Of course! Davao is the Durian capital of the Philippines! I was down there once during the season and like here, the vendors were lining the road as we hit the city limits on the bus. Here I think, a lot of it is snob value as people like to show off how much things cost! Durian from certain provinces cost a lot more than from other provinces but like wine etc, I bet 99% of the people couldn't tell the difference in a blind taste test ;-)
Funny for us that we need to use a cloth or whatever to protect our hands, while some just catch durian bare-handed.
On a similar vein, the wife's grandmother who is in her late 80s never wears anything on her feet and wanders around outside on any surface which if it were me would have feet that were cut to ribbons! Old people just have crocodile skin I think.