DAVAO CITY, Philippines — City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio invites the public to take part in this year’s 34th Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival with the grandest month-long celebration of diverse Dabawenyo culture and tradition.
In the launching of the 34th Kadayawan Festival in Dusit D2 Davao, the Mayor said the annual celebration is also a thanksgiving for the 11 indigenous communities of Davao City that have shaped its history over the years.
It is also a celebration of how Davao City is blessed “not just with natural resources but favorable climate conditions, a thriving economy and peace and order.”
“Next month’s celebration will be the 34th celebration of the Kadayawan. We have been observing it annually not just to give Dabawenyos a reason to celebrate; we do it so that we do not forget where we come from and what blessing we have received through the years. Blessings that we continue to receive today,” said Mayor Sara.
To continually learn about the multicultural community of Davao, the mayor urged everyone to go out and be familiar with the uniqueness and similarity of the culture of each community in the city.
“Use the Kadayawan as an opportunity to make a future defined by our own terms, progressive yet sustainable, modern but guided by lessons of the past and the wisdom of our forebears”, she added.
Meanwhile, with a grandest month-long celebration, both the business sector and the City Tourism Office admit the challenge to exceed everyone’s expectation of the Kadayawan Festival 2019.
The month-long celebration offers a window of chance for everyone to witness various events.
City Tourism Operations Office Chief Generose Tecson said the decision to hold the activities mostly on weekends is to give the audience a different experience and to entice more visitors.
The schedule of this year’s Kadayawan is adjusted from August 1 until the end of the month.Big events such as Indak-indak sa Kadayawan and Pamulak sa Kadayawan were both scheduled on weekends as the organizers want the audience to have an ample time to enjoy the festivity.
“This is a great challenge to us especially since everyone is always looking forward to a grand Kadayawan celebration that Davao City is known for. This year, we celebrate Kadayawan with a highlight of the culture of our 11 tribes and their tradition” said Tecson.
On the formal launching of the 34th Kadayawan Festival, the City Government will also launch the new icons of Kadawayan. (davaotoday.com)
