Editorial: A culture of tolerance, a culture of peace

ANOTHER Kadayawan Festival has been successfully launched and the Dabawenyos who still carry the wounds of long-ago man-initiated chaos heave a big sigh of relief for yet another peaceful celebration.

Again, all these would not have been successful had our local government and peace-keeping forces not made it clear that security is a foremost concern and that the city is not sparing a single centavo to ensure that everything goes well. It takes just one person not to believe the warnings to create chaos, had both government and law enforcement groups not taken the mandate to keep the peace very seriously.

As it is, it is the general belief of majority of Dabawenyo that should there be that one person who will try to defy the warnings, that same person will get what he deserves; while the whole of Davao will be quietly snorting out a curse. Let us all pray and work together that that one person or group will not be able to sneak in under our guards in every endeavor the city embarks on.

Although we should also recognize the fact that the peace we are enjoying the past years is actually because of our tolerance of each other’s different cultures. Yes, there are still biases and discrimination against certain sector, but this is toned down to the most minimal scale such that it is not approaching hatred, just maybe distrust at the most.

Kadayawan is one such showcase that also inculcates the value of the different people, and this has served the city and its people well. By setting aside a festival that revolve around the unique cultures and the beauty of each of these culture, we are able to work out a harmonious coexistence as well as a continuing curiosity of how the other cultures live.

There is an openness and friendly welcome. Never mind if for some, it is but a put-on smile. It is in insisting that we all should live in harmony and see each other’s unique beauty that we slowly evolve into a community who are truly not just politically correct but sensitive to the nuances and mores of each and every culture. No other city and people can stake claim to that.

Let this be everyone’s goal, so as we can truly claim that Davao City is indeed the most livable city in the Philippines.