THE Davao City Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) has deployed 35,386 personnel from various government and security units to ensure the safety and security of Pasko Fiesta sa Dabaw 2024.
PSSO Head Angel Sumagaysay, who represented Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte during the send-off ceremony on Tuesday, November 26, at the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Parade Ground, announced that the deployment will involve an "average of 1,041 personnel per day."
The personnel includes members from the police, military, and support units such as Central 911, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), City Health Office (CHO), City Economic Enterprise (CEE), Philippine National Police-Maritime Davao Station, National Bureau of Investigation-Davao Region (NBI-Davao), Task Force Davao, and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
Sumagaysay said personnel assignments are designed to prevent violence or threats during the month-long Christmas event.
The City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) expects over 1.6 million tourists to visit Davao, surpassing the 1.5 million visitors recorded in 2023. According to CTOO officer-in-charge Jennifer Romero, Pasko Fiesta plays a crucial role in the city's growing economic tourism, attracting mainly local visitors from nearby cities, municipalities, and provinces, as well as international guests.
For this year’s Pasko Fiesta, running from November 28, 2024, to January 1, 2025, the city government has approved a budget of P45 million to P50 million, a slight increase from the P42 million allocated in 2023.
The celebration will feature popular events such as Parada sa Pasko and Banda Dasig, along with a new competition for Christmas costumes, Mugna sa Pasko, on December 15. DEF, KBP
