This gem of a province in the Davao Region has only been declared insurgency-free and development-ready in 2022 There’s so much hope in Davao Oriental, truly, as Mindanao has long been called, ‘the land of promise.’ Have you been to Davao? If I asked you this question, you’d probably say yes, even if all you’ve ever been to is Davao City. Geographically a part of Davao del Sur, Davao City is now independently run as the commercial capital of Southern Mindanao.
It is roughly three and a half hours away from Mati, the capital of Davao Oriental, up and down the Surigao-Davao Coastal Road, past Tagum, the capital of Davao del Norte, along the coast of Davao Gulf. Unless you’ve been to Davao lately, chances are you have never been to Davao Oriental. I didn’t know until I made it there that it was only two years ago that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) declared it insurgency-free.
No doubt, it hadn’t been easy, dismantling the guerilla front composed of the New People’s Army (NPA) and its supporters among the people of Davao Oriental, the lifeblood of the communist-terrorist movement, which once kept the province off-limits to investors, entrepreneurs, tourists, students, and migrants. Among the major moves, according to the AFP, was a community support program aimed at regaining the trust of the people, especially in the hinterlands. It’s a landmark turn in Davao Oriental’s history because the insurgency-free declaration also means it is also now de.