Efforts underway to sustain Cotabato indigenous crafts, trade

COTABATO CITY — The provincial government of Cotabato has launched a program aimed at sustaining indigenous crafts that have long provided income opportunities for communities with the goal of boosting the productivity of marginalized villagers in far-flung areas.

Radio reports in Central Mindanao on Monday, July 6, said a large group of men and women from an indigenous community underwent abaca twine production training last week in the upland Magpet town, Cotabato, one of the four provinces in Administrative Region 12.

The workshop was jointly facilitated by the office of Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, provincial agriculturist Elena Ragonton, provincial abaca production coordinator Marichan Brillantes, and representatives from the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority.

Many of Cotabato's 17 towns and some of the 40 barangays in its provincial capital, Kidapawan City, have tribal enclaves where indigenous communities rely mainly on traditional crafts and trades as sources of income.

Local executives in Magpet separately told reporters that last week’s Handicraft Skills Training on Abaca Twine Making held in their municipality was the first activity under the indigenous crafts and trades promotion program of Taliño-Mendoza's office and her constituent mayors.

Taliño-Mendoza, who is now serving her second term as governor, is the presiding chairperson of the multi-sector Regional Development Council 12, which covers four provinces and four cities in Region 12 and oversees extensive investments and business promotion efforts.

Participants in last week's abaca twine production training were mostly from the Ubo Manobo tribe in Magpet and nearby upland towns.

Provincial officials said the Cotabato governor's office and municipal mayors aim to conduct more indigenous crafts sustainability workshops in other towns with tribal domains of the Ubo Manobo and Menufu Aromanen groups.

Taliño-Mendoza said they would also soon organize crafts enhancement activities in predominantly Moro areas in Cotabato province.

Taliño-Mendoza’s office and her constituent mayors are cooperating in socio-economic and peacebuilding activities in Moro ancestral domains in the province in support of the national government’s peace efforts with southern Moro communities.