Davao Dating: How to Meet Singles in Davao City
Eager to experience Davao dating and meet sun-kissed singles? You’re in luck because there are plenty of singles that are ready to mingle in the Durian Capital of the Philippines. While finding them isn’t an issue, approaching them can be quite tricky. So plan your steps carefully, or you might upset their Davaoeño sensibilities.
But don’t worry, you just need the right information, and you’ll be equipped for success. The first thing you need to know is that Davao City is a melting pot of cultures and traditions, so things can get complicated if you don’t know your way around.
Start Dating Singles in Davao
If you’re not sure where to start, the TrulyFilipino team is here to break things down into yummy bite-sized chunks. Here are some bite-sized tips on how to meet singles in Davao City:
1. Friends as matchmakers
The Philippines was a colony of Spain for 333 years. During that time, the Spaniards spread Catholicism like wildfire, along with conservative traits that persist today. So if you approach a Filipino to ask them out on a date, expect to be politely rejected.
There are “proper” channels that you need to employ if you want to date a Filipino. The most common way to do this is to ask a mutual friend to introduce you. Being introduced by a mutual friend gives them some assurance that you’re a good person. After all, if they trust their friend, why shouldn’t they trust you?
Don’t have any friends in the area? Worry not, there are other ways of meeting Davao singles.
2. Time your visit to coincide with festivals
One good thing that came out of the Spanish occupation is the Philippines’ love for festivals. Not to mention all the celebrations created to breathe life back to the country’s fading indigenous cultures.
The Kadayawan festival is one such event, and it’s the mother of all festivals in Davao. Usually held in the third week of August, it unites the multitude of tribes in Davao with a week-long thanksgiving celebration for the season’s bountiful harvest. That’s right – you have one week to dance with the locals, shop for souvenirs, and maybe even find love.
3. Under the cover of the night with Davao singles
Here’s an open secret that you might find interesting: Filipinos aren’t as conservative as they used to be. They like to keep up with appearances, but the truth is, they’re pretty liberal behind closed doors. This isn’t limited to the gates of their homes, either. Filipinos also show their wild side behind the doors of a nightclub, for example.
Somehow, the rules and traditions that apply during the day time are nullified when night falls, assuming you’re in the right place, of course. In nightclubs, you won’t have any trouble approaching single men and women in Davao. They may even make the first move!
4. Terms of endearment
While it’s true that you’ll get shut down if you try to approach Filipinos while wearing a confident smile and brandishing an old pickup line, there is a peculiar approach that might work.
Have you ever heard a foreigner speak your native language and butcher the pronunciation? It’s endearing, isn’t it? In fact, it might just be charming enough to break the ice that is three centuries of colonial conservatism.
The question remains, which language should you learn? “Filipino, of course,” I hear you say confidently. But, while most Filipinos speak the Filipino language, it’s often not the primary language of the area unless you’re in Manila.
Should you start learning Davaoeño then? Unfortunately, that language is dying, and you’ll probably have difficulty finding someone who speaks it. Your best shot is Cebuano or Binisaya since it’s spoken by 74% of Davao City’s population. So practice saying, “Maayong buntag,” which means good morning.
If you sound cute enough while saying that to singles in Davao, you might get the chance to say, “Palangga tikaw.” What does that mean? Don’t worry; you’ll figure it out.
5. Laughter is the best aphrodisiac
The resiliency of Filipinos is the stuff of legends. And one major source of their strength and tenacity is their sense of humor. You’ll find that Filipinos can smile and laugh through anything life throws at them. So don’t be shy. It doesn’t matter how corny your joke is, they’ll appreciate it. You also get bonus points if you tell the joke in Filipino.
The best part about this strategy is the fact that you can’t fail. Your joke falls flat? They laugh. You awkwardly fumble your words and give up? They’ll still laugh! Entertain them enough, and you’ll soon build a good rapport with them.
Now don’t be shocked if they share a single glass for their drinks. It’s not because they only have one shot glass. It’s a tradition that Filipinos carried over from when they were animists. Notice that they’ll also pour the first shot on the ground. The first shot always goes to the spirits, or so they say.
6. Malls are a cultural touchstone
It’s practically tradition in the Philippines to go to the mall during your days off. Or sometimes you go to Jollibee. Scratch that, most times you go to Jollibee. By this point, you can probably guess how this came to be. That’s right – the Spanish!
Spaniards planned cities to be centered around square military plazas. This plaza was usually surrounded by the governor general’s place, the cathedral, the law court, and many stores. Several hundred years later, the desire to wander around a square plaza surrounded by stores still burns within modern Filipinos’ veins.
This is why if you go malling during the weekend, expect the place to be fully packed. But on the bright side, there are a lot of single Davao men and women to be found.
Davao dating can be done in malls, but they might not be the best places to practice your pickup lines. However, malls are great for meeting new friends. Think of it as an investment. Hang out with some natives and when you’ve earned their trust, ask them to introduce you to some hot singles.
Best of all, making friends in the Philippines is quite an easy task. It may not even take effort on your part. Just put on a friendly face, smile, and watch the locals flock to you.
7. Parks and recreation
The Spaniards might have instilled a love for square concrete spaces within Filipinos’ hearts, but the youth are starting to break free from that. One of the perks of being colonized not once, not twice, but three times, is the rapid globalization that results from it.
It also helps that it was the Americans that had the last turn at colonizing the Philippines. And Americans love their parks. In fact, the most modern places in the country these days are redeveloped American bases.
Anyway, if you’re looking for a park to frolic around in, The Ramon Magsaysay Park is worth visiting. You’ll find single Filipinos hanging about sprawled out in the grass en masse.
If you’re looking for the adventurous type, try joining hiking groups looking to summit Mount Apo, the Philippines’ highest mountain. Davao City dating has its perks, but a hike could be romantic as well.
Nature is arguably the best venue for romantic ventures with singles in Davao. Romanticism started as a movement that venerated nature, after all. Maybe you’ll fall in love on your way up and share your first kiss at the mountain’s peak.
8. Learn the art of indirect flirting
For guys looking to date Filipinas, taking it nice and slow is all you need to ensure smooth sailing. Women, on the other hand, have a tougher path ahead of them. That’s because women aren’t typically expected to initiate the courting process in the Philippines. Tradition dictates that women shouldn’t do anything at all, except play hard to get.
Of course, tradition has never prevented the youth from doing whatever they want to do. So modern Filipinas have mastered the art of indirect flirting to bend the rules a bit. Indirect flirting is a tightrope act that requires a hefty amount of insight, restraint, and subtlety.
You need enough insight to know how traditional the Filipino man you fancy is. Then practice enough restraint to stay within the cultural boundaries that he has set. Finally, it would help if you coaxed him into courting you by giving him a barrage of hints and openings. If you’re against such cunning romantic strategies, we have one final trick up our sleeves, so keep reading.
9. The internet is technically international waters
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. But what if you’re at home and talking to a Filipino through the wonders of the internet? We say, do what you always do. Talking to singles in Davao through a Davao dating site allows you to bypass all the cultural red tape.
There’s this weird phenomenon in which Filipinos drop all pretenses of being conservative when there’s a phone or computer between them and the person they’re talking to.
It’s a bad thing most of the time, and you’ll know this if you’ve ever encountered Filipinos in online games. But on dating websites, you can very quickly build an emotional relationship with them without social taboos getting in the way. Talking to them on online dating sites like Truly Filipino gives you both an opportunity to test your connection and build intimacy.
So go on, start a conversation. There are no cultural boundaries here since you’re not in the Philippines yet. But you might soon be. And when you get here, we’re pretty sure that you’re equipped and ready for success.
