Tom Tom Traffic Index is not fair to Davao City

The January 14, 2025 Business World newspaper’s front page story was about a city survey. It rated 500 cities in 62 nations by their traffic congestion, travel time and how many hours commuters (Jeep, Bus, Private Vehicles) lost because of bad traffic. The worst are: 1. Baranquilla, Colombia, South America, 2. Kolkata, India, 3. Bengaluru, India, 4. Pune, India, 5. London, U.K., 6. Kyoto, Japan, 7. Lima, Peru, 8. Davao, 9. Trujillo, Peru, 10. Dublin, Ireland, xx, 14. Manila, xx, 26. Caloocan.

Tom Tom’s international survey was made in 2024 stressing that Davao’s worst day was on February 5, 2024 when it took their team to reach their destination in 40 minutes and 9 second and that Davao residents lost per year 5 days and 16 hours because of traffic. I do not know how many days they stayed here. If one of the bridges in the Poblacion is being repaired, there is a domino effect because the traffic aides will tell drivers to go to other bridges compounding the road jam.

I cannot accept that Davao’s traffic is worst than Manila, Pasay, Edsa, Roxas Blvd, etc. Instead of being depressed, I looked at the effects of this doubtful survey. It means Davao has the biggest number of cars, trucks, buses, tricycles in Mindanao. It means Davao has more vehicles than the second and third biggest Mindanao cities put together. Very many Davao vehicles mean more Dabawenyos have big salaries because they can buy cars, motorcycles. The managers, executives in the subdivisions (Juna, Ecoland, GSIS, Insular, etc.) own 2 or more cars. It means these are more businesses, offices, shops, stores, industries, malls compared to other Mindanao Cities. We are the only Mindanao City with 6 major bridges in the poblacion: 1. Tigatto, 2. Diversion, 3. Marfori, 4. Bankerohan, 5. Bolton, 6. Bucana opening in 2026. Davao’s land area of 244,000 hectares world’s biggest among cities with populations of 2 million or more (all Metro Manila cities can fit inside our land area). In land area only an Iceland City covers 500,000 hectares but it has only 200,000 inhabitants. Our airport (which Aboitiz will remodel in 2026) is the only in Mindanao filled with 2 daily, direct flights to Singapore and Hong Kong.

Reasons that make Davao attractive to Business: 1. The DENR and UN environment offices say this is one of the most pollution free cities in Asia. The flowers, shrubs, trees in Sasa, R. Castillo, Roxas, Quimpo Blvds are green and technicolored all year around. Compare it with the trees, shrubs, plants in Manila’s Pasay, Taft Avenue, Roxas, Edsa. They are stunted, blackened due to pollution, sickly looking. 2. Mindanao’s biggest number of schools, capable of supplying all the labor needs including technical schools in Tibungco, 8 Universities (UM, UP, Southern Mindanao, Ateneo, UIC, Mapua, Lyceum, Lasalle 2027), 2 medical schools, 5 nursing schools (San Pedro, Brokenshire, Davao Doctors, etc.), 5 big colleges (Holy Cross of Davao College, San Pedro College, Assumption, RMC). We have the biggest non Davao College student population. 3. Cost of living is lower than Metro Manila and Cebu because surrounding the city are the big farm/agricultural provinces of Davao Occidental, Del Sur, Bukidnon, Davao Del Norte, Oriental, Oro and the Davao Sarangani gulfs, big mangrove forests from Cotabato, Davao Oriental, Surigao supplying all kinds of crabs, shrimps, fish. Access from farm to the city is fast because when Rodrigo Duterte was president, he poured all infrastructure projects in Mindanao which had been neglectful since 1946. From 2016 to 2019, Mindanao highways, bridges, parts dikes were built. Because of Covid-19 from 2020 to 2022, Dutertes dream to make Mindanao’s infrastructure equal to Luzon fell short. He had only 3 years (2016-2019) to do it, not 6 years.

4. Points make a city attractive for investment industry/business. 1) Electricity power rate in Davao are lower than in Luzon or Visayas because Davao is the only city in the world with power sources in the new (1) Binugao’s 300 MW Coal powered plant. Within a radius of 100 KMS are (2) Malita’s 300 MW coal plant, (3) Saragani’s 300 MW coal plant, (4) Koronadal Mt. Apo’s 200 MW geothermal plant, (5) Bukidnon’s Pulangi 700 MW hydro power. 2) Water: Davao is the only Asian City with 2 water sources each capable of giving all Davao’s needs even if one source is closed. The 44 water wells in the Toril Dumoy aquifer (underground) has supplied Davao since 1973 with one of the world’s best, safest water. Last March 2025, Apo Agua’s Tamugan Panigan surface water project began supplying water to the North (Sasa, Buhangin, etc.). 3) Telecom: the Mindanao major operators centers of the big players (PLDT, Globe, Coverage, DITO) are here. 4) Davao’s seacoast line is the longest in the nation, from Sibulan/Darong (South) to Lasang (North) next to Lasang is Panabo’s container part complex, the biggest, the best, the most efficient in Mindanao. This, plus Sasa and Panacan makes it the biggest and busiest seaport in Mindanao. There are 7 ports, which activated, can handle all other ships; the Santa Clara Daliao and the Talomo Camarin. 5) Davao is the only Asian city where the no smoking in public rule is followed ruthlessly (since 1988). 6) Typhoon free. The last recorded were in 1930, 1971 (which hit Malita) and 2016 hitting Baganga, Cateel, etc. Peace and Order 7) The 17 honorary Consul Offices, (Belgium, Spain etc.) and 4 Consulates, (China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia). The City’s Tourism and business offices are very very active, supportive.

Davao’s Archdiocese is the biggest in Mindanao with 42 Parishes, the oldest major seminary, two minor seminaries the biggest religious broadcasting station and weekly newspaper. Lastly we have the biggest number of Catholics; almost 700,000 of the 2 million Davaoeños are Catholics.