This year’s Kadayawan festival marks the 41st edition of the annual festival that brings together the Davao City community to celebrate its 11 indigenous tribes. It was initially established by the City Government of Davao as the Apo Duwaling Festival in 1986, named for the city’s three icons, namely, Mt. Apo, the Durian fruit, and the Waling-Waling Orchid.

Renamed the Kadayawan Festival in 1988, it celebrates the diversity of its various peoples through the various art forms, including music, dance, epic poems, and oral histories which show all of us the relationship between peoples, tribes, and nature. Such forms manifest in the different competitions and activities including a beauty pageant among women representing the various tribes. It culminates in the floral parade and street performance competition called the indak indak sa kadalanan. The annual fest has become part of the country's cultural calendar, drawing thousands of tourists.

Of course, Kadayawan is not complete without the abundance of fruits and food enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Kadayawan also reminds everyone of the importance of heritage and governance, recognized through the deputy mayors for each tribe. A friend in New Zealand posted a gathering of Dabawenyos where food and delectable durian was shared.

Beyond the food, festivities and cultural events what often strikes me about Kadayawan is how it brings people together regardless of ethnic or political background. In the displays of the floral floats a number of expats and their families are seen admiring the creative displays alongside local residents. I also ran into a friend in a local restaurant that featured a "durian all you can" promo. He brought a group of friends from manila to see Davao. Truth be told is that now, more than at any time in our young democracy's history, we all need to come together in an atmosphere of mutual respect, with open minds to find solutions to shared challenges that threaten our common future. Visitors will notice a different city from their previous visits, with bus transport systems and electric taxis ferrying them to places of interest.

Moreover, Kadayawan creates opportunities for the many small businesses and farms that participate in the festivities, providing food and, in turn, strengthening culture. Various malls also join in with their respective Kadayawan events and attractions. The positive impact on the local economy shines through despite the recent low growth rates reported by the government.

What made this year's celebration different was that the finale of the annual celebration, the indak-indak cultural dance performance competition, was held in the bigger coastal road area. This year's celebration brought the biggest crowd in my own memory.

With these, it looks like this year's Kadayawan festival has drawn a large number of visitors, carried the hopes for a strong, inclusive future for Davao and Mindanao.

Charita Palmares Puentespina will be remembered for many achievements, but the two things that stand out was her being an advocate of the endemic Vanda Sanderiana orchid, more popularly known as the Waling and the lady behind Davao's Cacao boom. She passed away as her beloved Davao City was celebrating the Kadayawan festival that features many of her contributions.

Such advocacies bore much fruit, such as the popular Malagos garden resort and food brand bringing us flowers, chocolates and cheeses. This has also led to the declaration of Davao as the cacao capital of the country, and the strong possibility of the Waling-waling being declared as the national orchid. Beyond this, the orchid and chocolate advocacies have created artisanal industries that now employ thousands. The initial efforts at growing Cacao have expanded to become chocolate confections and processed products that are now enjoyed worldwide.

These results leave a powerful legacy for today's young Mindanaoans, proving that greatness is born out of a passion for developing local resources and turning these into world-class products can become a productive pursuit that benefits many more.