By Gio J. Tanudtanud
THE CITY Tourism Operation Office will commence a series of events with new features and activities for the 87th Araw ng Dabaw this March 1.
During the iSpeak forum on Feb. 22, Margaret Lopez of the CTOO Promotions Unit said preparations are underway to celebrate the founding anniversary with the new format.
The series of events will begin with the Misa Pasalamatan mass at San Pedro Cathedral at 3 p.m. before the formal opening of Pasiugdang Pagsaulog at 5:30 p.m. at San Pedro Square to initiate the series of events.
The major events for Araw ng Dabaw 2024 include the free Konsierto Dabawenyo and Hugyaw Dabaw concerts with local artists, Mutya ng Dabaw 2024, and school-based events and heritage walk Dabawenyo Ako. New events like the Safety and Security Cluster Night of the PSSO and finally, Kalingawan sa Distrito, which features mini-concerts for the three congressional districts in the city.
According to Lopez, events from previous celebrations will have new elements with the Sayaw Dabawenyo highlighting different types of folk dances. The Mercado Dabawenyo food bazaar, meanwhile, allows local merchants to sell their products.
Mutya ng Dabaw 2024 features changes like scrapping the height requirement and age limit. Candidates also included single mothers, which means that the activity is more focused on their advocacies and what they can do to improve Davao City.
“Ang amoang pinaka focus gyud sa Mutya ng Dabaw is actually really defining a Dabawenyo woman. Dili lang siya by standards kung di Dabawenyo as it is,” she said.
