SAMAL, DAVAO DEL NORTE

Samal is considered the country’s largest resort city or island, with its powdery beaches and numerous beach resorts. It also has numerous marine reefs and tranquil waters that lure the tourists, especially to Talikud Island. 
The island is mostly agricultural, with farming and fishing being the main sources of revenue for the residents. The largest industry, however, is tourism, which employs thousands of people and indirectly employs thousands more in the informal economy. Samal is also the diving haven in southern Mindanao, because of its lush and diverse marine life. Talikud Island recently hosted the first-ever Dive Festival of the Visit Davao Summer Festival, a program of tourism stakeholders in the region supported by the Department of Tourism 11. The daylong dive event gathered 30 volunteer divers to take part in “scubasurero” underwater cleanups, and extraction and lethal injection of crowns of thorns whose proliferation damages the health of coral gardens. They also prepared the way for discussions on installing mooring buoys to prevent boat anchors from falling and causing severe harm to corals. (SDG 14) Strategic Leadership in pursuing a peaceful, integrated and globally competitive Mindanao ensures that the benefits of its sustainable development are equitably shared and enjoyed by a culturally-diverse, empowered and united mindanawons.

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