A good friend visited me early this September. The first words that came out of her mouth as soon as we ended our super tight hug was, "Mare, nasa Mindanao ba ako? (Friend, am I in Mindanao?).
Like most Luzon born-and-bred people, my friend grew up with various and scary assumptions about everything and anything that is Mindanao, no thanks to the soap-opera-loving-news-network. People from Visayas normally do not have these as most of the older generation of Mindanaoans were originally from there. So the first twenty minutes of our drive from the airport to the hotel was spent reassuring my friend that Davao, although situated in Mindanao, was really a safe place.
Here are a few things that you need to know about Davao and its surrounding cities and provinces (Tagum City, Digos City, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley)
People don't shoot each other on the streets, although we do get the occasional civilian-vs-police or just the plain asshole-vs-another-asshole-shooting action like any other cities in the world. These are rare and isolated incidents.
Mindanao bombings usually do not involve Davao City. The Media would always report about the bombing incident in Mindanao like it is a very small place which can be brought down with just one bomb. Out of the hundreds bombings in the history of Mindanao, there are only a few that really involved Davao City. Below is the history of Davao City bombings (or at least the ones found in google):
- 1981 - San Pedro Cathedral
- 1993 - San Pedro Cathedral
- 2003 - old airport; March 4 (21 killed, 144 injured)
- 2003 - Sasa Wharf Passenger's Terminal (april 2; 16 killed; 55 injured)
- 2005 - simultaneous Valentines day bombing of Makati, General Santos City, and Davao City (1 killed; 5 injured in Davao City alone)
Alright, the picture ain't pretty. However what I am trying to say is that not all parts of Mindanao is affected by war, bombings, or terrorists at all times. We may have sad and horrifying incidents now and then, but most of the time, it is generally a peaceful place to live in. Think Ireland and its Irish Republican Army, think of the Isla Perejil conflict of Spain and Morocco, of the Mexican drug war. Uhmm.. these may not be good analogies but I would assumed most would get the picture. We here in Mindanao have more good and peaceful times than bad and horrifying times. Why do you think most people stay if that is not so?
The beaches are a thousand times more beutiful than those I've seen in Luzon, I've only seen the ones in Batanga. It is also much much cheaper. :) you can check the prices on this site: http://samalbeaches.com/. All of these is just one boat ride away from the city.
And the food! Oh, don't get me started about the food. Everything from tuna to veggies to meat are divinely fresh and uber cheap! I'll be posting more about them in my next posts.
Bottom line is: Mindanao is a large island with diverse culture. One religion, culture, or incident cannot and should not define it. If one really wants a glimpse of Mindanao as it truly is, do not turn on your television. Instead, look to your friends or acquiantances who grew up here. You might just be surprised.
cheers!
And the food! Oh, don't get me started about the food. Everything from tuna to veggies to meat are divinely fresh and uber cheap! I'll be posting more about them in my next posts.
Bottom line is: Mindanao is a large island with diverse culture. One religion, culture, or incident cannot and should not define it. If one really wants a glimpse of Mindanao as it truly is, do not turn on your television. Instead, look to your friends or acquiantances who grew up here. You might just be surprised.
cheers!
