The Kadayawan Festival

In 1967, Elias B. Lopez became the first member of an indigenous tribe, a Bagobo, to be the mayor of Mindanao’s number one city. One of his first act was declaring August 16 as the Kadayawan Festival. His act of giving honor and recognition to the natives of Davao City consisting of Bagobos, Tagabawas, Atas, Klatas, Matigsalogs, Manobos changed the cultures, traditions, and customs of Mindanao.

Today, all Mindanao cities and provinces have their own versions of Davao City’s Kadayawan Festivities where the focus is on their own native tribes.

It was also in the early 1960s that the Archdiocese of Davao began the program of evangelization and missionary work in the areas of the natives. The foresight of the late Archbishop Clovis Thibault, P.M.E., in creating in the 1950s the first college seminary and the first major seminary in Mindanao allowed the archdiocese hasten the evangelization and mission program in the lands of the lumads.

In the 1970s, the districts of Calinan, Toril, Lasang, Ilang, Tibungco, and Sasa had only one parish each.

Today, Calinan has five parishes, Buhangin sa four, Toril has three, Sasa, Ilang, Tibungco, Lasang, and Paquibato has seven parishes.

The Lord is truly kind and merciful to the people of Davao City. Madayaw agaw!