MAGUINDANAO , Philippines – Television host and presidential sister Kris Aquino has promised to introduce to known fashion designers the handwoven fabric “inaul†to help boost business opportunities in the province.
Aquino and the staff of her morning show, Kris TV, aired during weekdays on ABS-CBN, toured Maguindanao on Saturday.
She was accompanied by Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, who also sits as chairman of the inter-agency provincial peace and order council.
“When I asked permission from Noy, he just told me I will be safe in the hands of the governor,†Aquino told reporters, referring to her brother President Aquino, who is Mangudadatu’s ally.
Aquino, whose TV program is focused on Filipino lifestyle and depicts the eco-tourism and business prospects in the countryside, was fascinated with the inaul cloth as samples were shown to her while filming traditional Moro dances and food at the resort of the Mangudadatus in Tacurong City.
She promised Mangudadatu and employees of the provincial government that she would introduce the fabric to fashion designers in Metro Manila and abroad.
She said she is grateful to Mangudadatu for supporting the Aquino administration’s peace accord with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
“It is very important in this peace process to have trust and confidence among each other and to get to know each other too while talking about building lasting peace,†she said.
Aquino hopes that more jobs can be generated for the residents of Maguindanao after the peace deal had been signed.
The actress and TV host was surprised when she learned that she and Mangudadatu’s wife Genalyn, who was among those killed in the Maguindanao massacre, were both born on Feb. 14, 1971.
Aquino visited Maguindanao two days after the National League of Vice Mayors held its executive meeting in Buluan town.
Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, national president of the league, presided over the meeting.
Moreno and his companions toured potential agricultural hubs in the province, including the site of the infamous Nov. 23, 2009 Maguindanao massacre, whose vast surroundings are now being developed into a Cavendish banana plantation by a group of foreign investors from Australia and Malaysia.