DAVAO CITY – The 39th Kadayawan Festival was peaceful, with no untoward incidents reported within the city, an official of the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) said on Sunday, August 18.
NATIVE dancers perform during the Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan street-dancing competition of the Kadayawan Festival on Sunday, August 18, in Davao City. (Contributed photo by Ian Russel Requiso)
“So far, the entire celebration of the 39th Kadayawan Festival ended very orderly and peacefully. All security measures for each Kadayawan event were executed smoothly,” PSSO head Angel Sumagaysay said in an interview.
The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) deployed more than 3,000 personnel to oversee all the events aside from the Task Force Davao, City Transportation and Traffic Office, and other security forces.
City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) head Jennifer Romero, meanwhile, said that the staging of the festival’s major events, the "Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan" and the "Pamulak sa Kadayawan," on Sunday were also successful.
Almost 20,000 visitors and spectators gathered at San Pedro Square to witness the Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan and Pamulak sa Kadayawan in the morning and the Indak-Indak Showdown held in the evening with over a million online views based on the Kadayawan Festival’s Facebook page.
“Everything was materialized as expected. Everyone was safe and secured, people were happy, and at the same time we had good weather,” Romero said.
In a speech, Mayor Sebastian Duterte reminded the people that Davao City celebrates bountiful harvest through Pamulak sa Kadayawan or floral float parade with its multicolor display symbolizing the abundance of gifts from nature.
Duterte added that this city also pays homage to the unity and harmony of the 11 ethnolinguistic tribes that solidified the culture and heritage of Davao City through artistic performance in the Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan or street dancing.
“Kadayawan Festival reminds us that despite our diverse backgrounds, we come together in one place and with a shared belief that our city would thrive when we work together,” Duterte said.
This year’s competition featured eight entries in the Indak-Indak open category and seven in the Indak-Indak Davao City based category. In the Pamulak categories, five entries vied for the top spot for the Pamulak-Dako category, while 12 competed in the Pamulak-Gamay category.
Balangay City High Performing Arts Group of the Mati National High School secured the P1.1-million grand prize in the Indak-Indak open category, while the Sining Dawet Cultural Ensemble of the Davao City National High School bagged the P1-million grand prize in the city-based category.
They also won Best in Street Dance, Best Music, Best in Choreography, and Best in Artistic Design, with every special award bringing an additional prize of P50,000 each.
Mati City’s participants have a strong history in this competition, winning the Indak-Indak open category in 2014 and 2018. The Davao City National High School remains undefeated in the Davao City school-based category, with their most recent victory in 2023.
In the Pamulak categories, VXI Global Holdings took P800,000 as the Pamulak-Dako category champion, while Sutherland Global Services Philippines Inc. won P600,000 as the Pamulak-Gamay category winner.
The parade, which included Pamulak and Indak-Indak contingents, featured 50 competing and non-competing groups from 6 a.m. to 12 noon. The Indak-Indak participants showcased teaser performances in various locations with the final teaser held at San Pedro Square.
After the parade, the Pamulak floats were displayed on Claveria and Roxas Streets from noon to 3 p.m. The Indak-Indak showdown began at around 5:30 p.m. and concluded with the awarding of winners at 9 p.m.