Groundbreaking of the Davao Philippines Temple
Construction began on the Davao Philippines Temple after a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Davao City on Nov. 14, 2020. COVID-19 restrictions limited the event to invitation only. Presiding over the ceremony in the shadow of Mount Apo, the country’s tallest peak, was Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Philippines Area.
Also attending were Elder Wakolo’s wife, Sister Anita Wakolo, along with counselors in the Philippines Area presidency, Elder Yoon Hwan Choi and Elder Steven R. Bangerter.
In the dedicatory prayer offered over the site, Elder Wakolo declared, “We pray that this temple, even while being constructed, will bless the lives of all who live in the vicinity and those who pass by, by increasing their hope and peace through Christ.”
The Davao Philippines Temple is scheduled to be dedicated May 3, 2026, by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Timeline of the Davao Philippines Temple
The Davao Philippines Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 7, 2018. The groundbreaking ceremony was held Nov. 14, 2020, presided over by Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, a General Authority Seventy.
After a public open house from March 26 to April 10, 2026, the Davao Philippines Temple will be dedicated May 3, 2026, by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Architecture and Design of the Davao Philippines Temple
The house of the Lord in Davao City is a two-story, 18,450-square-foot edifice under a two-story steeple. It stands on a 2.7-acre site at Ma-a Road and Anahaw Road.
Inside the building, design motifs draw from traditional Filipino piña embroidery — a textile woven from fibers of the pineapple plant and often accompanied by local flora and geometric artisan designs. Art-glass windows, also reflecting the region’s indigenous tropical flowers, are adorned with bright hues of pinks, purples and greens.
African mahogany makes up doors and millwork within the temple, and brass and crystal lighting fixtures illuminate the interior. Flooring of the temple uses broadloom carpet, tufted cut-pile nylon carpet tiles and both standard and custom broadloom rugs. Burdur beige marble constitutes hard flooring surfaces, along with roma pietra porcelain tile.
Interior Photos of the Davao Philippines Temple
