about 12,000 families leaving Davao today

about 12,000 families leaving Davao today

Since the beginning of December the lumad are back in Davao.( With lumad one thinks of about the 17 groups of indigenous people who live in the mountains around Davao.) Just as every year - since 2007 - they were brought from the  City Social Services and Development (CSSDO)  office in Davao City  to celebrate the Christmas season and to ask  the inhabitants for Christmas gifts. "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!". It is an officially allowed  begging.

The city provides them with sleeps in the 8  basketball arenas and fed them all the time. Also medical care is provided. You can hear them  from afar with their guitars brand "yourself" and with the drums, stretched with  a string  and beat  it in a crazy rhythm .

This year there were almost 12,000 Lumad families = 40,000 people, some in old costumes . And there were about 2,000 families  more than last year. Today, December 26, they are brought back again by trucks and a big Christmas celebration will take place - as it is common. "It's more fun in the Philippines!"

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Megaworld will build a new Makati in Davao

Megaworld will build a new Makati in Davao

Dec. 8, 2014

That it is: A lot is happening in the real estate area of Davao. Now since a month  the preselling is on the way  for the condos in  the 2 condo towers with 21 floors of SunTrust (= subsidiary of Mega World). The address is: "One Lake Shore Drive" and is located next to the SM Lanang Premier in Davao City. Very good place.  Prices range from 1.9 million pesos for a condo with 24 sqm. This means  price / sqm of 80,000 pesos. Prices are similar  to Manila.

At the moment there are  the sales of the condos in the 2 towers. But it is planned  - as in 3 years - that a TOWNSHIP will arise with offices, shops, school and hospital. And with  much quality of life. The model  is Makati in Manila.

Mega World has chosen this huge project for Davao, because in the perspective of the next 20 years Davao  will have the biggest development in trade, business and housing.

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Townhouses for 1,250,000 pesos

3. 12. 2014

The real estate market in Davao is in motion. Now there are the low-priced real estate providers that have been run with success  its concept already in Manila or Cebu .

Some weeks ago  the company JOHNDORF VENTURES came first. It offers  very interesting designed townhouses,  a 2-storey building with an attractive facade in the “Portside Davao”. In total, a townhouse has 52 sqm and a lot of 44 sqm. In the first floor there  are living room, kitchen and bath room. In the 2^nd floor are 2 sleeping rooms. That’s all. And the price is really unbeatable with about 1,250,000 pesos.

At a cost of about 24,000 pesos / sqm, it is also really cheap. Other construction companies start from about 55,000 pesos / sqm. It is necessary to consider that these other  houses are also in a much quieter and more  expensive location.

The  company will pack ca. 420 townhouses on the 2.7-acre plot. It will be really close-to-close. The lot is near to the Davao airport and depending on the wind position you will get the aircraft noise – some times. The company has perfectly calculated the demand for  its townhouses: More than  35% are  already sold  within 14 days off the plan. A real low-cost house with conversion possibility. Not only Filipinos have bought , but also a lot of foreigners who want to have a rest house in Davao.

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao

1000 new low-cost condos for Davao

Also PHINMA is building  low-cost condos in Davao

Now it the news have spread  to Manila, Davao that is a good place for real estate. The well-known company PHINMA Realty Corp., which has so far raised many low-cost condo houses  in and around Manila, now has a foothold in Davao.

In the area of Pampanga, this is between Sasa naval port and airport, 9 condo houses will be built with the proprietary modular system with each 5 floors and with 90 Condos in a house  with living space 30-32 sqm (incl. small balcony). The first 2 houses to be ready for move in at April 2015. Around 2016, all the houses will  be built  and then Davao has approximately 1,000 condominiums more.

The prices for the apartments are said at about 1.32 million pesos, which is much lower than from other companies. The equipment should be simple: low cost. The house monthly allowance will be  at  approximately 1,120 pesos, or about 35 pesos per square meter of living space. This is significantly low because  other building companies charge between 60 -90 pesos.

The initiators of PHINMA also believe that Davao is on a huge demand for housing, as it is in Manila at the moment. With a  price of 44,000 pesos/ sqm the company is located in an interesting  low price segment.  Other construction companies will ask  around 70,000 pesos /sqm and more - of course with another, better equipment and higher priced location.

The offer is interesting. 

Best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

How to transport a chicken ?

How to transport a chicken ?
Nov. 25, 2014

There are certainly a lot of possibilities to transport a chicken: in the cage, in a bag, in a pocket or under the arm.
This possibility, which we saw on the way from Kidapawan to Davao, is also one - although not very nice. But perhaps Filipinos see the matter differently, just from the point of view of the saucepan.

With best regards,
Ludwig from Davao

Hopelessly overloaded

hopelessly overloaded 

Yes, if you're going on a trip, you can see incredible things. How true this phrase is! The more for the the roads in the Philippines. And especially if the police is not present... You might become witness of some unbelievable encounters, especially outside the cities, in the wild, wild west.

We enountered such along the way from Kidapawan city to Davao in the late afternoon. The traffic there was slow, so we thought it will be a slow, comfortably road back home.  we thought nothing bad - yes until we had this truck in front of us and passed it. We counted 10 rows and colums of 40 kg bags of rice on a truck. This size we have never seen before. It looked incredible yet dangerous.

We are not sure if the driver knew that he could endanger his and other drivers' lifes. Probably not. We have often seen trucks here that were longer than long  and their load was"up in the sky" . And so it is no wonder that  accidents will happen again and again. For such  an overloaded truck to bring to a stop -  the best brakes are not so strong enough to make it. The truck rolls on and on, as if it were on a skating rink and pushes everything  away. Simply, hopeless.

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao

The coconut reveals its secrets

The coconut reveals its secrets

Nov. 8, 2014

If you  come in the tropics on vacation, you immediately think of  beaches of white sand and coconut trees swaying in the wind. A picturesque scene. And then you can imagine the tanned islanders, to get the coconuts from the trees and drink the delicious juice.

The juice of the coconut is a great thirst quencher- this is known yet.. The juice is a real  power cocktail with many vitamins   and minerals. It seems that  this juice was just created for the people living in the tropics as a benefit because you can live from the coconut and the juice for weeks – if it must be.

Another substance in this juice, which was  regarded as a beauty facility for smooth beautiful skin and healthy long hair, is gaining more and more importance. It is the trace element selenium.

For every tourist who lies down in the sun to get his suntan, it is recommended to drink  the juice of the coconut. It is to maintain our skin. More important is  that the UV radiation here in the tropics can cause sunburn fast - despite the use of sunscreen with a high protection factor. The selenium in the coconut belongs to the "antioxidants", is a reliable herbal  and  can  protect the skin from inside – if you drink enough.

By the way, even in radishes the selenium is included. And salads with radishes, which are prepared with coconut juice, are delicious. Have you  tried it?

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao