Davao Region / Davao del Sur

Davao City

Five major construction projects are running at the same time in Davao City. The Coastal Road opened its first 13 kilometers along Davao Gulf. The Samal Island bridge is 53 percent complete. The Bucana Bridge over the Davao River was 92 percent done by late 2025. A 45.5-kilometer Bypass Road includes a 2.3-kilometer twin-tube tunnel that will be the longest road tunnel in the Philippines. Francisco Bangoy International Airport is expanding its terminal from 17,500 to 25,910 square meters, with December 2026 as the target. The city had 1,848,947 residents in the 2024 census.

Region:: Davao Region (Region XI), independent highly urbanized city
Population:: 1,848,947 (PSA POPCEN 2024)
Income class:: 1st class
Known for:: Durian capital, Philippine Eagle Center, Kadayawan Festival, Mount Apo entrance, strictest local governance in Mindanao
Safety:: Consistently low street crime; fireworks banned since 2002; curfew enforced for minors

Roxas Night Market
Agdao Public Market
Davao Coastal Road
Southern Philippines Medical Center / SPMC

Local context

Davao City's current mayor reference on this page is Sebastian Z. Duterte. Sebastian Z. Duterte was sworn in as Davao City mayor on January 23, 2026 by succession. His father Rodrigo Duterte won the 2025 mayoral race but could not take his oath on June 30, he had been in ICC detention in The Hague since March 2025 on crimes against humanity charges. As of May 2026, the ICC ruled he stays detained. Source label: PSA PSGC Region XI cities, 2024 POPCEN.

Davao City is linked to local place pages including Roxas Night Market, Davao Coastal Road, Agdao Public Market, Southern Philippines Medical Center / SPMC, Davao Global Township / DGT, Davao Hilltop View - Langub, Magsaysay Park and fruit stands, Azuela Cove. Those pages help separate the city guide from a generic location summary by giving readers concrete markets, parks, transport corridors, civic districts, and visitor routes to compare.

The city profile emphasizes Roxas Night Market, Agdao Public Market, Davao Coastal Road, Southern Philippines Medical Center / SPMC. These points give the page a practical local frame instead of treating the city as only a name on a regional map.

Landmarks and orientation points

Roxas Night Market
Agdao Public Market
Davao Coastal Road
Southern Philippines Medical Center / SPMC
Davao Global Township / DGT
Davao Hilltop View - Langub
People's Park
San Pedro Cathedral
Davao City Hall
Magsaysay Park
Davao Crocodile Park
Philippine Eagle Center

Is Davao City safe for visitors?

Davao City is known as one of the safest cities in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. The city enforces a strict curfew for minors, liquor restrictions near schools and churches, and a total ban on fireworks and firecrackers under City Ordinance 060-02, in force since 2002. Street crime is low by Philippine urban standards. Locals routinely move around the city at night without concern, and on New Year 2026 the city recorded zero firecracker related injuries while other Philippine cities still reported burns and amputations.

What is Davao City known for?

Davao City is known for durian, sold fresh at roadside stalls and public markets. It is also home to the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, the Kadayawan Festival each August, and is the largest city in Mindanao. As the regional center of the Davao Region, it is the main hub for services, ports, health care, and education in eastern Mindanao. It is also closely associated with the Duterte political family, which has led local governance since the late 1980s.

What region is Davao City in?

Davao City is a highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, also called Region XI, in Mindanao. It is administratively independent of Davao del Sur province. The Philippines does not use states; Davao City functions as the regional center of Region XI and governs itself separately from surrounding provincial territory.

What is the population of Davao City?

Davao City had a population of 1,848,947 as of the 2024 Census of Population conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority. It is the most populous city in Mindanao and one of the most populous in the Philippines.

Who is the mayor of Davao City?

The current mayor of Davao City is Sebastian Z. Duterte. He is the son of former president Rodrigo Duterte and the brother of former vice president Sara Duterte, who was impeached by the House of Representatives in 2025. The vice mayor is Rodrigo "Rigo" S. Duterte II.

What is Kadayawan Festival?

Kadayawan Festival is Davao City's biggest annual celebration, held every third week of August. It honors the city's Indigenous heritage, the harvest season, and the diversity of Mindanao cultures. Street dancing, floral floats, tribal performances, and fruit and flower displays are central to the festival. It is one of the most attended festivals in Mindanao and draws visitors from across the Philippines.

What languages are spoken in Davao City?

Filipino and English are the official languages used in government and schools. Cebuano, locally called Bisaya, is the most widely spoken everyday language due to the large Visayan migrant settler population. Tagalog, Davawenyo, and various Indigenous languages including Manobo, Mandaya, and Mansaka are also spoken across different communities and districts.

Local places in Davao City

Roxas Night Market - The market is designated a Maximum Security Zone, which means bag inspections, metal detectors, and facial recognition checks at every entry point. A permanent memorial at the blast site honors the 16 people killed in the September 2016 bombing. Those two facts are the clearest way to understand what this market carries beyond the food. The food itself is real and cheap, ₱500 usually covers a full crawl for two, but the security protocols and the memorial are what make Roxas Night Market different from other Davao food streets.
Davao Coastal Road - The total cost shows the massive scale of the Davao Coastal Road. When the project was first announced in 2018, the Philippine News Agency reported it as a ₱19.8 billion project, with the first 1.682 kilometer segment costing ₱1.96 billion. By late 2024, the Department of Public Works and Highways had allocated ₱28.5 billion, with ₱2.3 billion in additional funds still needed to finish the remaining sections. This brings the total projected cost to over ₱30.8 billion, which includes the ₱3.126 billion China-funded Bucana Bridge. The overall length of the corridor is listed between 17.33 and 18 kilometers in early city reports, though later DPWH updates specify a 15.674 kilometer active project length. While built to divert traffic from the city center, the road has become a major fitness area. On Sundays, a car-free window runs from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. to allow people to exercise. During these hours, the northbound seaside lane is reserved for running, walking, and jogging, while the southbound lane is open to cyclists.
Agdao Public Market - The rebuilt Agdao Public Market opened in November 2023 in a new multi floor building funded through the Department of Agriculture. The ground floor holds the wet market for fish, meat, and poultry, which runs before dawn, with sari-sari restocking starting around 3 a.m. The second floor was built for groceries and variety stalls, but many of those stalls were still empty through 2026 because sellers were not sure the higher rents paid off, and the city let some of them sell from the ground floor instead. A later phase for the top floor was still being finished. Around the market are the Novo store, Mercury Drug, other pharmacies, groceries, and ukay-ukay.
Southern Philippines Medical Center / SPMC - SPMC matters because in 2026 it became the only government hospital in the Philippines that can perform stereotactic radiosurgery. In early 2026 it also performed Mindanao's first Deep Brain Stimulation surgery. It was already the first DOH hospital to use Da Vinci robotic surgery, which started in October 2025. Many people in Davao still call it Regional Hospital, the name it carried before its upgrade to medical center status. All of this happens at the same place where family members wait outside in the heat, queues run long, and the building handles 1,500 beds worth of patients every day.
Davao Global Township / DGT - Davao Global Township sits on what used to be the Davao Golf Club in Matina, along McArthur Highway. The 22 hectare estate is being developed by Cebu Landmasters and YHEST Realty into a mixed use township, but most people come now for the Weekend Market, which runs Thursday to Sunday from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM with more than 50 food and craft vendors spread across the open roads. By 7:30 PM on Saturdays, the City Center area is already packed. What makes DGT worth visiting now, before the whole township is finished, is that it already works as a real public gathering place. The roads are wide, the lighting is good, and on a Saturday night it feels like a busy town square even while construction is still going on around it.
Davao Hilltop View - Langub - Hilltop Langub was not built as a tourist spot. Cyclists started stopping here after the pandemic, food vendors set up to serve them, and it slowly became what it is now: more than 20 stalls and a night view of Davao City. A meal costs about ₱90 per person.
Magsaysay Park and fruit stands - The park sits along the waterfront near Sta. Ana Wharf, the same port where boats leave for Samal Island. Inside is the Kadayawan Tribal Village, with traditional houses from Davao’s eleven ethnolinguistic tribes. Most people come for the fruit stands, which are open 24 hours along the road. Durian, mangosteen, and other Mindanao varieties are sold at the tables; Puyat is the most sought-after variety for its thick, creamy texture, though native and Arancillo varieties are also available. Durian Puyat prices run ₱180 to ₱220 per kilo during the August harvest and can rise to ₱350 off-season; buying more than five kilos or eating at the tables often gets a better price. Vendors will seal and pack fruit for checked baggage if you are flying. Entrance to the park itself is free and the park closes at 10 PM, though the fruit stands stay open through the night. Early morning before 9 AM is quieter and cooler, with port side traffic just starting.
Azuela Cove - Azuela Cove sits on the old Alsons plywood mill site along Davao Gulf in Lanang, at the corner of J.P. Laurel Avenue and R. Castillo Street. The 25 hectare waterfront estate is a joint project of Ayala Land and the Alcantara group, run through Aviana Development Corporation, and it has been built out in stages since 2017. The parts open now include a seaside promenade with views of Samal Island, the outdoor retail strip of Azuela High Street, and The Tent events hall. Access to the shoreline walkway is subject to specific daytime hours and resort commercial rules. Sunset is the busiest and most popular time for waterfront dining.

Related Mindanao pages

Davao City travel, culture, economy, and civic guide - A fuller guide to Davao City transport, festivals, economy, civic context, and nearby routes.
Davao DC Bus fleet expansion and tracking app - Davao City is preparing 20 more interim buses and a real time tracking platform as commuter demand keeps pressure on the city network.
Green GSM electric taxis in Davao City - Green GSM's VinFast electric taxis, the Davao permit dispute, and how the city's 2026 EV ordinance fits into the rollout.
Davao Tourist Passport goes digital - The tourist passport is moving from booklet to mobile app, with Japan backed smart tourism and transport features targeted for Kadayawan 2026.
Davao City eyes AI robots for public service - Two humanoid robots were demonstrated before the City Council as Davao studies AI support for queues, information desks, and emergency coordination.
Paolo Duterte and Davao flood control complaint - A source aware explainer on the Ombudsman complaint, flood control contracts, and Paolo Duterte’s infrastructure defense.
Davao garbage crisis and DENR landfill dispute - The New Carmen landfill suspension turned Davao garbage collection into a standoff between the DENR and the city over safety, sanitation, and waste planning.
Davao City inflation in April 2026 - Davao City hit 7.0 percent inflation in April 2026 while still posting the lowest rate in Davao Region.
Davao City jobs improve in 2025 - PSA data showed employment rising to 96.2 percent as unemployment fell and more Dabawenyos joined the labor force.
Davao City joins anti political dynasty signature drive - The Dapat Isa Lang Movement brought its signature drive to Ateneo de Davao, tying the national dynasty debate to the city's political context.
UP Mindanao valedictorian and child marriage thesis - Allizah Keziah Manulat leads UP Mindanao's 2026 graduating class after writing a thesis on child marriage in BARMM.
Sarangani aftershocks June 13 update - A magnitude 5.7 aftershock near Balut Island registered Instrumental Intensity V in General Santos and kept southern Mindanao in active safety mode.
Sarangani aftershock watch June 14-15 - The follow-up watch after the sequence crossed 6,000 logged events and a strong aftershock was felt across southern Mindanao.
Davao City earthquake June 2026: what happened here - Davao City recorded Intensity V shaking, evacuations, court suspensions, and fire reports while the strongest damage stayed farther south.
GSIS earthquake claims and emergency loans - GSIS opened property claim reviews and emergency loans for qualified members and pensioners in calamity areas after the June 2026 quake.

Sources and verification

PSA PSGC Region XI cities, 2024 POPCEN

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