AFTER Vice president and Department of Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte wore a Bagobo Tagabawa traditional attire during the first State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the 20th Davao City Council proposed a city ordinance that requires government employees to wear Indigenous People attire every first Monday of the month to promote their culture, especially among the youth.
“The comments of some Filipinos on VP Sara’s traditional attire likewise opened my eyes to the harsh reality that there is still more to be done in terms of our appreciation of our culture. It is high time I think that we raise the level of awareness of our society in terms of our culture, especially among our youth, so that we will be more sensitive to the words we say or post online,” Al Ryan S. Alejandre, City Councilor, said during the regular session on July 26.
The proposed ordinance will be named “Ordinance Requiring City Government Employees to Wear an Indigenous People Attire Every First Monday of the Month to Celebrate our Local Culture.”
Alejandre said to promote awareness, educating the public is a must.
“The ordinance authored and passed by our esteemed colleague, Councilor Pilar Braga way back in 2020 or ‘An Ordinance Requiring all Public and Private Schools in all Levels in Davao City, to include in their curriculum the Teaching of the History in the City of Davao’, finds great significance so that our youth should be able to also study or research our rich culture in Davao City,” he said.
On July 25, Duterte was ridiculed by some netizens for what she wore and called it a “cosplay.” The attire that she wore was borrowed from Bae Sheirelle Anino, the deputy mayor of the Tagabawa tribe in Davao City, one of the biggest Indigenous Tribes in Davao City.
“Those who insulted Vice President and Deped Secretary Inday Sara have proven their ignorance in our country’s culture when they labeled her as a ‘cosplayer’ without even realizing that they have also insulted the efforts made by the Bagobo Tagabawa Tribe in weaving the said attire,” Alejandre said.
Alejandre said that this proposal will also be referred jointly to the Committee on Tourism and Beautification, Committee on Indigenous People, Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs, and Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Arts and Culture. KSD