Davao City’s holiday season is one filled with colorful lights, lively music, and the joyful laughter of families gathered for the Pasko Fiesta activities. Amid the celebrations, the city’s security cluster ensures that Dabawenyos can safely share these moments with their loved ones.
The spirit of secure festivity is captured in Jerome Batain’s winning photograph, “Vibrant Flow of Yuletide,” which won first place in the Hulagway sa Pasko Fiesta 2025 photo contest.
The image featured the bustling night scene of the Perya sa Pasko Fiesta at Rizal Park, where children – along with their parents- get to enjoy carnival rides, as well as native Christmas delicacies sold just across the City Hall.
“The busy streets of Davao come alive with glowing balloons and festive crowd in front of the City Hall. This shot perfectly illustrates the orderly yet ecstatic energy of a city that knows how to celebrate safely and joyfully,” Batain wrote in describing his entry.
Christian Mark Lim, a freelance photojournalist and one of Hulagway’s judges, said that Batain’s entry depicted joyful and vibrant elements associated with Christmas, especially with the colorful decorations and the sense of togetherness of families captured in the image.
Another Judge, Maria Gliceria Valdez, echoed this view, saying that Batain’s entry has all the elements one can associate with a Dabawenyo’s sense of Christmas.
“Tana’ng elements sa theme man gud is naa sa picture like the Christmas of it all, the Dabawenyo of it all. Kana gud ‘pag tan-awon nimo ang picture kay makita nimo nga kung Dabawenyo ko, born and raised, or bisan dili ko born and raised diri, makita nimo nga mao ni ang paskong Dabawenyo (The entry has all the elements in the theme like the Christmas of it all, the Dabawenyo of it all. When you look at the picture, even when you’re not a Dabawenyo who is born and raised in the city, you’ll get a sense of how Dabawenyos celebrate Christmas),” she said.
Bing Gonzales, one of the judges, also described the winning entry as an image that bares the vibrant and colorful celebration of Christmas for Dabawenyos.
Joerdan Alegre’s “Celebration of Joy” secured second place, while Joseph P. Cañada’s “Angelic Joy of the Streets” placed third. Batain also received the Special Distinction Award for another entry, “Paskong Handog.” CIO
