THE month-long celebration of the 34th Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival officially kicked off Friday, August 2, at the Magsaysay Park, in Davao City.

The formal opening started with Subang Sinugdanan, followed by Pag-abli sa Kadayawan.

Acting Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, in his speech, urged Dabawenyos to be in their best behavior and welcome the visitors whole-heartedly.

“Kining dakbayan sa Dabaw, ato kini. Kini atong panimalay, ato kini ampingan, og dawaton ang mga bisita (This is our Davao City. We take good of our hometown, and welcome our visitors.) We show our hospitality. We show our values as Dabawenyos and show them that we can be fun,” Duterte said.

He reminded both locals and tourists to obey the Liquor Ban ordinance. The ban starts at 1 a.m.

He also reminded them not to drive when under the influence of alcohol.

“I want everybody to enjoy. Og mahubog mo, magpa-drive ra mo (When you’re drunk, have someone to drive you home). I’m sure there will be a lot of celebration that is going to happen,” Duterte said.

After the opening ceremony, the acting mayor roamed around the Kadayawan Village.

This year’s Kadayawan celebration was stretched for a whole month to spread out all the activities in the entire city.

Authorities also reminded the public to abide with the policies implemented in the city, particularly the No Backpack Policy, and the No Jacket Policy.