TO SUPPORT the city ordinance and promote Davao City’s culture, Davao City National High School (DCNHS) teachers and employees wore indigenous people (IP) and Moro-inspired attire to work.
“Wearing IP and Moro-inspired attire at least once a month promotes our local culture especially here in Davao. Davao is very much known as the melting pot of the Philippines and it is just right to celebrate our cultural diversity,” Jed I. Bete, Araling Panlipunan Department OIC, said in a message sent to SunStar Davao on April 3, 2023.
Bete said that all the teachers and employees of DCNHS were encouraged to wear IP and Moro-inspired attire or accessories every first Monday of the month.
He added that they also encourage their students to wear the same.
On November 15, 2022, the Davao City Council passed a city ordinance that required local government employees to wear IP and Moro-inspired attire or accessories every first Monday of the month at work.
Davao City Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre, chairperson of the committee on tourism and beautification, said this ordinance will prevent extinction, and protect and promote the culture of the 11 tribes in Davao City.
He said the ordinance is a big step to provide inclusivity and acknowledge the 11 tribes outside the Kadayawan celebration.
Meanwhile, Bete said that all employees of government offices also support the ordinance as well as the private sector.
“But more importantly, more than wearing IP and Moro-inspired attire, we hope that respect for the Indigenous Peoples and Moros will be strengthened and that local culture will be promoted and appreciated,” Bete said. KSD