The city government expects around 50,0000 people on Sunday to witness the Parada Dabawenyo as it highlights the 87th Araw ng Dabaw celebration, the city tourism office says.
Harold Quibete, the event organizer for both the Parada Dabawenyo and Hugyaw Dabaw on Thursday said they are expecting 45,000 to 50,000 people to participate in the Parada Dabawenyo.
He also said that there are already 300 confirmed contingents for the parade and invited 41 bands to the event.
The participants include 15,000 walking contingents for Parada Dabawenyo aside from the 42 confirmed participants of crowd-drawing bands and the drums and bugle, drums and lyre, brass bands, and marching band entries to have a maximum of 150 members since it would affect the musicality if they limited the number of musicians.
Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) Head, Angel Sumagaysay, said that they have already anticipated the influx of people during the parade as this is the culminating event of the celebration. The PSSO deployed 7,050 personnel for the Araw ng Dabaw.
Sumagaysay said that every day, they have, on average, 415 personnel deployed in the field to ensure the safety and security of the events during the celebration.
The Parada Dabawenyo will be traversing a shortened route to feature C.M. Recto Street, as well as to minimize the number of road closures during the event.
The starting point of the parade is on Roxas Avenue and will pass through C.M. Recto to Rizal Avenue before taking a right turn in Chinabank heading to Iñigo Street (formerly Anda Street), then a left turn to San Pedro St., straight to San Pedro Square.
According to Quibete, all contingents with vehicles must head straight to the Davao City Police Office and then exit on Quimpo Boulevard. However, if they want to display their floats to allow Dabawenyos to take photos, they can return to Roxas Avenue.
As for the walking contingents, they are instructed to take a right turn from the San Pedro Police Office passing at the Bonifacio Rotunda to the pickup point in Felcris Centrale.
LED walls will be set up in Magallanes as well as in the main entrance near Chowking, and behind the main stage to ensure that every spectator is given the chance to witness the event.
During the event, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office will also be deploying medical personnel in case of emergencies. Organizers of the event also tapped the Davao City Water District (DCWD) to set up potable water stations.
Participants are urged to ensure that they are hydrated and have eaten before the parade.
Meanwhile, contingents are discouraged to distribute merchandise such as candies and t-shirts during the parade as this might pose a safety hazard, and may also cause delays in the flow of the parade.
Dabawenyos are invited to witness the culminating events, Parada Dabawenyo and Hugyaw Davao, of the 87th Araw ng Dabaw on March 17. They are also reminded to follow the safety and security protocols of the city.
