This picture is the new Davao Oriental Provincial Capitol located at Capitol Hill, Mati City, Davao Oriental..

Dito kadalasan namamasyal ang mga magkapamilya, magsyota at magkakaibigan..

Itong larawan naman na ito ay ang terminal ng mati, dito nag paparking ang mga bus, dito rin bumababa at sumasakay ang mga pasahero.

Waniban is an island surrounded by pristine blue waters just 15 minutes away from Cinco Masau Resort in Mati, Davao Oriental. The enchantment that Mati has created to the more adventurous backpackers and beach bums has brought this mystic Waniban into the limelight. It used to be just a common hideaway for us locals.

Surrounded by aquamarine waters that hypnotically turn deep blue, Waniban’s attraction is more than just its powdery white sands, sturdy mangroves, a glimpse of dolphins cavorting by, or the fact that you can cover the whole island on foot in less than an hour. One can suddenly step into some fantasy of owning the island to yourself for a day.

The island is equipped with cottages (at P350) and toilets for those staying overnight. For those who just want to explore and take a dip at the warm inviting turquoise waters, you pay P20.

Bancas are hired daily for picnics and island hopping in this islet paradise, plying the route at P2000 for a group of 10. A small banca can easily accommodate five to ten people, 15 if the boatman is reckless. The waves are moderate to calm on a sunny day across from Cinco Masau Resort, where one makes boat reservations.

           

   Mati, situated in the Philippines, comes to mind when thinking about a perfect holiday because of its clear see-through water, palm trees and splendid scenery. This particular region is located on the island of Mindanao. The beach lovers can start their travel from Davao. Mati is the part of the far south-eastern zone. The Pacific and the Celebes Sea surround the city. It is certainly one of the hottest and happening tourist spot, when it comes to being close to the sea.

[]History

The City of Mati is the capital city of Davao Oriental which is a Philippine province located in Mindanao. This is the easternmost province in the country and it is highly urbanized, with a population of 105,908 Matinians as of the year 2000 census. The native word Mandaya “Maa-ti” was the root of the city's name. This eventually became its name because early settlers in the City of Mati often use this expression referring to a creek that was located in the center of the town, which had a habit of getting dried up too quickly even after a series of heavy rain falls.

Establishing an outpost in the City of Mati was Captain Prudencio Garcia who became the city’s pioneer politico-military head in the year 1861. The captain together with a gentleman named Juan Nazareno founded the City of Mati and two additional towns in Davao Oriental. Nowadays, a certain number of families in Davao claim that when they check their family tree, it will lead them to be descendants of these two adventurous gentlemen.

1903 was the year when Mati was declared by virtue of Act No. 21 as a municipality and Act No. 189 of the year 1907 further reaffirmed the Municipality’s Constitution. The name of its first mayor was Francisco Rojas while the first elected mayor in the Municipality was Patricio Cunanan in the year 1923.

In the year 1942, the Japanese Occupation forces was landed in the town of Mati, Eastern Davao. On 1945, the liberation in the town of Mati, Eastern Davao was accompanied by the Allied Philippine Commonwealth troops of the 6th, 10th, 101st, 102nd, 103rd, 104th, 106th, 107th and 110th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, 10th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary and the Davaoeño guerrilla units against the Japanese Imperial forces until the end of World War II.

Starting in the year 1967, Mati became the capital of Davao Oriental’s provincial government even up to this date. As per the historians and other historical accounts, pioneer settlers in the city were the tribes of Kalagans, Mandayans, and Maranaos. The cultures that were brought by these tribes carried a strong influence of Arabic and Indo-Malays.

The reasons why these tribes decided to be relocated in the City of Mati are the town’s strategic position and the lands high fertility that even up to this day, still attract a lot of settlers. Immigrants in the City of Mati include Americans, Chinese, and Spanish people. A lot of Filipinos from different parts of the country also get drawn by the city’s charm. Most of the time people migrate to Mati, either because of marriage, or due to employment shortages in their own cities. As a result, the municipality enjoys a multi cultural heritage coming from the variety of cultures and ethnicity.

For many years now, the City of Mati has been enjoying greater economic growth due to the fact that the city has better accessibility to southern Mindanao’s trade center, accessibility to the city of Davao, reliable power supplies, has access to a lot of communication facilities, and productive land planted with different fruit trees. With this, Mati is basically a spot in the Philippine archipelago that businessmen would truly consider to invest in and for residents to immigrate in.

The town of Mati, Davao Oriental was founded in 1903. It celebrated its centennial in 2003.

[]Tourism

The City of Mati is one of the Philippines most amusing regions to visit. It offers scenic spots, beautiful landscape, and a number of beautiful resorts that would definitely make ones experience in the place to be memorable. Being a capital city of Davao Oriental, if the traveler is on a road trip to Mati, he will be greeted by a very scenic car ride that would not give him an idle time or a chance to be bored. One city sight that would usually be the first stop for travelers would be the Capitol which is situated on top of the hill commanding a fantastic view of the Pujada Bay.

Aside from that, there are numerous city sights that Mati has to offer that the person would not be able to visit them all in just one trip. Mati or Davao Oriental has always been known as a beach destination. Dahican is one of the most popular destinations in Mati with clear waters and a 17-kilometer pure and fine white sand shore. Masao is also very known.Tourists from Finland, Australia, USA, Japan and Korea have enjoyed the resort. Also, local tourists from Surigao and Davao abound in Mati to experience the totally different aura of Masao. There are a lot of places in Mati that are truly haven: Camp Jericho; Tourism Complex; Waniban Island; the sleeping dinosaur; the Pujada Island and a lot more. Pujada Bay has also been considered as among the richest bays in the South East Asia. There are 15,700 species of sea creatures that can be found in the Pujada Bay. Lobsters, Sea Cow or locally known as Dugong, hammerhead shark, blue whale, manta ray, and different kinds of turtles are just among the many sea animals that can be found in Mati. Scuba diving is also experienced here.

Nowadays,skimming and surfing is one of the most favorite sports to Matinians because of the lovely wave in Dahican. Many tourists also got to Dahican Beach just to skim. The lukot is also known in Mati. It's from a sea creature and it taste good.

Adding to the enchantment that the water forms in Mati provide would be the waterfalls. A waterfall which is worth seeing and take pictures with in the City of Mati would be the “Putting Bato” waterfalls which is located in Barrio Limot, that is a very wide waterfall with a wild blooming vegetation. It is so appealing due to the thick forest that surrounds the waterfall, 84 steps descending from its highest point.

To add more to a vacation in Mati, they should visit one of the oldest churches in Mindanao which is the Caraga Church. This church keeps the Church Bell of 1802 that came from Spain brought by friars, as well as Antique images of Saints and other archives and ancient files.

These are just few examples of what the City of Mati has to offer. The list is longer, and for those who long for a better or unique exploration with what Mother Nature has to offer, then the City of Mati is the place to be.

The City of Mati is considered to be quite prosperous. Along with the locals, the adventurers and beach lovers pour in to have the seaside pleasure especially during Pujada Bay, Samboukan and La naval festivals, as they are celebrated in a grand way. The nights look even more colorful and majestic. There are all kinds of facilities to please the tourists like mountain biking, trekking and motorboat racing. There are numerous restaurants, resorts and hotels to welcome the guests. Scuba diving is also another attraction to have fun with the water species

Aptly called the “Sleeping Dinosaur” because of its unique shape that resembles the giant beast, this peninsula is a favorite view near Mati town in Davao Oriental province in the southern Philippines. 

A beautiful scenery lies along the road going to Mati, Davao Oriental and they call it the Sleeping Dinosaur because it is comparable to a dinosaur sleeping on the vast body of water although it took me awhile to get the picture in my head. At first glance, it is more to me a turtle than a dinosaur because of the humplike hill but after so much scrutiny, I was finally convinced that it is really a dinosaur shaped island.

The island itself can’t be accessed easily but you can have a stop and take pictures at designated viewpoint just along the highway. Travellers communiting can ask the bus driver to take them here then wait again for another bus enroute to Mati or elsewhere. Thristy? No problem because there are 2 stores around that sells ice cold softdrink. 

The beautiful views in Mati, Davao Oriental

               A visiting writer once wrote that Mati and its naturally rich resources is Davao’s best-kept secret. But it is hardly one today. Once a sleepy municipality and capital of Davao Oriental, Mati is now a newly established city enjoying a surge of tourist influx and word-of-mouth hype from those who have experienced a glorious escape from the busy urban life.

              I was born in this simple town and whisked off to grow in Davao City but my childhood was filled with memories of summer frolics in our popular beaches. Mati is, after all, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. Its geographical location affords a coastal line so long and filled with powdery white sands, it is blessed with an enchanting panoramic view of the deep blue.

From the Davao City airport, a 165-km. trip by private vehicle or air conditioned bus takes less than three hours to Mati with a scenic travel along a winding coastal road, including the 8 kilometer Badas Zigzag Road on a cliff. 

             My cousins and I enjoy the blue-green waters of Dahican beach, a lengthy strip of breathtaking white beach lined with coconut trees. Its clean, crystal clear waters open into the Pacific, inviting adventurous people to try aquasports like kayaking and skimboarding. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we Dabawenyos are not too keen for travel in other famous island hops like Boracay. We have our own to brag about. 

               Now that my once lazy hometown is brought into the limelight, it has been highly commended for its tourist attractions like waterfalls, mangrove and turtle sanctuaries, cultural museums and tribal weaving centers, durian and pomelo farms, and more. But the beach resorts prominently emerge to lure tourists and bakasyonistas in their lairs. To date, Mati has several but a few have become charming havens to people. 


             So, when the chance to go to Davao came, I hopped on a flight and headed off to one of the burgeoning destinations in the South, the emerging city of Mati in Davao Oriental. Dubbed as the new backpackers haven, the relatively small city of Mati offers beach excursions and island adventures. 
The trip to Mati from Davao took 3 hours, though our driver was wild. You can take a bus to Mati from the Northern Terminal of Davao City. We sped over concrete and "under construction" roads. Arriving in Mati, we were treated to a great view of the peninsula. We left at 7:30 AM in Davao City and arrived in Dahican Beach, our first stop, at the east coast of Mati at 10:30AM. 



              Dahican Beach was dubbed as another Boracay of the South (I really hate it when people say Boracay of their area). Truth is, Dahican Beach is more like Pagudpud. There were locals swimming, and I only spotted a few tourists. We were supposed to stay in Botona Beach Resort, the only resort there, but after surveying the place, we decided to head back to Davao at the end of the day. We wanted to make most of our time in Davao.
The wide sandy coastline was met with huge waves coming from the Pacific Ocean. There were two young skim boarders who ran the sea. The waves weren't as huge though I think for a great surf ride.


             It is good to note that the beach was clean, considering that it was undeveloped and a lot of locals resided in the area. I do hope the locals are aware of keeping their beach clean for tourists to come. The beach is around the length of 2 kms from end to end. There were some abandoned huts also.