Davao City’s landmark croc farm owner dies in highway mishap

COTABATO CITY — The owner of the iconic tourist attraction Crocodile Farm in Davao City died in a road accident in Bansalan, Davao del Sur on Sunday morning.

In separate reports on Monday, the Bansalan Municipal Police Station and the Davao del Sur Provincial Police Office said the 64-year-old Philip Dizon died from injuries sustained when his Can-Am three-wheeled vehicle flipped and rolled over at a stretch of a highway connecting Barangays Managa and Balutakay in the municipality.

Capt. Orlando Udalve, acting chief of the Bansalan municipal police, said that Dizon tried to avoid a vehicle from the opposite direction of the highway but lost control of his trike, causing the accident that resulted in his death.

Dizon, proprietor of the Davao City Crocodile Farm, also owned orchards and exotic fruit farms marketing its products in the city and provinces around and an eco-tourism park, the Apo Highland Resorts, in Kapatagan, Davao del Sur.

People close to Dizon told reporters that the latter established the crocodile farm due to his fascination with freshwater and seawater crocodiles. The farm was also built for conservation and educational purposes in Maa in Davao City more than a decade ago and has since become a popular landmark in Region 11.

Tourists from around Mindanao flock to Dizon’s Crocodile Farm during weekends and holidays.