Message from Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

I am proud and honored to celebrate with all of you the 69th Araw ng Dabaw today.

Let this day be a time to look back on our rich and colorful past, to the journey that took us to where we are today, to our promising and exciting future. It is heartening to note that our city has achieved more and has gone farther than most cities in the country today.

As we celebrate this joyful occasion, let it bring to our minds the challenge that faces each Dabawenyo today, that is to sustain the vision and pioneering spirit of those who came before us that brought Davao to where it is today. It is the same spirit and foresight that has propelled our city to greater heights, and will continue to benefit the present and future generations of our city.

The theme of this year’s celebration, “Kalinisan, Kalusugan, Bukas ng Kabataan,” is a tribute to Davao’s youth — our future and the very fiber of our society. Let us instill in our youth the same trailblazing spirit of our ancestors, because how we mold our youth today determines the destiny of our city in the future.

Mabuhay ang Dabawenyo!

Rodrigo R. Duterte
City Mayor