Kadayawan main events spread out to accommodate more tourists
THIS YEAR’S Kadayawan Festival will have the main events spread out on different weekends instead of the usual one week for an opportunity to accommodate more visitors. “There were a lot of people who had wished to visit the city for the Kadayawan Festival but they weren’t able to come because our hotels and other accommodations were fully booked. So this year, they will have more time to come since the big events are already spread out throughout the entire month of August,” City Tourism Officer Gene Rose D. Tecson. The 34th Kadayawan will also have more activities highlighting the 11 indigenous peoples (IP) and their role in shaping Davao City’s history and future. “A future defined by our own terms, progressive yet sustainable, modern but guided by lessons of the past and the wisdom of our forebears,” Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said during the festival’s formal opening last Monday at the dusitD2 Hotel. Among the events lined up are the bantawan, or cultural shows, featuring the traditions and dances of the 11 IP groups and the dula Kadayawan, or tribal games. “This year more collaboration with the 11 tribes with regards to the cultural events,” Ms. Tecson said. The city government is expecting around 250,000 tourists during the Kadayawan month. — Maya M. Padillo
