Security tightened in Davao City as Kadayawan Festival peaks

Security has been tightened in Davao City for the annual Kadayawan Festival, which is expected to peak this weekend. Police and military forces set up checkpoints in key areas to keep troublemakers from disrupting the festivities, radio dzBB's Davao affiliate reported Friday. Security forces also kept guard over the city's entry and exit points, the report added. Activities in this year's Kadayawan Festival include a street market and a fiesta on Sunday. The term "Kadayawan" is derived from the Mandaya word “madayaw," a friendly greeting used to explain a thing that is valuable, superior, beautiful, good, or profitable. It traces its roots to a thanksgiving ritual of ethnic tribes residing at the foot of Mount Apo, who would thank their gods for a bountiful harvest. In 1988, then City mayor (now vice mayor) Rodrigo Duterte renamed the festival "Kadayawan sa Dabaw" to celebrate the bountiful harvest of Davao’s flowers, fruits and other produce as well as the wealth of the city’s cultures. "To this day, the festival continues to honor the city's richness and diverse artistic, cultural and historical heritage in a grand celebration of thanksgiving for all of Davao City's blessings," according to an article on Kadayawan.com. — LBG, GMA News