Sara Duterte cancels Araw ng Dabaw celebration in March amid nCoV alert

President Rodrigo Duterte's hometown Davao City has canceled its celebration of Araw ng Dabaw in March, adding to the list of towns and cities that have canceled their annual festivals due to the threat of the novel coronavirus.

In a statement on Monday, Davao City Mayor Sara said the decision was in line with the Department of Health’s advisory on avoiding public gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus.

“It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to cancel the following events of the 83rd Araw ng Dabaw celebration,” Sara said.

Among the canceled events were Pasiugdang Pagsaulog, Reyna Dabawenya, Ginoong Davao, Sayaw Pinoy, Kalingawan sa Sta. Ana, Hudyaka, Mutya ng Dabaw, Pasidungog, Araw ng Empleyado, Kanta Bidabawenyo, Parada Dabawenyo, and the Datu Bago Awards.

“All preparations made for this year shall all be executed in 2021,” she added.

Aside from this, she also announced that starting Tuesday all welcome and send-off groups at airports, seaports, bus terminals, and other transportation sites are banned.

The toll from the deadly coronavirus outbreak reached 1,011 in China on Tuesday, with more than 42,000 people infected.

As of Tuesday, at least three cases of the infection were confirmed in the Philippines. The Department of Health considered at least 382 individuals as persons under investigation (PUIs) for possible nCoV infection. —NB, GMA News