On Saturday, 12th March, 2016, CG Abdullah attended the Opening Ceremony of the 79th Araw Ng Davao 2016 at San Pedro Street in Davao City.
Despite rainshowers and hectic schedule, presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and his runningmate vice presidential bet Senator Alan Cayetano took a break from their campaign sorties to grace the opening of city’s 79th founding anniversary at San Pedro Square on the evening.
Mayor Duterte said, “We’re celebrating our 79th Founding Anniversary and we will be guided with our forefathers. We built a city that we can be proud of and it’s really the product of a toil and sweat of the migrants of the city.” He added that no tribe in the Philippines can claim that Davao community is theirs because the city is a mixture of Christian, Lumads, and Moro.
“We hope to maintain the solidarity and if you notice there is no discrimination here. We would like to express our gratitude to our Moro brothers and Lumads and Christians we are one and we are united and maybe it’s the reason why we have progressed faster than the rest the prime cities in Mindanao. We should continue to toil for the next generation. Each must contribute for the health and security and may I ask again this generation now to make sure that the next generation of Davaoeños will have better lives,” he said.
Cayetano also complimented how united Dabawenyos are. He based his observation on the invocation and presentation showed during the opening. Cayetano also thanked the people for allowing the Mayor seeks the highest position. He however emphasized that Dabawenyos did not lose a Mayor instead gained a president.
Mayor Duterte also seized the opportunity in asking the people to vote for his Vice President – Cayetano. “Give me my Vice President,” he said.
At the end of the opening of the program, both Mayor Duterte and Cayetano gamely joined the city officials and department heads dancing on stage.
Consulate General of Malaysia
Davao City
Philippines
12th March, 2016