DABAWENYOS and visitors gathered yesterday to witness the most-awaited Indak-Indak sa Kadayawan. Roads were filled by the crowd eager to see the performances of the 13 contingents this year despite the heat of the sun.
Performances were made at the Roxas Avenue and the final showdown was held at the Kadayawan Square, San Pedro St. where the Davao City National High School (DCNHS) Sining Sayon Dawet and Mati National Comprehensive High School (MNCHS) bagged the championship for school-based category and open category, respectively.
“Super emotional sila [performers] kasi nga first time pa nila mag-join tapos nag-champion pa,” Ian Rozander Apitong, head choreographer of MNCHS, said adding that he was so overwhelmed with the result and that he always believed on the talents of the kids.
“Lipay kaayo mi kay nag –champion mi. Gihatag gyud namo among best. Nakaagi mi ug hilak, kahago, unya pag-anhi namo, worth it ra diay ang tanan (We are so happy because we were declared the champion. We gave our best. We went through tears, exhaustion, but coming here was all worth it),” 10th grader Hans Danielle Garanzo, one of the performers of MNCHS, said during an interview with SunStar Davao.
The choreographer of DCNHS, Art Ensalada, said they were pressured in defending the championship so they are very thankful that God answered their prayers.
He explained that “Ang Gakit ni Amoy (Fathers Bamboo Raft) was their title piece and they chose to focus on the Ata tribe.
The winners of the school-based and open category will each receive P500,000, medals and a trophy.
This year’s entry count, although lower than last year’s, was more festive and more organized. There were 13 entries of this year's Indak-Indak sa Kadayawan, four from Davao City school-based category and nine from the open category.
Aside from DCNHS, school-based category entries were Mabini National High School Special Program in the Arts, which placed second, Sta. Ana National High School Performing Arts Guild (3rd place), and Kawangis Performing Arts Guild of Catalunan Pequeño National High School (4th place).
Also competing in the open category with MCNHS are Assuncion National High School Performing Arts Guild, which won 2nd place, Macangao Agricultural Vocational (3rd), Ruth Manion Babao Memorial National High School (4th), Camanlangan National High School Dance Ensemble (5th), Bambad National High School Performing Arts Guild, Tacurong Dance Company, Gays of Talomo Association, and Lupon National Comprehensive High School.
Indak-Indak sa Kadayawan reflected the colorful culture of the tribes in Davao City, different but beautiful as one. This event highlighted the very purpose of the festival, to show how Davao has been standing tall, united, and resilient despite the differences.
As the crowd wowed by the performances of the competing groups, most people stayed until the very end of the program.
“Grabe kanindot, grabe gyud ka sadya (It is very nice, very fun),” Mary Ramos, 27, from General Santos City said while watching the performers, adding that it was her first time to witness the Kadayawan festival. Two other tourists from Pampanga said they never regretted coming to Davao because it was fun indeed.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio also expressed her gratitude to the people of Davao for supporting Indak-Indak sa Kadayawan and other activities they have prepared for a successful 33rd Kadayawan Festival celebration.