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Complex intersections in Davao City
My first project upon my return from Japan in 1999 was the Davao City Transportation and Traffic Management Plan Study. We found a few interesting intersections there. These included junctions with more than 4 legs. If all or most movements were allowed at these intersections, they would be most complicated and risky due to the number of conflicts. Of course, not all movements are allowed and many legs are one-way meaning there are fewer conflicts and less risky.
These intersections are large and while there are traffic signals, they were off when I was there.
Surprisingly, there was no congestion or near crashes. Either, traffic was light at the time (before 7AM) or motorists were driving at a level similar to Vietnam (where vehicles were like ants as they moved at intersections).
A bit of trivia here – 1999 to 2002 was the only period in a long time when a Duterte was not mayor of the city. This was the time the former president relinquished the mayoralty in favor of his Vice Mayor and was instead congressman representing the city. He immediately returned after one term rather than serve out 3 terms.
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Back in Davao after 4 years
We conclude the month of November 2023 with a post on a recent travel, which allowed me to take new photos of an airport I’ve frequently used in the past. I was in Davao last week for a national convention. The last time I was there was in August 2019 and before the pandemic so it was a welcome trip for me. Back then and probably even now, Davao was riding high after 3 years of Digong as President. I am glad that Davao is still rapidly progressing. It has so much potential with or without a certain holding key posts in government.
I will be posting about the Francisco Bangoy Airport in the next days. There have been some improvements to the terminal but most remain the same as it was in 2019.
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Another look at the Francisco Bangoy (Davao) International Airport – Departure Part 2
This is the last part of the feature on the Davao International Airport. Here are the last batch of photos I took of the airport departure areas.
Spacious departure level containing the airline check-in counters
Passengers wait for their check-in times and counter for travel tax payments
Passengers with their luggage filing into the terminal
View of the airline check-in counters from the escalator
Another view of the airline check-in counters and the departure area. This photo also shows the shops at the second level.
View of the terminal entrance from the escalator
Another view of the ground floor area showing the airline counters and the escalators and stairs to the departure level lounges
After clearing the final security check, passengers pass through this corridor towards the departure lounge and boarding gates
Passengers waiting for their boarding calls.
Coming up soon are photos of Changi (Singapore) and Bandaranaike (Sri Lanka) airports. I haven’t been to Singapore in 7 years and it was my first time to go to Sri Lanka so I made sure to take a lot of photos at those airports.
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Another look at the Francisco Bangoy (Davao) International Airport – Departure Part 1
To continue on the series on Davao’s international airport, here are a few photos on the airport upon our departure last week.
Taxi stand at the airport There are two lanes here along which taxis are queued to pick-up passengers. The other two lanes to the right in the photo are for dropping-off passengers.
Passengers walking towards the terminal. Those with lots of luggage may avail of the porter services. The porter assists you until the check-in process.
Driveway for private vehicles and VIPs
Typical scene right after the first security check at the airport
I will be completing this series with another post on this airport soon. Meanwhile, I am preparing for a trip to Sri Lanka via Singapore. That means more photos of airports. I have not been to Singapore in a while. The last one was in 2012 when Changi still had a budget terminal (terminal for low-cost carriers like Cebu Pacific and Tiger Airways) and I have not been to Sri Lanka at all. And so I am looking forward to there travels and will be sharing the experiences through photos and some narratives in future posts.
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Another look at the Francisco Bangoy (Davao) International Airport – Arrival Part 2
This is a continuation of the post on the Davao International Airport. I made sure to take photos upon our arrival as I haven’t been to Davao in a while. So here’s a second set of photos on the airport.
Upon exiting the terminal, one is greeted by a spacious are with covered walkway towards the taxi stand and the parking area.
A view of the sidewalk and path to the departure wing of the terminal. Note the signs indicating the airline offices nearby.
Crossing to the taxi stands and pick-up areas
A look back to the terminal building
Driveway for private vehicles picking-up or dropping-off passengers at the terminal
Taxi stands at the terminal. These are taxis picking-up passengers.
Queue at the taxi stand
The taxis on the other lanes are those dropping-off passengers at the terminal. There are two lanes each for taxis dropping-off or picking-up passengers.
Passengers are given by airport security personnel a small sheet of paper where the information on the taxis are written. These are for future reference or use in case there is an issue or concern such as things left on the taxis.
Taxi bearing a sticker of Hirna, a popular taxi hailing app in Davao. This homegrown company gives good competition to the industry leader Grab. I thought that we probably need more of these than Grab Cars.
I have always admired taxi operations in Davao. My experience there since my first time to visit the city is that it was easy to get a taxi and their drivers generally follow rules and regulations. The system in Davao seems to be effective in encouraging drivers to be honest and obedient to traffic rules and regulations.
More on the Davao International Airport soon!
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Another look at the Francisco Bangoy (Davao) International Airport – Arrival Part 1
I have not been to Davao for some time now. I think the last time was over 6 years ago at a time when there was still no inkling of its mayor becoming the Philippine President. In fact, that was the time he was Vice Mayor to his daughter who was mayor the last time I was in the city. And so I was curious how it was in the city where certainly the popularity of the First Family should be at the highest in the land. Note that aside from the President, the first daughter is again Mayor, a son is Vice Mayor and another son is Congressman. But no worries for the DDS among my readers, I will not talk about politics in this post. I will just be sharing photos of the airport and some commentaries here and there.
View of the airport terminal as we deplaned
A look back at the Airbus 330 jet that brought us to Davao
Passengers walking towards the baggage claim area, which is on the ground floor of the terminal
Passengers using either the escalator or the stairs to the baggage claim area
Passengers walking towards the baggage claim area pass by an area where sometimes quarantine is performed and people step on a mat that’s treated vs. foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Porters line up to welcome arriving passengers and offer their assistance
Information desk at the arrival area
Baggage carousels – there were only two for domestic flights
We arrived in time for the last days of the city’s Kadayawan Festival
Passengers surround the carousel to await their checked-in luggage
There is a screen informing passengers that their baggage are being unloaded. I thought it would have been helpful if Philippine airports provide more details like how its done in other countries. In the latter, they usually announce when the first and last bags are on the carousel for specific flights.
Policemen performing musical numbers at the airport terminal is a pleasing sight and sound and is certainly an effective P.R. initiative for the PNP and the city.
Another look at the still crowded carousel area. It took a while for our luggage to come out.
Hotel desk at the terminal for those inquiring about accommodations or perhaps their airport transfer services.
Another Kadayawan photo op feature at the terminal
Another look at the hotels’ desk at the terminal just before the exit
I took a lot of photos at the airport so I will be sharing these in several posts. More photos soon!
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Another look at Davao’s Francisco Bangoy International Airport
I featured Davao in a previous post and just had to feature it again after being able to get a few decent photos of the arrival areas, passengers’ lounge and the terminal itself. The photos will also show that the airport is well maintained considering not much has changed since the last time I was there for a few days in 2009. I was actually in Davao in 2010 but it was a very quick visit as I was en route to Manila from General Santos City and had traveled more than 2 hours by land to make the last flight out of the city.
Airport terminal as seen from a plane taxiing from the runway
Tarmac area at Davao Airport
Waiting for the plane to unload the pallets containing passengers’ baggage and other freight
Baggage claim area at the domestic wing
Tarpaulin welcoming visitors and returning residents to Davao City
Passengers streaming from the baggage claim towards the exit from the arrival area
Information booth – they have good materials for first-timers
Airport terminal as seen from the road leading to the national highway
It was a pleasant surprise to see self-service check-in machines at the Davao airport. I haven’t seen these at NAIA Terminal 3 as well as at the Iloilo and Bacolod-Silay airports. While I usually check-in online when I’m flying Cebu Pacific, this can be a good alternative for passengers traveling light and have no luggage to check-in.
Another look at Davao’s spacious terminal – the only glitch seems to be the descending escalator not functioning at the time we were there.
Check-in counters for domestic airline passengers – though spacious, it could get quite crowded not just because of the number of passengers but also because of their luggage and souvenirs. Davao is well-known for its fruits so it is not uncommon for passengers having one or more boxes of pomelo or perhaps durian, which have to be checked-in as the latter is not allowed in the aircraft cabin due to its smell.
Corridor from the final security check prior to the departure gates
Along the corridors are a few benches and some small shops as well as the lounges for business and first class passengers, and VIPs.
The pre-departure lounge of the airport is expansive – appropriate for the number of passengers usually served by the terminal
Another look at the pre-departure area, which looked crowded because people tended to be seated closer to their departure gates. Our flight would be on board a B747 so there were really a lot of passengers. Still, there were many seats available at the lounge.
That’s our gate in the middle of the photo.
I think Francisco Bangoy is one of the cleanest airports in the Philippines. It is also among the most organized and more spacious ones. Airport authorities are also quite strict with security, giving travelers that sense of safety once in the airport premises. Airports should provide such feeling to passengers and other users of the facility considering the airport is a major meeting place for a lot of people aside from being gateways and serving as a first impression of that city to visitors.
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Caught (up) in traffic 