Another golden season awaits Dabawenyos as the Davao de Oro (DdO) will celebrate its 24th Founding Anniversary on March 5-8, 2022. The past two years might be heavy, but DdO sees opportunities behind difficulties and continuously turns towards greener sides and hope for its people.
Depicted on this year’s founding anniversary theme, “Davao de Oro 24k: Walang Iwanan sa Tanang Panahon,” DdOwill celebrate 24 years of golden victories which made significant changes in the lives of Dabawenyos.
As the province continues to rise and push forward in the new normal, the celebration is not only intended for leisure. The celebration will commemorate DdO’s years of unified strength and promote new openings to restore the losses brought by the pandemic.
The fun-filled week-long celebration will open opportunities for all participants. On the first two (2) days, March 5 to 6, local athletes will shine for the Golden Football Tournament to be held on the New Bataan Football field. The competition promotes local sports activity towards the goal of developing good leadership, discipline, and camaraderie for the athletes.
Competing teams are required to be vaccinated as a protocol to participate in the tournament. Also, on the first day is “Sikad ta Uy! PadyaKapayapaan,” the first-ever biking competition and fun ride for all bikers in the province that intends to advocate for peace and unity and promote a healthy lifestyle for a sound mind and body amidst the pandemic.
The celebration will also be made much more engaging for the youth as the founding anniversary features the “Battle of the Legends-Mobile Legends Tournament.”
In the course of the pandemic, technology was used as a tool to continue essential services and provide leisure during lockdown periods widening social connections in the new normal. As part of the celebration, the online tournament aims to develop teamwork among the youth and improve 21st-century skills as a pathway for industry jobs.
On the second day will be the “Al’law ng Kalumonan”, a celebration of diversity and rich culture of DdO’s six tribes namely: Mansaka, Mandaya, Manobo, Mangguangan, Dibabawon, and Kagan.
“Al-law ng Kalumonan” is a day dedicated for the ICCs/IPs to be given the spotlight to showcase how culture depicts the original Filipino values (Customary Law), its relationship to nature (Ancestral Domain), and how it contributes to the economic (Indigenous Craftsmanship and Arts) gains in the province, especially in the tourism industry.
DdO will also lead to an opening of more than two thousand (2,000) job vacancies which will recruit qualified applicants during the “Mega Jobs Fair.” Many have lost their jobs at the onset of the pandemic, and as part of the celebration, the jobs fair will help alleviate unemployment incidence province-wide, promote entrepreneurial opportunities and strengthen the public-private partnership in the delivery of employment services.
Skills in performing arts of DdO’s youth will now be showcased through the “Dance for Gold: an Interpretative Dance Competition.” Stage performance has never been the same since the outbreak of the pandemic, and through the competition, dancers and choreographers will again express their creative and expressive potentials, thereby enhancing personal, social, emotional, spiritual, and physical communication.
On the last day, March 8, Davao de Oro will celebrate “Babayinihan: Women’s Day Celebration,” to recognize the countless achievements of women in various fields and uphold their significant contributions to society.
The event will be participated by more than 3,000 women coming from the 11Municipal Local Councils of Women and nine women sectoral organizations in Davao de Oro.
The event will also have “ZumBayinihan,” and the groundbreaking ceremony of the first-ever International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) Peace Monument. The monument will be installed in Davao de Oro and will stand as a marker of the province’s desire for peace and harmony.
Finally, commencing the 24thFounding Anniversary celebration is the 24k Golden Concert and Fireworks Display, a celebration of unity and thanksgiving where for 24 years, the province remains steadfast in providing unfaltering services all for the people of Davao de Oro. (JA, PAO-IPRD)