DAVAO CITY (PIA) -- A cultural peace hub project at Magsaysay Park in Davao City got second prize for Mindanao in the Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC).

The TCC is a flagship project of the Department of Tourism (DOT), where local government units across the country will propose and submit innovative tourism infrastructure projects that aim to foster sustainability, inclusivity, and resilience in tourism development, enhance local destinations and communities, and provide added economic opportunity for communities.

“The TCC has sought to empower local government units to conceptualize and develop projects that will create new tourism opportunities, create accessibility, and showcase our unique Filipino heritage,” said DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco during the awarding held on April 15 in Manila.

The Davao City LGU submitted the proposal entitled Panunod: A Way of Life, Inherited Preservation of the Unwavering Legacy of Cultural and Sustainable Tourism of Davao City.

The project involves the creation of a cultural peace hub for the Indigenous and Bangsamoro communities. It will establish a centralized cultural center and sustainable communities dedicated to showcasing economic opportunities for the arts and products of the city’s 11 ethnolinguistic tribes.

For bagging second place, Davao City will receive P15 million plus an additional P5 million to jumpstart the project.

Isabela City of Basilan Province bagged the first prize for Mindanao with their Lampinigan SANDS (Sustainable and Natural Destination of the South): The Lampinigan Jetty Port and Leisure Development Project.  

Aside from Davao City, two other LGUs in Davao Region were among the five Mindanao winners.  These include the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte’s IGACOS Mangrove Boardwalk and Gallery, which bagged the third prize and will receive P10 million in addition to the President’s P5 million prize.

Tagum City, Davao del Norte’s Truly Tagum: Advancing the Benefits of an Enriched Heritage-Tourism Circuit got the fourth prize and will receive P8 million and President’s additional P5 million prize. (RGA/PIA Davao)