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| Mayor Sara Duterte bangs the gong to officially open the 33rd Kadayawan sa Davao (photo courtesy of the City Government of Davao) |
Unity amidst diversity might as well be the theme of the 33rd Kadayawan Festival.
The peaceful co-existence and cooperation among its tri-people consisting of the Christians, Lumads or Indigenous Peoples and the Muslims has never been more evident as the festival kicked off Friday (August 10) at the Kadayawan Circle, Magsaysay Park.
Mayor Sara Duterte led the “Pag-abli sa Kadayawan” which was highlighted by a Holy Mass celebrated by Archbishop Romulo G. Valles who is also president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Unlike most festival in the Philippines that have religious origin, the Kadayawan sa Davao is a thanksgiving festival for the bountiful harvest in the city, It focuses not just on the city’s agricultural produce but also its rich culture specifically on the 11 tribes namely the Sama, Kagan, Maranao, Maguindanao, Iranun, Tausug, Klata Bagobo, Obo Manobo, Ata, Matigsalug, and Tagabawa.
“Every year we celebrate Kadayawan but this year we have made it bigger and grander with more events lined up to encourage greater participation from Dabawenyos from all walks of life,” Sara said.
What made Kadayawan sa Davao the festival of festivals is its ability to provide a venue where the city’s tri-people unite to produce something beautiful.
Valles, who also joined representative from the city’s Indigenous Peoples and the Muslim community in their presentation of petitions, during the opening, was elated when he realized that the Muslims and Lumads were also present during the mass.
“We are not only a community of faith in Davao. I presume there are people who truly believe in God but in different styles and proclamations of faith,” he said. Mass is a beautiful tradition, he said, “but your presence here people of other faith is telling another beautiful truth in Davao that in prayer we can come together.”
Valles said he is touched by the manifestation in the part of the mass where we present our petitions to the lord, that is beautiful (referring to the presence of the Muslims and Lumads).
“There is fear, darkness in life but we in Davao are very hopeful, happy and resilient that everything will be Madayaw (good) and maayo (become better and will get by),” he said. He also recognized the limitations not just of the church but of the whole community to respond to difficulties like fire incidents, trouble and violence.
It can be recalled that the church has not given the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte a honeymoon period and has criticized the president for his anti-illegal drusg campaign.
Valles said many national church conventions are scheduled to be held in the city. This includes the next CBCP Plenary Assembly which, he said, is tentatively eyeing the city as a venue. The three-day CBCP 4th National Media Convention, with up to 80 diocese participants, was held in the city last week.
“During the convention, a bishop said he supported the holding of the convention here and they were able to see that martial law is not actually felt here and it is very peaceful in Mindanao,” Valles said. They are beginning to see the other side of the story, he added.
Valles thanked the city for its support to the convention and said that by doing that, it helped show the real face of Davao to these people.
Kadayawan sa Davao is officially held from August 10 to 21 but it is usually a month-long celebration for the city.
City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) Generose D. Tecson said they expect this year’s Kadayawan celebration to attract more visitors given the city’s popularity not only in the Philippines but also in other parts of the globe.
The peak season for tourist arrivals in the city is usually during August during the Kadayawan festivity. Tourist arrivals during the Kadayawan has continuously increased since 2016 when it was recorded at 171,851 and in 2017 at 185,660.
The city expect this year’s Kadayawan celebration to attract more visitors. Kadayawan Festival Director Renato Gatchalian, Jr. said around 35 visitors from HongKong have confirmed their booking for the Kadayawan experiential rides.
