As part of the celebration of the 87th Araw ng Dabaw, the Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) is expecting more or less 50,000 Dabawenyos to participate in the Parada Dabawenyo on March 17.
Harold Quibete, the event organizer for both the Parada Dabawenyo and Hugyaw Dabaw, said during the ISpeak Media Forum on Thursday that including the number of contingents participating in the parade, as well as the estimated number of spectators present during the event, they are expecting 45,000 to 50,000 people to participate in the Parada Dabawenyo.
He also said that there are already 300 confirmed contingents for the parade and that they also invited 41 bands to the event.
“Naa ta’y 300 contingent managers na nag-attend and confirmed 300 entries for Parada Dabawenyo times 50 walking contingents so that gives us a total of 15,000 walking contingents that will be joining us for our Parada Dabawenyo. But we will have more kay naa man gud ta’y 41 bands nga gi invite but then, of course, ang kaning 41 bands naa’y uban ani sa ilaha ang minimum yata nila is 50 ang uban sa ilaha niabot og 150 [We have 300 contingent managers who attended (the meeting) and have confirmed to participate in the Parada Dabawenyo; multiply this by 50 walking contingent, so that gives us a total of 15, 000 walking contingents for the parade. But, we will have more since we invited 41 bands; some of them have a minimum number of 50 participants, while others have around 150 members],” he said.
According to Quibete, they allowed the drums and bugle, drums and lyre, brass bands, and marching band entries to have a maximum of 150 members since it would affect the musicality if they limited the number of musicians.
Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) Head, Angel Sumagaysay, said that they have already anticipated the influx of people during the parade as this is the culminating event of the celebration. The PSSO deployed 7,050 personnel for the Araw ng Dabaw.
Sumagaysay said that every day, they have, on average, 415 personnel deployed in the field to ensure the safety and security of the events during the celebration.
Meanwhile, Quibete said that the Parada Dabawenyo will be traversing a shortened route to feature C.M. Recto Street, as well as to minimize the number of road closures during the event.
“This time, ang atoang Parada Dabawenyo is something new because we are traversing a new route. This one is a shortened route with minimal road closures because we wanted to also give all our commuters, and all our private vehicles in other parts of the kanang route nga ginaconsume mismo sa Parada Dabawenyo even if this happens on a Sunday. Not only that we also wanted to highlight, actually atong Pasko fiesta mao na gyud ni siya dapat ang rota nato, we wanted to highlight the very beautiful CM Recto Street [This time, our Parada Dabawenyo is traversing a new route. This one is a shortened route with minimal road closures because we also wanted to give all our commuters and private vehicles alternative routes that were once part of the Parada Dabawenyo even when the event will take place on a Sunday. Not only that, we also wanted to highlight the very beautiful C.M. Recto Street],” he said.
The starting point of the parade is on Roxas Avenue and will pass through C.M. Recto to Rizal Avenue before taking a right turn in Chinabank heading to Iñigo Street (formerly Anda Street), then a left turn to San Pedro St., straight to San Pedro Square.
According to Quibete, all contingents with vehicles must head straight to the Davao City Police Office and then exit on Quimpo Boulevard. However, if they want to display their floats to allow Dabawenyos to take photos, they can return to Roxas Avenue.
As for the walking contingents, they are instructed to take a right turn from the San Pedro Police Office passing at the Bonifacio Rotunda to the pickup point in Felcris Centrale.
LED walls will be set up in Magallanes as well as in the main entrance near Chowking, and behind the main stage to ensure that every spectator is given the chance to witness the event.
During the event, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office will also be deploying medical personnel in case of emergencies. Organizers of the event also tapped the Davao City Water District (DCWD) to set up potable water stations.
Participants are urged to ensure that they are hydrated and have eaten before the parade.
Meanwhile, contingents are discouraged to distribute merchandise such as candies and t-shirts during the parade as this might pose a safety hazard, and may also cause delays in the flow of the parade.
The PSSO also reminded groups participating in the parade to not wear clothes that resemble the uniform of government security. Airsoft groups are also not allowed to wear their uniform similar to the AFP-PNP and are also asked to not bring their airsoft guns.
Security Providers such as personnel from armored vehicles are also prohibited from wearing their black suits similar to the scout rangers as this might confuse people.
Dabawenyos are invited to witness the culminating events, Parada Dabawenyo and Hugyaw Davao, of the 87th Araw ng Dabaw on March 17. They are also reminded to follow the safety and security protocols of the city. CIO
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