Prepare yourself for a parade of colors as energetic street dancers dressed in vibrant traditional garb of the indigenous peoples of Mindanao flooded the narrow streets of Davao City as it celebrated the 27th Kadayawan Festival during the weekend, August 17 to 19.
Kadayawan, dubbed “the festival of festivals” and “the king of festivals” in the country, is a thanksgiving celebration of the 10 Moro and Lumad tribes in the region for the year’s bountiful harvest. Kadayawan is derived from the Mandaya word “madayaw,” which means “good, valuable, superior, or beautiful.” The festival is structured as “the celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and serenity of living.”
Kadayawan is a must see every 3rd week of the month of August yet, another year of good harvest and a treasure for all the tribes in Davao and so, it’s also a time to spend in thanking God for all the bountiful blessings for this year.
On the way to Koronadal City, we made a brief stop at the DOLE Kalsangi Club House in Polomolok, South Cotabato. After a “pine” lunch (composed of Pinoy dishes with pineapples), we had a chance to explore some parts of the vast plantation that carpets the plain at the base of Mt. Matutum.
The island had been under-the-radar and is only known to surfers until the early 2010s. But today, Siargao enjoys being the “rockstar” tourist destination in the country. It is also more accessible now more than ever, welcoming about 12 flights daily from Manila, Cebu, and Clark. The road from the airport to other parts of the island has also been developed from the bumpy rough road to smooth concrete one, making traveling around the island more convenient and efficient.