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Sara honors front-liners on ‘Araw ng Dabaw'

By Prexx Marnie Kate Trozo

February 28, 2021, 3:12 pm

DAVAO CITY – Mayor Sara Z. Duterte has honored the front-liners who continuously combat the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) as the city will celebrate the 84th Araw ng Dabaw on Monday (March 1). 
 
“And so, let this 2021 Araw ng Dabaw be a tribute to all our front-liners, to all whom we have lost this past year, and to each Dabawenyo abiding by the protocols set in place to ensure each other's safety, for it is our grit, our tenacity, and our discipline that will see us through to the end of this pandemic, in the hopes that we may one day safely celebrate our Araw ng Dabaw in the streets once more,” she said in a statement Sunday.
 
For the second time, the annual event will be celebrated online due to the pandemic.
 
“My fellow Dabawenyos, this year is the second time that we are celebrating the Araw ng Dabaw virtually -without the usual festivities and gatherings we have been accustomed to in the past. A lot has happened in the span of a year; we are not the same city we were in 2020, and the threat of Covid-19 is still present, but as resilient and united Dabawenyos, we shall overcome, as we always have, in the face of adversity,” she added.
 
Duterte also urged the Dabawenyos to celebrate in their homes as the city government has prepared a number of online events and features.
 
“We are inviting you all to join us in these virtual events that will showcase the best of Davao. And let us remember that while Araw ng Dabaw has always been a joyous celebration of pomp and pageantry, it is, at its core, a celebration of and a salute to the Dabawenyo,” she said.
 
Meanwhile, Malacañang has declared March 1 as a special non-working holiday in this city to mark the celebration of the 84th Araw ng Dabaw.
 
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, who signed Proclamation No. 1106 on Feb. 24 on behalf of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, said: “It is fitting and proper that the people of the City of Davao be given full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies, subject to community quarantine, social distancing, and other public health measures.”
 
Duterte has requested the national government to reinstate Araw ng Dabaw as a special non-working holiday. The previous declaration provides for a special working holiday.
 
This year’s celebration will kick-off with a flag ceremony at 8 a.m. on March 1 at the City Hall of Davao grounds, followed by a thanksgiving mass to be attended by department heads of the city government at 10 a.m. at the San Pedro Cathedral. (PNA)
 
 

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