Kaamulan in Bukidnon

Tribal folks and the people of Malaybaly City, Bukidnon, recently showcased the celebration of the Kaamulan Festival with indigenous rituals and dances to the delight of spectators who were both local and foreign tourists.

"Kaamulan" which means the gathering of tribes to celebrate a bountiful harvest has become one of the country's colorful festivals and the centerpiece of Bukidnon's tourism come-on since the late 1970's.

Seven towns participated in this year's coveted street dancing competition of which the town of Malitbog won the grand prize. In the past Kaamulan celebrations, almost all of the 20 towns were represented in most of the festival's activities. But because of this year's logistical and financial constraints, the provincial government limited the number of participants to seven.

" We have to cut down on expenses for the preparation of the festival, owing to the huge budget that the province has to shoulder if the majority of the towns would participate," Governor Jose Maria Zubiri Jr.disclosed and quickly reassured that other towns would have their chance to participate in future Kaamulan festivals.

This year's celebration, which started in the middle of February and ended last March 10, also gave importance to the province's tribal artists - in music and visual arts - and the first National Foklore Conference took place.

Guest of Honor Phineas Alfonso Alburo, Department of Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary for Visayas and Mindanao, said that the Kaamulan festival would be given more support if only to spur tourism development in Mindanao, particularly Bukidnon.

Alburo pointed out that festivals in the country have continued to lure foreign tourists, including balikbayans, in this year alone. The tourism industry expects more than 3 million tourists of which the majority would come from China, Japan and South Korea. The expected arrivals will translate to about P30 billion in revenue.

Catalino Chan III, DOT Regional Director for Northern Mindanao, said that Kaamulan festival is quite different from other festivals in the country considering that it focuses more on the indigenous cultural activities of the tribes in Bukidnon. Kaamulan is one of the big contributors of tourists arrivals in northern Mindanao. (BUTCH D. ENERIO)