EXCITEMENT. This is what Dabawenyos felt at the start of March as it celebrates the 86th Araw ng Dabaw.
The celebration started with the grand Pasiugdang Pagsaulog of the Araw ng Dabaw on March 1.
Before the official opening, a Misa Pasasalamat was held at the San Pedro Cathedral, Davao City.
After the mass, Dabawenyos were all set to witness the long-awaited opening program of the Araw ng Dabaw.
All lights were off, people have settled down, and some were even eating the free lugaw and lomi for the spectators provided by the city government of Davao.
The grand opening started with a song that would leave you singing for days, with its repetitive and catchy lyrics – “daba daba Dabawenyo, oh daba daba Dabawenyo” – that describes how Dabawenyos are, and invites everyone to celebrate the founding anniversary of the city.
Crowds are seen dancing and jumping as the singers hype them up.
Davao City mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte encouraged Dabawenyos to enjoy and have fun during the Araw ng Dabaw celebration.
“Enjoy lang mo, do your part as an active participant in our society but by following the rules,” he said during his opening message on March 1.
“For the past three years, we have celebrated the Araw ng Dabaw in the comforts of our home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, So, karun wala natay pandemya, wa na pud tay mask, makaselebrar na gyud ta og arang-arang kompara sa nilabay nga duha ka tuig (So, since we no longer have this pandemic, you’re now allowed not to wear face masks, and we can now celebrate more compared for the last two years),” he added.
He said that the city government was so “excited to finally bring back the festivities that we grew to love and enjoy as well as new activities for everyone to take the light in.”
But as Dabawenyos were encouraged to have fun, Duterte reminded everyone to stay vigilant and observe the culture of security.
“So, kay abri naman ka’y ta medyo wala na ta naanad nga naa sa gawas ang mga tao. Daghan na kaayo og tao sa Davao, so importante kaayo nga magkasinabtanay ta ug maghatagay ta kay kung dili magkagubot gyud, labi na sa dalan ug kung asa man ta moadto ning kinabuhia ni diri sa atong dakbayan (Since we are now open, we are not used to having a lot of people outside or along the streets. So, we have to be understanding of each other in order to avoid bad situations),” he said.
Meanwhile, the official candidates of the Mutya ng Dabaw 2023 Top 30, Reyna Dabawenya 2023 Top 20, and the Mr. and Ms. Local Government Unit (LGU) Davao City 2023 contestants were also presented in the Pasiugdang Pagsaulog. KSD