As part of the Kadayawan Festival, Davao City proudly welcomed delegations from different countries and sister cities to strengthen friendships and explore new opportunities for trade, investments, culture, and education.
The City Government of Davao – led by Acting Mayor Sebastian Duterte – met with leaders and representatives from Palau, Japan, the United States, China, South Korea, Singapore, and Russia at Dusit Thani Residences, Lanang. These courtesy meetings were part of Invest Davao: Kadayawan Global Connect 2025, a three-day event organized by the Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC).
DCIPC Head April Dayap said 113 foreign delegates from seven different countries attended the event, 32 of them were foreign companies who joined the business forum along with 90 local companies in Davao.
Among the distinguished guests were Eyos Rudimch, Governor of the Koror State Government in Palau; Yamamoto Yuma, Mayor of Sennan City Government in Japan; Zheng Feng, Deputy Secretary-General of the Dalian Municipal People’s Government in China; and Ria J. Jumawan Johnson, Tacoma Sister Cities Co-Chair from the Tacoma City Government in the USA.
“The very objective is to invite more foreign delegates and also foreign guests to come to Davao.”
Also present were representatives from foreign chambers and the private sector, including delegates from South Korea, Russia, Singapore, as well as Fuzhou City and Nanning City in China, and Japan.
“The very objective is to invite more foreign delegates and also foreign guests to come to Davao, especially the investors to network with them and we can build relationships with them so that they can see potential opportunities where they can put their capital and investment here in Davao,” Dayap explained.
Dayap said that the delegates were very impressed with the city’s peace and order, cleanliness, and the good leadership in the city.
Dayap added that the event was able to showcase Davao City to the world, not only on the tourism aspect but also on the investment side.
Acting Mayor Duterte, in his speech, thanked the delegates for accepting the city’s invitation to visit Davao in time for the Kadayawan Festival.
Duterte underscored that the event is a gathering imbued with the spirit of collaboration and good will.
“Our sister cities are extremely vital but creating opportunities to bridge other communities and establish new linkages is also meaningful.”
“Just as the Kadayawan brings together the eleven ethnolinguistic tribes of Davao, so too are we gathered here today representatives from various nations and cultures coming together in a spirit of collaboration and good will ties with our city. Our sister cities are extremely vital but creating opportunities to bridge other communities and establish new linkages is also meaningful. Please allow Davao City as a bridge that enables everyone here to engage explore shared interest and build alliances, because regardless of our backgrounds we all share in the same goal to bring prosperity stability and peace in our respective communities and the best way to do this is to learn from each other and support one another,” Duterte said.
He also hoped that the discussions during business meetings will create avenues and mutual growth that will bring lasting benefits to the delegates’ respective communities.
The acting mayor said he looks forward to bringing in more sister city accords in the future.
The delegates of the event were able to witness the various Kadayawan highlights.
