Deputy Speaker and Taguig City Representative Pia S. Cayetano took part in the celebration of the 33rd Kadayawan Festival in Davao City over the weekend.
Kadayawan is an annual festival that celebrates the culture and diversity of Davao’s indigenous people’s groups or tribes. Every year, during the third week of August, local and foreign tourists troop to Davao City to experience the week-long affair which includes parades, contests, and exhibits showcasing various indigenous arts, dances, products and culture. The festival’s name comes from the Dabawenyo word, ‘Madayaw’ which means ‘good’ and ‘beautiful.’
Cayetano visited Dula Kadayawan at the Davao City People’s Park on Friday morning, August 17th. ‘Dula’ which means ‘game,’ refers to the test of skills and friendly games that pitted representatives from each of Davao’s 11 indigenous groups. The participants wore their traditional colorful costumes, while some brought instruments, toys, implements and weapons, as they took part in several contests that also reflected their culture and way of life.
The Taguig representative also met with the winners of this year’s Hiyas ng Kadayawan, as well as tribal leaders, and event organizers.
‘Kadayawan reflects Davao’s rich and diverse indigenous culture. This indigenous groups embody our history and our soul as a people, and Kadayawan is one way of raising awareness about their contributions to our history and heritage, as well as the issues and concerns that they currently face,’ Cayetano said.
From People’s Park, Cayetano proceeded to nearby Barangay 76-A to bring relief assistance to hundreds of residents whose houses were gutted by two fire incidents earlier this month. She also took part in the afternoon at the oath-taking and assembly of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), a regional party organized by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. The HNP convention was attended by more than 6,000 local and national government officers, community leaders, and private supporters. #
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