The third week of August not only heralds the arrival of the succulent Durian harvests, but the annual Kadayawan festival in Davao City.

Known today as a colorful festival celebrating the different tribes of Davao City, the Kadayawan festival began in the late 1980s as a celebration of life and unity in a city that emerged from a complex past.

From world war two, to its post war rise as a major southern city, to the "nicaragdao" of the 1970s and 80s, and the boom of the last several years, Davao City has a unique history that few areas in the country can claim to have experienced.

Kadayawan, to me is the unity of diverse cultures and gratitude for natures gifts, with the abundance of fruits, and the fact that the various ethnicities and the cultures that make up Davao are celebrated. These are unifying strengths that are vital as we navigate the new normal.

This message of unity resonates loudly amid many current events showing racial and ethnic strife - a timely one given the truly ugly physical attacks against two Filipinos in New York City and Filipinos ranking third among Asians as victims of hate crimes in the US. (https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/16/filipinos-rank-third-among-asian-victims-of-hate-crimes-in-the-us-report/)

These events in in the US come as a shock given the fact that we were once an American colony.

On a personal level the Kadayawan message compels us to appreciate our culture and all its diversity, and to focus on the simple joys of living in a diverse society - tasting natures fruits, enjoying a cup of hot native chocolate or coffee and to appreciate a neighbor’s greeting or a friends message from across the miles, and to feel thankful for family presence and solidarity that is common across all cultures and ages.

You are all invited to join in this year’s virtual Kadayawan Festival, Davao’s gift to the world.

Davao’s economic opportunities beckon

The Davao regional economy has shown its resilience in 2020. Last year’s GRDP decline is less than the nations GDP figure, pointing to a level of resilience worth a deeper look.

The business culture has always been open and inviting and local governance one that inspires partnership and dialogue. Davao City is home to the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the region hosts various foreign chambers and business groups from Japan, China, Canada and Europe.

Its geographic location in East Asia prods investors to give examine characteristics such as the presence of investment sites, steady power supply and the proximity to pacific sea lanes that allow access to the markets of Japan, China and South Korea.

Apart from better economic numbers such as better second quarter GDP figures, recent business news inspire confidence, such as the expansion of new industrial and cold storage facilities in the Anflo Industrial Estate in Davao del Norte, and the interest of BPO investors in Davao's IT BPM sector.

Upcoming business events will showcase this potential further, such as the East Asian Business Conference organized by the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines in collaboration with the Japanese chamber of Commerce in Mindanao and the Consulate General of Japan in Davao has put together an important virtual event that brings together business groups from the Philippines, and neighbors such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Said event will be on August 24.

Likewise upcoming is the Davao Investment Conference in November 2021. Organized by the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the conference promises to showcase new investment opportunities and options in the region.