Acting Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte led the 19th year commemoration of the old Davao airport bombing incident on Friday afternoon.
Duterte wished the families of the victims and survivors continued healing and peace.
“We are one with the families of the victims and survivors in praying for continued healing and peace for everyone. We will continue to remember and honor the lives we sadly lost 19 years ago and carry on with the lessons we learned from the incident,” he said in his message.
He assured the families of the victims and survivors that the city government of Davao will always be there for their concerns.
On March 4, 2003, a bomb in a backpack exploded in the waiting area of Francisco Bangoy International Airport, which killed 21 people, injured over 100 others, and caused substantial damage to the terminal building.
Meanwhile, Duterte reminded Dabawenyos to practice the Culture of Security.
“May today’s gathering remind us to remain vigilant and encourage us to further support our city’s Culture of Security. We will remain strong and resilient, and work together in keeping every Dabawenyo safe as we move forward”, he added.
Duterte is referring to the Culture of Security program, which is a people-centered campaign that encourages Dabawenyos to adopt vigilance as their way of life. The campaign “May Nakita? Dapat Magsalita!” is an order encouraging Dabawenyos to adopt the Culture of Security as part of their way of life.
Through the campaign, Dabawenyos are urged to volunteer themselves for inspection and help in the implementation of security measures in the city; report all suspicious persons and activities in their community; remind friends and family of all the security regulations within Davao City; and participate in implementing the culture of security within their workplace, school, purok, subdivision and to be an active part of their community defense system.
