Still no Palace declaration of Araw ng Davao holiday

By Cheneen R. Capon
More than a month has already passed since the City Council of Davao requested the Malacañang to declare March 17 as special non-working holiday. However, the latter has not approved it yet.
With less than a week after the formal opening of this year’s Araw ng Dabaw celebrations on Saturday, the Malacañang has not approved the request of the City Government of Dabaw to declare March 17 as holiday in observance of the city’s Araw ng Dabaw on March 16. 
“We’re still waiting whether the Malacañang will approve the resolution,” Davao City committee on tourism chair Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre said during the city council’s regular session yesterday.
Even without the approval, Alejandre said the opening will be still commence on March 12, Saturday on San Pedro Square.
The city council passed the item on the first week of February during a regular session at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
It was cited in an earlier report that the request letter, dated Feb. 1, was certified urgent by the Office of Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte.
Alejandre said March 16 is already an annual non-working holiday through Republic Act 7551 passed in 1992 when the city was declared as chartered.