Solid waste management

Davao City takes advantage of environmental laws, which ensure proper collection, and disposal of garbage. The city is known for its well- disciplined residents plus a localized version of Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which is now being implemented. A huge sanitary landfill in place, regular and systematic collection of garbage from fixed points, and proper segregation has maintained cleanliness in the surroundings. The sanitary landfill is given P300-million minimum funds for its maintenance aside from the purchase of vehicles and equipment amounting to P600-million.

The city environment and natural resource office collectively act and assume responsibility to attain sound ecological solid waste management.

Trip to mountain of prayer and glory

After the whole day bench marking activities, the delegation had their fine dining at Jose Maria College of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) administered by Pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy. The gracious volunteers of KJC served them with delicious and sumptuous food.

The next day, escorted by green security force of the city government, they have gone to Tamayong Prayer Mountain also called as “ the Garden of Eden Restored. It is a breathtaking place in an unknown spot at the foothills of Mount Apo in Tamayong, Calinan, Davao City.

It has an altitude of 10,311 feet above sea level with an area of 8 hectares. Inside the Prayer Mountain are building structures such as the millennial houses in yellow, blue and pink colors.

All over the place, piped-in centralized music is played, 24 hours a day.

They had their breakfast at the very conducive function hall where they were served with delicious food.

After which, they were escorted by Pastor Quiboloy in going around the prayer center to experience, see and smell the variety of flowers and plants of different colors; 60 percent of which were imported from around the world.

According to volunteers, seven trucks of water are consumed everyday in maintaining its landscapes and gardens. The gardeners take time to soap leaves of pest-prone plants individually.

Personnel in-charge manages each 10 square meter of the sprawling complex.

The building plans of pastoral houses of the congregation, the details of the furniture, the landscaping and design of every nook and cranny were brainchild of Pastor Quiboloy.

People, prominent and ordinary have visited this so called paradise on earth. They all have expressed synonymous quips- all praises and commendations because of the Prayer Mountain’s beautiful clean and green scenery.

Before the Pampanga delegation bid goodbye to Prayer Mountain, they were able to buy some souvenirs and pasalubong at Quiboloy's trade center.

Glory mountain

Then, Pastor Quiboloy escorted the delegation to another slopes of Mt Apo at the so-called Glory Mountain, a stone’s throw away from Prayer Mountain.

In the 25-hectare Glory Mountain, they found the biggest concentration of pine trees in the country.

According to the pastor, the Glory Mountain has more than 50,000 pine trees planted in an area at the foot of Mt. Apo - the country’s highest mountain.

An average pine tree reportedly absorbs 10 kilos of carbon dioxide and releases pure oxygen each year.

Pine trees also reportedly serves as air conditioner or air purifier, as each tree could reduce as much as 7,000 dust particles in each liter of air.

The Pampanga delegation are hoping that this won't be the first and the last because Davao City's bench marking, according to them, is really a breathtaking experience!

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