At least 15 public schools in Davao City suspended face-to-face classes on Friday, 28 March 2025, to accommodate a prayer rally in honor of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s 80th birthday.

These schools will temporarily shift to blended learning modalities during the event.

According to GMA Super Radyo Davao, Davao City Schools Division Superintendent Reynante Solitario stated that only schools in the downtown area — those likely to be affected by the prayer rally—will suspend in-person classes.

Road closures for the event
To manage the influx of attendees, the local government announced the temporary closure of key roads:

• C.M. Recto Avenue (from San Pedro St. to Magsaysay Avenue)

• Roxas Avenue (from Quezon Boulevard to C. Bangoy St.)

The Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-11) expects around 100,000 people to attend the prayer rally. To ensure public safety, approximately 1,800 police personnel will be deployed.

“For Davao City, as per the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO), the estimated crowd is 100,000, and from the PNP side, we will deploy more or less 1,800 police personnel,” said PRO-11 Spokesperson Major Catherine Dela Rey.