I AM still giddy from the two-day celebration of Davao City’s creative industries last weekend. My soul has been thoroughly nourished and my life choices have been profoundly reaffirmed. I am deeply grateful to be part of Davao City’s vibrant and awe-inspiring creative community.
On Sept. 26, 2025, Friday, around 350 artists, creatives, cultural workers, educators, policy-makers, program implementers, and advocates came together for the first-ever Davao City Culture, Arts, and Heritage Summit held at the Holy Cross of Davao College.
The original plan was just to have a forum to engage stakeholders to gather inputs for the newly-created Office for Culture and the Arts (OCA) under the City Mayor’s Office and for the private sector support for culture and the arts of the Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, Inc. (CLAFI). We were thinking of inviting around 100 people in August.
Since it was Kadayawan season, we thought of including in the discussion calls for institutionalizing the Kadayawan Festival and defining the components of the cultural celebration. So, the simple forum became a colloquium, a high-level conference with experts to guide the discussions that will form part of the proposed policy recommendations for the government. It required more time for preparation so the event was moved to September.
Because September is also Philippine Creative Industries Month, we included more creative domains in the invited stakeholders. And with more diverse participants, more topics came up for inclusion. So, the colloquium became a full-blown summit. It became a collaboration not just between Davao City’s Culture and Arts Office and CLAFI, it now included Alsons Development and Investment Corporation, the Holy Cross of Davao College Center for Culture and Arts; the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Department of Tourism (DoT), and the Davao Historical Society (DHS).
From the initial gathering of 100, we expanded the invited participants to 200. But more than 350 people showed up on the actual day of the summit. And from the original one day activity, it became a two-day event. To use the film industry’s term, the summit was a certified box-office hit!
It is a testament to the Davaoeño spirit of cooperation and profound sense of civic duty that people just showed up, even without invitation, and brought their colleagues and friends with them. It is also a manifestation of the creative sector’s thirst for opportunities to gather and work together to solve our community’s problems.
The organizers were concerned that the budget for food was only enough for 250 participants. But with creative problem-solving and a bit of divine intervention, everyone was fed and happy. Others even said just being there with other creatives was enough to fill them up (I wonder if that’s the inspiration behind the “starving artist” term).
Speaking of being full, our souls were completely nourished by the impromptu performance of Davao legends — Joey Ayala, Bayang Barrios, Gauss Obenza, and Maree Cantaoi — who indulged the request of their fellow creatives to end the morning session with a song or two. Joey’s “Agila” and “Bathala” came to life with the exquisite dance movements of Sheila Labos, Mario Lim, Buddy Mark Salonga, and Raleon Monsanto. They have not performed together on stage for quite a long time (they said it was their first and final rehearsal) so both the performers and the audience experienced chills, knowing they were sharing a rare, historic moment of creativity and community.
The resource speakers were all outstanding as well and fed our minds. Keynote speaker Miguel Rene A. Dominguez, former Governor of Sarangani Province and now Alsons president and CEO, shared the initiatives they made in linking culture, arts, and heritage with inclusive development. He talked about how these initiatives strengthened Sarangani’s cultural identity, elevated local pride, and advanced eco-cultural tourism, making the province a recognized model for culture-driven empowerment in Region 12.
DHS president Luzviminda C. Ilagan talked about the aesthetic vision and cultural significance of the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival; La Herencia creative director Wilfred Dexter “Rob” Tañedo outlined the challenges and opportunities for the promotion and enrichment of multidisciplinary creative works in Davao; UP Mindanao Professor Andrea Malaya “Aya” Ragragio discussed how artists and cultural workers can address dangers of cultural appropriation and advance the protection and promotion of cultural diversity in the city; DTI’s Creative Industries Development Strategic Partnership Division chief Katrina T. Salvador shared the Malikhaing Pinoy program while NCCA deputy executive director for administration Marichu G. Tellano discussed the Philippine Development Plan for Culture and the Arts.
The afternoon session was dedicated to focused group discussions among 13 breakout groups: literary arts/books and press; design; gastronomy; cultural education and research; film; digital arts; traditional expression; museums and galleries; live events; performing arts; visual arts; music; and DepEd’s special program in the arts.
On the second day, Sept. 27, 2025, Saturday, we all continued the discussion and celebration at the Davao City Recreation Center (Almendras Gym) for the Davao Creative Industries Exchange.
The DMMA Marching Band set the festive tone with their Chamber Symphonic and Band mini concert leading to the “untying of Mindanao woven fabrics” (a creative alternative to cutting the ribbon) to open to creative industries exhibit.
Various national government agencies talked about the intellectual property rights of the Filipino creative (IPOPhil); the national certificate programs for creative industries (TESDA); competitive grants for culture, arts and heritage (NCCA); preservation of heritage sites and promotion of cultural tourism (DoT).
NCCA consultant Maria Victoria “Mags” Maglana creatively and brilliantly synthesized all the aspirations, challenges, and opportunities of each creative domain that came out of the breakout sessions on the first day. All the participants marveled at how beautifully all their ideas came together (this deserves a separate column piece).
The venue was filled with creatives’ booths showcasing innovative local creative ventures and social enterprises. The energy was electric with various creative workshops going on simultaneously at every corner of the recreation center.
Pasalidahay, Inc. showed films made in Davao by Davao filmmakers. Joey Ayala led a music and songwriting workshop. Dadai Joaquin gave a watercolor workshop. Cacao City Chocolate Crafters showcased the “Gasa sa Kakaw,” a bean to bar to drink tasting experience. And the Crossover Dance Community held a modern dance workshop. All open to the public and absolutely free.
The closing program was a showcase of Davao’s best led by Joey Ayala, the Kaliwat Performing Artists Collective, and the Crossover Dance Community.
Everyone I met and talked with during the two-day event was sharing the creative high I am experiencing and we all want to keep feeling this way. We thank the brilliant Nestor Horfilla, our first Gawad Sining Dabaw awardee, for guiding us and sparking this creative renaissance we are having now. Let’s give him that Datu Bago Award already.
There is no doubt about it. Davao City is a creative city. We only need to always remember that this creativity is rooted in and powered by the community. If we can pull this off with very little government funds (yes, all that for less than a million pesos only; sadly, we spend so much more on beauty pageants), imagine what we can achieve if the government seriously invests in culture, arts and heritage. To quote the President: Mahiya naman kayo.
