IN A significant stride toward defining the soul of the city, the Department of Trade and Industry – Davao City Field Office, in partnership with the Davao City Office for Culture and the Arts (DCOCA), recently concluded the two-day workshop titled “Davao City, One Story: Our Collective Brand through the Lens of History.”
Held on February 23 at Rogen Inn, the event served as a part of the city’s commemoration of the National Arts Month and a prelude to the Davao City Hall Centennial celebration this March. The initiative successfully gathered representatives from Davao City Tourism Office, Department of Tourism XI, Museo Dabawenyo, Davao Tourism Association, Davao Hotels Resorts Sales and Marketing Association, Guide Davao, DTI, and DCOCA.
The heart of the workshop was centered on the power of the narrative. Oscar Casaysay, DCOCA officer in charge, emphasized the critical role of local tour guides to carry the city’s stories to the world. He noted that the focus of the project is to help hone their storytelling skills and give more input in historical knowledge, adding that as storytellers, they have the responsibility to tell the facts and other essential information from credible perspectives.
This commitment to historical integrity set the tone for the activity, ensuring that the eventual development of the “Davao Brand” is built on a foundation of facts rather than mere marketing tropes.
The first day of the workshop was dedicated to discussions and the validation of historical narratives. Participants engaged in collaborative discourse aimed at developing a grounded and cohesive “Davao Story.” This process was enriched by the presentations of resource speakers, including award-winning historian and author Dr. Macario “Mac” Tiu, former Mindanao Times editor-in-chief, Davao Historical Society past president, and University of the Philippines-Mindanao Professor of Communications Amalia Bandiola, and Kahayag Foundation president Patmei Bello Ruivivar.
Transitioning from theory to practice, the second day focused on translating these shared narratives into tangible, experience-based outputs. The sessions guided participants in articulating the city’s distinctive offerings. This collaborative effort led to the creation of 90-minute heritage walk itineraries tailored for targeted audiences, ranging from young children and students to local residents and potential investors. Each group outlined thematic routes and narrative flows that sought to make the “Davao Story” an interactive and lived experience.
These proposed itineraries underwent a rigorous evaluation by a panel of experts, including Casaysay, Tiu, Bandiola, and Department of Tourism XI Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan. Their feedback ensured that the concepts were not only historically sound and communicatively effective but also viable from a tourism development standpoint.
The workshop concluded with the consolidation of these concepts and the establishment of a rollout schedule for the said tours. This initiative directly supports the DTI Malikhaing Pinoy Program, which aims to amplify the economic contributions of the creative industries.
