Araw ng Dabaw is the day we celebrate our birth as a city. We are now 73 years old -- still very young as cities go and still full of promise.

Our journey as a city has not been easy.  We have experienced many wars and endured a lot of bad news.  Yet we continue to thrive with little help from outside, relying only on our own hard work and faith that our land is, indeed, the land of promise and that we are truly blessed to live here.

Dabawenyos are essentially pioneers and trailblazers.  What others see as problems, we see as opportunities. So we keep making landmark pieces of legislation that the rest of the country follows.  We keep coming up with innovative programs to respond to our challenges that other places emulate. We develop and nurture new ideas that are creative solutions to problems that other local governments try to learn from.

This pioneering spirit is a major source of our stability and power. I am honored and humbled to be given the privilege of leading the amazing citizens of Davao for more than two decades now.  I believe I am a strong leader because I am serving an empowered people.

Daghang Salamat, Davao!  Mabuhay!

                                                        

RODRIGO R. DUTERTE

City Mayor