A tropical archipelago, the Philippines is one of the world’s primary sources of seafood. As such, it comes as no surprise for locals and tourists to search for dining destinations that abound in fresh catches of the sea. This explains the popularity of dampa [meaning "hut”] dining where guests would choose seafoods market-style and thereafter hand them over to a nearby eatery’s kitchen to be cooked according to their preference.The only downside of dampa dining, of course, is the lack of ambience, which is understandably a requirement for dates or special family occasions.

Iglesias, I. (2018, July 5). A seafood escapade by the bay. The Manila Times, p. D4.