General Santos City or Gensan, formerly known as Dadiangas to most people in Mindanao is one of the few highly urbanized cities in this part of the country. It serves as the gateway to many beautiful provinces down south of the Philippines and is famous for its tuna. A lot of people also associate this city to Manny Pacquiao as this was his hometown before becoming a world-famous boxer. I have lived in this city for a few months now and it has become one of my favorite coworking destinations. In this article, I’ll be sharing some things that I love about General Santos City that most people may not be and should be aware of.
— It’s located in the heart of Southern Mindanao
Gensan is strategically located in the heart of Southern Mindanao hence becoming a gateway to other beautiful provinces such as Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and Davao Occidental. It has an international airport that makes access easier for people from different parts of the country and outside the archipelago. Transportation is also not a problem as it has direct trips to almost all the tourist destinations.
— Affordable Cost of Living
Living in General Santos City doesn’t take a lot. A room good for two people with T&B and mini kitchen in the heart of the city only cost P4500 monthly on rent. This price also often include free water, electricity, and internet. Since the city is easy to get around with using public transport, going to work and other places won’t really cost much.
— Fresh and Affordable Seafoods
While it is to be expected for seafoods to be abundant and fresh in General Santos City, it’s also unbelievably cheap! A kilo of fish can go as low as P80 and shrimp at P120/kilo. Mussels and other seashells are also very affordable. While your 500 bucks may not last you a week on food in other cities, here you could very likely survive on it for almost two weeks.
— Delicious and Affordable Street foods
General Santos has given street foods a whole new different meaning for me. It’s not just barbeque or ihaw-ihaw, fishballs, and kikiam. Street food here means pastil or rice with the toppings of your choice that only cost P15 a serving. Toppings consists of spicy tuna, chicken, or beef. This would be served with unlimited side dishes consisting of sauteed eggplant, bagoong alamang, and pickled cucumber. You can also pair it with viands and only pay as much as P50 a meal.
— Malls are relatively near one another
It’s not like the malls in Ayala but unlike in other cities, malls here in General Santos are only a few walks apart. This makes shopping and mall hopping really easy as people don’t need to drive from one mall to another. This eliminates the need to drive through traffic and search for parking spaces which saves time and energy. There are four malls and each has different things to offer. When it comes to shopping and food tripping, my two favorites are KCC and SM Malls.
— Diverse Culture
General Santos City is a melting pot of various cultures. This is where the Muslims, Blaans, T’bolis, Ilonggos, Ilocanons, and Bisaya live and thrive peacefully. These cultures are showcased within the city in various different ways. You would also hear people speak different languages, dress according to their ethnicity’s fashion, and indulge in activities inherent to the ethnic group they’re from. I can only gasp in awe at how wonderful the locals interact with one another. While racism is a hot topic elsewhere, it’s just heartwarming to witness people from different cultures coexist here in perfect harmony.
— It’s where nature and technology meet
It’s no secret that General Santos is one of the fast rising cities in the country and with that comes along technology and innovation. Despite that, the city still managed to keep its natural wonders in tact. A good part of the city is still covered in lush forest. Its rivers are still clean. There are also several natural destinations that are only a few minutes drive away from the city center. Its people doesn’t have to go far as there are tons of beautiful spots that they can visit when they’re in need of respite from the hustle of life.
— Plenty of Coworking Spaces
One of things that I was skeptical about when I started backpacking in Southern Philippines is the availability of coworking spaces. Gladly here in General Santos City, I’ve got a ton of options. It’s just great to see that this city is already becoming digital nomad-friendly by having plenty of amazing coworking spots such as co.cee coworking and FocusHub. This made working online for me convenient and I can’t wait to see this city being recognized by fellow digital nomads.
How to get to General Santos City?
From Manila– You can fly directly to General Santos City using any of the local air carriers. Cebu Pacific and PAL has daily flights to this city and you can simply book during a sale if you’re on a budget.
From Davao– Go to Ecoland Terminal and hop on a bus going to General Santos City. Travel time is 4 hours. Alternatively, you can take a bus going to Digos City then another bus from there to Gensan. There are also a lot of commuter vans that ply this route. Fare is P500.
From Cotabato City – Ride a bus to Digos City and another bus to General Santos. You can also take the Haskie Bus to Isulan/Tacurong then another bus to General Santos. If there are no direct bus available, you can take the bus to Marbel/Koronadal then ride another bus to General Santos.
From Midsayap– If you’re coming from a visit in Asik-Asik Falls then you can ride a van going to Marbel/Koronadal and another van to General Santos to get to this city.
There you have it, lovelies. I hope this helps you with deciding which city to visit the next time you’re in Mindanao. If I miss anything, feel free to let me know in the comments. Until next time. Ciao!
2 Comments
Keza Enriquez are you from General Santos? Where did you gather these erroneous information. Not all what you’ve said about the city is right. Have you been to the local market lately and bought a kilo of fish. Anong isda nabanggit mo na ubod ng mura? P500 for 2 weeks for survival? COME ON, SWEETY. Isang upoan mo lang ata yan sa kapehan. 😀
Anong boarding house meron libreng tubig at kuryente at P4500 month’s rental? Let me so I could move out frm my P5000 month’s rent less electricity and water! Alam mo ba, General Santos has the expensive fares compared among othe cities? P15 – P20 minimum tricycle fare. You still have to huggle up with the driver for some instances. Jeepney fare P15. I’m giving you factual info regarding the cost of living of the town. You maybe rifht with the street foods but that isn’t to brag brag about.
Common sa ibang lugar. Mas kaaya aya pa ata street foods ng Davao! And besides you can’t live on eating street foods alone. For sure you hardly missed ttese.
I am not really sure aaboutyour post? 🤔 Sana ako lang naka basa nito. Goodness, you.
Calling me “Sweety” just shows you’re arrogant and condescending. This is what people usually do when they wanna assert their authority to other people because they think they know better. I lived in both Davao and General Santos and no, Davao is not cheap! If you can’t live on ₱500 on food in two weeks then you’re doing it all wrong. Maybe it’s a stretch to you but I did it. If you don’t know where you can find ₱4500 room with free elec, water, and internet that you can share with another person so that makes your rent ₱2250 a month then you’re an effing amateur and you don’t have the right to talk to me that way. You can’t invalidate my experience just because you had it differently. Maybe get off your high horse and start exploring more so you wouldn’t wonder and question how other people did it but you can’t. 🙃