05/09/2026
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฟ๐
๐: Lowie Dungog, Ccia De Catalina
๐จ: Myca Dismas
๐ธ: Kyle Wenceslao, Calex Serra
DAVAO CITY โ Long before the program began, the Kingdome was already alive.
Along the Phil-Japan Friendship Highway in Sasa, thousands of guests streamed into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound, filling the grounds with conversations, anticipation, and the excitement of witnessing a moment years in the making.
On September 1, 2026, members and workers of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, together with JMC students, faculty, staff, supporters, content creators, vloggers, and distinguished guestsโincluding Davao City Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterteโgathered for the 41st Anniversary of the Feast of the Passover and the grand opening of the Kingdome.
Based on the event's pre-registration count, approximately 80,000 people took part in the historic gathering.
But numbers alone could not capture what the occasion felt like.
๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ด๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ.
The celebration opened with a virtual tour that gave guests a glimpse into the massive structure before many experienced its spaces firsthand.
The presentation traced the Kingdome's historyโfrom its conception and construction to the engineering and architectural work that brought the ambitious project to life.
The story behind the structure is almost as remarkable as the building itself.
Construction began on September 3, 2012, under the ex*****on of ACQ Solomonic Builders Development Corporation, and continued for 14 years. What was initially estimated at approximately โฑ6 billion eventually grew to roughly โฑ13 billion, as the project underwent design expansions, engineering adjustments, and an extended construction period.
The building itself carries distinctly Davao and Filipino inspirations. Its exterior evokes the form of the durian, Davao's iconic fruit, while its golden canopies draw inspiration from the Philippine Eagle.
Perhaps one of its most striking engineering stories lies beneath the ground.
Faced with strict height restrictions, workers excavated approximately nine meters underground to create sufficient space for the enormous seating capacity while keeping the structure within the prescribed height limitations.
The result is a structure that does not simply rise above the landscapeโit extends beneath it.
๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ: ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐, ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ.
Stepping inside the Kingdome was an experience of contrasts.
Outside, the grounds were bustling with people. Inside, the atmosphere shifted.
Guests described the interior as beautiful, elegant, and impressive, with the scale and design of the venue immediately apparent upon entering.
๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ก๐.
For some visitors, the temperature inside was so noticeably cool that they eventually chose to step outsideโnot because the Kingdome failed to impress, but because the surrounding grounds offered their own spectacle.
Outside, colored dancing fountains and waterfalls transformed the compound into a luminous landscape. Water moved with the lights, creating a relaxing visual experience amid the enormous crowd.
For many, the choice was not between staying inside or leaving the celebration.
It was simply a choice between two different experiences of the same occasion.
๐ผ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ข๐ช๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ฅ.
Following the virtual tour, KOJC members took the stage for an opening musical performance, welcoming guests through music and celebration.
The atmosphere then transitioned into a praise and worship session.
Later, Bro. David Axel S. Manaday read an inspiring bible verse in Psalm 150, calling attention to praise and worship as the heart of the gathering.
A virtual message from Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, JMCFI's Founding President, followed.
In his message, Pastor expressed gratitude to the Almighty Father and reflected on the journey that led to the completion of the Kingdome.
โ๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐ช๐ก๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐งโ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ข๐๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ข๐: ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ค ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐จ๐๐๐ก๐.โ
He also expressed appreciation for those who continued to support the project through difficult periods.
๐ผ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ช๐จ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ.
Beyond the program itself, another remarkable sight unfolded throughout the compound: food.
KOJC workers and members prepared a massive feast for the attendees, serving the thousands who had traveled to be part of the celebration.
It was perhaps one of the day's clearest expressions of hospitality.
For an event attended by tens of thousands, feeding the crowd was itself an enormous undertakingโrequiring preparation, coordination, service, and countless hands working behind the scenes.
While guests watched performances, listened to messages, explored the Kingdome, and took photographs, hundreds of workers quietly ensured that another essential part of the celebration continued: everyone had something to eat.
๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐๐ช๐๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐.
For those seeing the Kingdome for the first time, it was easy to focus on its size.
But standing among thousands of people during its opening, the building seemed to represent something larger than its physical dimensions.
Fourteen years of construction had finally culminated in a single day of celebration.
Engineers, architects, builders, workers, members, students, guests, and supporters each became part of the story surrounding the structure.
The grand opening also drew public figures, online personalities, content creators, and vloggers, adding another dimension to an event that was already attracting considerable attention.
Yet amid the cameras and the crowds, there were quieter moments: families taking photographs, guests admiring the architecture, students sharing their first impressions, visitors cooling themselves outside, and workers continuing to serve long after the crowds had arrived.
๐ผ ๐ฃ๐๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฟ๐๐ซ๐๐ค.
As evening settled over the compound, the fountains continued to dance with color and the waterfalls continued to flow.
Inside the Kingdome, thousands gathered under its expansive roof.
Outside, guests paused to admire the illuminated scenery.
For this student journalist, perhaps that was the most memorable image of the day: a massive structure surrounded by an equally massive gathering of people, all witnessing the grand opening of a place that had taken 14 years to complete.
The Kingdome's grand opening was not merely the unveiling of a structure.
It was the culmination of a long construction journey, a celebration of faith and community, and a moment that brought together tens of thousands of people in one extraordinary gathering.
And on September 1, 2026, Davao witnessed the doors of the Kingdome openโnot quietly, but with music, worship, food, lights, fountains, and thousands of people who came to be part of its beginning.
The Kingdome had finally opened its doors.
