End of an Era: Victoria Plaza closes, taking with it 32 years of Davao’s shared memories

DAVAO CITY (January 1, 2026)— At exactly 5:00 p.m. on December 31, 2025, the lights dimmed, and the doors quietly shut at Victoria Plaza, ending a 32-year chapter that shaped how generations of Dabawenyos gathered, shopped, dreamed, and grew. There were no fireworks, no speeches, just the soft hum of closing gates after the whistle blew and the weight of a collective goodbye.

For more than three decades, Victoria Plaza was never just a mall. It was a meeting place, a refuge from the heat, a witness to first dates and family rituals, and a constant in a city learning how to become modern. On its final day, people walked more slowly through its halls—some snapping photos, others standing still, as if trying to carry a piece of it home.

A Vision Born in the 1990s

Victoria Plaza opened in March 1993, when Davao City was only beginning to imagine itself as a regional urban center. Developed by Davao Sunrise Investment and Development Corporation under the leadership of a businessman, it became the city’s first full-scale shopping mall—an audacious statement of confidence at a time when such ambition was rare outside Metro Manila.

It introduced Dabawenyos to air-conditioned cinemas, department stores, supermarkets, food courts, and rows of small stalls that gave local entrepreneurs their first chance to grow. Almost overnight, it became a symbol of progress—a place where the city’s future felt tangible.

Where Davao Learned to Mall

Before sprawling lifestyle complexes and luxury centers, there was Victoria Plaza.

Students lingered after class. Families turned weekends into rituals. Young couples shared their first movie dates. Workers stretched modest salaries over affordable meals. For many stall owners, the mall was not just a workplace; it was a lifeline, where perseverance translated into daily survival.

It was imperfect, aging, sometimes crowded, but it was familiar. And that familiarity became its greatest strength.

Weathering Change and Reinvention

As newer malls rose across the city, Victoria Plaza aged quietly. Ownership changed hands. Financial pressures mounted. Competition intensified. Yet it endured.

In 2019, the property entered a new chapter after its acquisition by New City Commercial Center (NCCC) and its brief rebranding as NCCC Mall VP. Ambitious redevelopment plans were announced, and the mall continued to operate, retaining loyal tenants and longtime patrons as it awaited the transformation.

Time, however, proved unforgiving.

In late December 2025, the announcement many feared arrived: NCCC Mall VP, or the then Victoria Plaza, would permanently close, paving the way for a future mixed-use development under new ownership. Progress, once again, demanded sacrifice.

A Farewell Without Fanfares

There was no grand ceremony on its final day.

Tenants packed up decades of memories. Some wiped away tears as they dismantled stalls they had tended for years. Security guards, vendors, and maintenance staff quietly finished their last shifts. Shoppers lingered longer than usual, tracing familiar paths one final time.

Outside, Bajada traffic flowed as it always had. Inside, it felt as though the city was holding its breath.

What Victoria Plaza Leaves Behind

Soon, the structure may disappear from the skyline. In its place will rise something newer, taller, and more modern, a sign that Davao continues to move forward.

But Victoria Plaza’s true legacy cannot be demolished.

It lives in shared memories: laughter echoing from old cinemas, childhood rewards after grocery runs, friendships forged over cheap meals and long conversations. It lives in the confidence it gave a growing city—proof that Davao could build, dream, and belong on a bigger map.

As 2025 ends, Davao does not just say goodbye to a mall.

It says goodbye to a place that, for 32 years, quietly held the everyday lives of its people.

Victoria Plaza (1993–2025) — built on vision, sustained by memories, and forever part of Davao’s story.-Editha Z. Caduaya