FOR years, Kadayawan sa Dabaw has drawn tens of thousands of Dabawenyos and visitors to the city’s streets, yet the annual celebration has consistently been marked by peaceful festivities and strong security measures.
The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) said in a statement released on August 19 that Kadayawan 2026 likewise concluded with a zero-incident security record across its official activities, crediting the coordinated efforts of security agencies and the cooperation of Dabawenyos and visitors.
The police said the peaceful conduct of the month-long celebration reflected the city’s continuing
culture of preparedness, public discipline, and inter-agency coordination during major public events.
DCPO City Director Police Colonel Peter B. Madria said security forces maintained heightened alertness and visibility throughout the festivities, particularly during activities expected to draw large crowds.
Madria said the DCPO worked closely with the City Government of Davao, the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO), partner law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, and community force multipliers to ensure the safety of festivalgoers.
“This success highlights the tight synergy between the City Government of Davao, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO), partner law enforcement agencies, and community force multipliers. Through strategic deployment, proactive threat management, and maximum visibility, security forces maintained complete operational readiness throughout the festivities,” Madria said.
He also attributed the peaceful celebration to the active participation of the public, particularly Dabawenyos and visitors who followed security and safety protocols.
“Crucially, this achievement was driven by the active support of the public. The discipline, vigilance, and cooperation demonstrated by both Dabawenyos and visitors in following safety protocols proved vital to keeping every venue completely secure,” he added.
The 2026 security outcome follows a similar pattern in recent Kadayawan celebrations after the pandemic, when the festival gradually returned to large-scale public gatherings.
In 2022, the 37th Kadayawan sa Dabaw was reported as peaceful, with more than 11,000 law enforcement personnel deployed to secure the festivities.
The following year, around 23,000 security personnel were deployed for the 38th Kadayawan in 2023, as the city prepared for the return of larger crowds and major street-dancing activities.
By 2024, around 20,485 security and safety personnel were deployed for the 39th Kadayawan, including more than 4,000 personnel assigned to secure the Indak-Indak and Pamulak culmination activities. The festival was again reported to have concluded without major security incidents.
The continued record of peaceful celebrations became particularly significant in 2026 as Davao City mounted one of its biggest Kadayawan celebrations to date.
An estimated 120,000 people gathered along the Davao Coastal Road toward Tulip Drive and St. John Paul II College of Davao on Sunday, August 16, for the Indak-Indak sa Kadayawan Grand Showdown, making it one of the largest single-day crowd concentrations of the festival.
Despite the massive turnout, authorities said no major security incident marred the event.
The city had deployed around 19,000 security and safety personnel for Kadayawan 2026, covering its various official activities and crowd-drawing events. The deployment included police, military, local government personnel, emergency responders, and community force multipliers.
The security preparations covered the festival’s 26 official events, with personnel strategically positioned in major venues, parade routes, convergence areas, and other locations where large crowds were expected.
The city government allocated around P68 million for the 2026 Kadayawan celebration.
Carrying the theme “We Are One, KadayaONE!” and tagline “KadayaONE All Over the City: Best Kadayawan Experience,” this year’s festival highlighted Davao City’s cultural heritage, agricultural products, and the traditions of its 11 ethnolinguistic tribes.
The Indak-Indak Grand Showdown served as one of the festival’s major highlights, bringing together contingents that showcased cultural narratives through choreography, music, costumes, and indigenous traditions.
The huge crowd placed the city’s security and crowd-management preparations to the test, particularly along the Davao Coastal Road, where spectators gathered to watch the competing contingents.
Authorities maintained heightened visibility, strategic deployment, continuous monitoring, crowd management, and proactive threat assessment throughout the event.
Madria said the successful security operation was not solely the result of the number of personnel deployed but also of the coordination between agencies and the cooperation of the people attending the festival.
The DCPO said it will continue to strengthen its coordination with the city government, PSSO, partner government agencies, and community stakeholders to sustain the same level of preparedness in the next major events in Davao City. DEF
