A LAWMAKER proposed institutionalizing the Kadayawan Festival, defining its roots and components, in line with the festival’s annual celebration in August.
Councilor Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, committee chair on tourism and beautification, said on Thursday that the proposed ordinance would include the institutionalization of the tribal village in Magsaysay Park.
“So that hindi lang bigyan ng pansin ang village during Kadayawan, we would like it to be one of the tourist attractions of Davao City,” Ortiz said during the Kadayawan Festival 2025 Media Launch on Thursday.
At present, there is no existing ordinance that supports the Kadayawan Festival, so a budget is deliberated annually to renovate the tribal houses. For this year, the city government earmarked P3.5 million for all 11 tribes.
With the passage of the ordinance, the tribal houses will be open whole year round, showcasing the products and services of the tribes and helping them in financial aspects.
“How much is the needed amount for that will call for a huge amount because we will make them a permanent structure, and we also request them to take care of their maintenance,” she said.
Oscar Casaysay, Office of the Culture and Arts head, also emphasized that there is no documentation on the history and evolution of the festival.
“Before coming up with the ordinance, we have to come up with a thorough study of Kadayawan, its history, major components, and how we bring this forward every year,” Casaysay said.
The executive committee of Kadayawan Festival passed a resolution to temporarily remove the label “40th” before the Kadayawan Festival, as it would be a misrepresentation.
Casaysay said labeling this year’s celebration as the 40th will mean it started in 1985, which is not supported by any document.
“It’s really important as part of our history to really come up with our documentation, that’s what we gleaned as a weakness,” he added.
In terms of the tribal villages, Casaysay said there is a need for a new architectural design for the houses for them to look like a community. The location of the tribal houses is separated according to the tribe–with the IPs on the left side and the Moro tribes on the right (when facing the Ramon Magsaysay statue).
