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The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, led by Consul General Antonio A. Morales, concluded on 31 October 2018 a four-day familiarization tour for members of the Hong Kong Consular Corps and business executives to Davao City, the Philippines’ third biggest city.

The tour, which the Consulate organized in coordination with the Philippine Department of Tourism, Marco Polo Davao, and Hong Kong-based private travel agency Planet Holiday, took the inaugural direct flight of Cathay Dragon to Davao – the first HK-Davao direct flight of any airline and the fifth Philippine city with direct air links to Hong Kong.

The 14-member tour delegation was composed of consuls, including from Sri Lanka, Cote d'Ivoire and Mozambique, as well as members of the business community and their families. It was the first time for most of the tour participants not only to Davao but also to Mindanao, the Philippines’ second biggest island.

“It’s a stroke of good fortune for the Consulate that Cathay Dragon had scheduled the first inaugural flight to Davao at around the same time we wanted to put together this year’s familiarization tour to the Philippines,” said Consul General Morales, explaining how the Consulate had decided on Davao City as tour destination.

The itinerary featured a combination of popular tourist destinations in the city and environs with official meetings with city and provincial government agencies, businesses and enterprises.

After a welcoming dinner on the first day, the delegation proceeded on the second day with a city tour and a visit to the Kadayawan Village, the Central Communications and Emergency Response Center (Central 911), and the City Hall. In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Malagos Garden Resort, a 12-hectare property in Calinan district.

In the Kadayawan village, the delegation learned about the culture, tradition, and architecture of the 11 different indigenous (Lumad) and Moro tribes that originally inhabited Davao City.

At the Malagos Garden Resort, the participants learned how cacao is cultivated and harvested to produce its award-winning chocolate, Malagos Chocolate. They also toured the Chocolate Museum, the first of its kind in the Philippines, where they learned different varieties of chocolate. They also tried chocolate tasting and candy making.

The tour participants were invited as guests in the Cathay Dragon Inaugural Dinner, where Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade gave a keynote speech to congratulate Cathay Pacific’s subsidiary regional airline for successfully operating the first direct flight. Airlines also fly direct from Hong Kong to Clark, Manila, Iloilo and Cebu.

For the third day, the delegation toured Samal Island where they dived in the clear, blue waters of Coral Garden, watched cliff-diving at Sabang, and snorkeled to see the giant clams in the Giant Clam Sanctuary.

The tour ended with a farewell dinner hosted by Consul General Morales at Balik Bukid Farm and Kitchen, a restaurant specializing in Filipino healthy alternative cooking.

Consul General Morales thanked all the delegation, the tour agency representatives, as well as colleagues from the Consular Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Mindanao for making the Familiarization Tour a success. He also expressed hopes the direct flights could correct the deficit in arrivals of tourists from Hong Kong to the Philippines.

While there were 895,000 travelers visiting Hong Kong from the Philippines in 2017, there were only 112,000 travelers visiting the Philippines from Hong Kong during the same period.

The Davao familiarization tour was the sixth in a series organized by the Consulate together with the Philippine Department of Tourism since 2015.

 

City Tour (Clockwise from upper left) a. The delegation poses with representatives of the 11 different Lumad indigenous people and Moro tribes in Kadayawan Village during the first day of the 2018 Familiarization Tour to Davao City on 28-31 October 2018. b. The delegation takes a group photo with Police Superintendent Angel B. Sumagaysay of the Public Safety and Security Command Center in Davao City. c. The delegation is welcomed by Atty. Raul A. Nadela, Jr., Chief of Staff of Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, at the City Hall of Davao. d. Atty. Raul A. Nadela, Jr. receives a Certificate and souvenir from Consul General Antonio A. Morales. e. The delegation poses for a group photo after the visit to the Davao City Hall.
Malagos Garden Resort (Clockwise from upper left) a. The delegation members eat snacks of suman (sticky rice) and hot chocolate at the Malagos Café on the second day of the Familiarization Tour, 29 October 2018. b. The delegation tries their hand in making their own chocolate at the Chocolate Museum. c. Consul General Antonio A. Morales (foreground) and Attache Charlene A. Beriana pours chocolate in their selected molds to make their own Malagos chocolate. d. A Malagos Garden Resort tour guide/facilitator prepares the filled-in molds for refrigeration. e. Delegation members inspect the drying area for cacao seeds at the Puentespina Farms.
Samal Island (Clockwise from Upper Left) a. The delegation members pose for a group photo on the tour boat they took for Samal Island hopping on 30 October 2018. b. Some of the delegation smile for the camera on board the tour boat during the Samal Island hopping on 30 October 2018. c. The delegation members take a break for a photo at the Sta. Ana Pier with Davao City security personnel before embarking on the Samal Island hopping.