They will not be forgotten

Scars from shrapnel wounds on the 60 injured and the sorrow of those left behind by the 17 killed in the Roxas Night Market bombing remain fresh as the incident turns exactly one year today, September 2, 2017.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on the Memorial Mass held last Thursday said it shamed her so much that the incident happened during her term and she apologized for not attending the first mass held on the bomb site days after it happened. She did not have the courage to face the victims, she said.

But Mayor Duterte-Carpio said that through it all, what kept her strong was how Dabawenyos rallied as one, her detractors included, supporting her call to stand tall, united, and resilient in facing the terrorist scourge.

The government gave its all-out support to the victims and the families to start life anew, giving them high hopes and live the slogan that "Life is here" in Davao.

Duterte-Carpio said the victims and the incident will never be forgotten, there will be a commemoration in the place every year where the names of those who passed away are written on a stone tablet at the Tree of Life along Roxas Avenue.

"We don't want that same incident to happen again," she said, thus she is calling on every Dabawenyo to be vigilant in helping secure the city.

Mayette Balili, a survivor said, with the help of the city government of Davao she has been able to move on from the tragedy and face the world with a smile.