Lalamove Starts Davao City Deliveries as Its First Mindanao Market

What Lalamove launched in Davao City

Lalamove Philippines introduced its Davao operations at a press conference at Dusit Thani Davao on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Managing director Djon Nacario said the service is open to individuals, micro, small and medium enterprises, and larger companies, with no signup fee and no minimum spend. Customers pick a vehicle to match the load, from documents and parcels to shipments that need a van.

The company said it had already logged more than 1,000 driver signups in the city by the time of the launch. Larger truck options will be added as demand grows. Every parcel booking carries default insurance cover of P75,000, and Nacario said enterprise clients can arrange cover of up to P8 million for high value shipments.

Engineer Eduardo Tuquib, who heads the technical operations division of the Department of Information and Communications Technology in the Davao Region, joined the launch. He said the city's growth has raised the need for easier ways to move goods, and that small businesses already selling through digital channels stand to gain the most from reliable delivery. He also framed the platform as a source of new livelihood as the digital economy widens.

Nacario told reporters the Davao rollout is delivery only for now. Ride hailing, which Lalamove runs in Cebu, was not part of the announcement.

Why the company picked Davao first

Nacario said the decision to enter Mindanao through Davao was deliberate and followed a review of the city's growth, its digitalization, and the spread of its industries. He cited an economic growth figure of about eight percent for the city last year as one of the reasons.

In its launch statement, Lalamove pointed to the sheer volume of local commerce. More than 45,000 businesses applied for permits in Davao City in January 2026 alone, and the company described each of them as a potential source of daily deliveries. It also noted that the city's small firms have moved quickly to QR payments and online selling, which creates demand for a way to reach customers without opening another branch.

Geography was the other argument. As the largest city in the country by land area, Davao makes short notice trips between districts such as Toril, Lanang, Bankerohan, and Buhangin difficult. The company said much of that movement still runs on informal arrangements, a familiar habal habal driver or a personal errand, and that no single platform has yet become the default choice for door to door delivery in the city.

Nacario used durian as his example of how the service could change costs for local sellers. A grower or trader who needs to ship fruit does not have to buy a truck or hire a driver and transport coordinator, he said, and can instead book a vehicle only when there is something to move.

Local investment the company has promised

Lalamove said it has started spending on localized advertising so that Davao residents learn what the app does. It is also working with real estate agencies to find a location for a physical driver partner center, the same kind of office it runs in cities where it is already established, and it intends to hire a local team once that site is secured.

The company has opened talks with vehicle maintenance shops, car washes, and fuel stations about discounts and services for its driver partners. Nacario described these steps as early moves toward a presence that goes beyond the app, and said the company wants to put real investment into the communities where it operates rather than offer software alone.

For drivers, the company's pitch rests on flexibility. Partners choose when to go online and which bookings to accept. Lalamove said partner drivers also get access to medical e consultations, fuel discounts, roadside assistance, and insurance covering accidents, permanent disablement, and death.

How Davao fits into the wider Mindanao and Visayas rollout

The Davao launch is the first step in an expansion Lalamove announced on September 28, 2026. The company named Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Bukidnon, Butuan, Iligan, Pagadian, and Dipolog as its Mindanao targets, alongside a push beyond Cebu into Panay and Negros, including Iloilo, Roxas, Bacolod, Dumaguete, and Kabankalan.

Driver recruitment for the new markets began on September 1 with free registration, no top up requirement, discounted LalaBags, and access to the company's Panalomove driver benefits program. In Cebu, where Lalamove has operated since 2022 and added ride hailing in 2025, the ride service has run on a zero commission model since December 2025 so drivers keep the full fare.

Lalamove entered the Philippines in 2016 and, according to Nacario, now covers about 800 municipalities with roughly 200,000 independent driver partners and about 10,000 businesses served each day. Until this month, none of that network reached Mindanao.

Nacario said the plan is full coverage of the island, but that the company will expand first from Davao City to the rest of the Davao Region before moving to other parts of Mindanao.

What Davao businesses and drivers should check

Businesses weighing the service should compare the per booking cost against what they now spend on their own vehicles, fuel, and dispatch staff, since the savings Nacario described depend on how often a shop actually ships. The P75,000 default cover is per delivery, so sellers moving higher value goods need to ask about the enterprise tier before booking.

Prospective drivers register through the Lalamove website for the Philippines. Vehicle owners should confirm which vehicle classes are open in Davao at signup, since the company said only motorcycles, cars, vans, and L300 type units are active at launch.

Residents outside Davao City should expect a wait. The company has not given dates for Tagum, Digos, Panabo, or the rest of the region, only the order in which it plans to expand.