Kadayawan Sa Dabaw: ‘A festival of festivals’

DAVAO CITY — A festival of festivals.

This was how both local and foreign tourists described the week-long 17th Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival that culminated yesterday with a parade of floats bedecked with local fruits and flowers.

The festival drew a huge crowd awed by various Kadayawan events such as the Bagobo horsefight, the Indigenous People’s Festival and the Indak-Indak sa Dalan street dancing competition which drew various groups from all over Mindanao.

"I have been to a lot of festivals around the country but the Kadayawan stands out because it does not feature only one group but certainly all tribes, the Muslims, the lumads (uplanders), the Christians... Everyone is represented here," said Sen. Edgardo Angara, who was guest of honor in yesterday’s culminating event.

The influx of tourists, Angara said, showed that it’s not all war in Mindanao. "Look, Davao City and most parts of the island are peaceful so we can hold festivities such as the Kadayawan," he said.

For her part, Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda said the festival "tells of how rich our country is in terms of natural resources," thus a good vehicle to lure more tourists to the Philippines and to this part of the country.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said the city "hopes to do better in the future."