Cotabato City girds for ‘Kuyog Tanu’ Fest

COTABATO CITY – Native delicacies and handwoven cloth are the main highlights of the March 31-April 4 Kuyog Tanu (Bond Together) Festival here, which will showcase the region’s tourism potentials and the gains of the government’s peace process.

The festival is a joint venture of the city government led by Mayor Muslimin Sema, the Department of Tourism in Region 12, the executive branch of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the ARMM’s tourism department.

Sohura Dimaampao, DOT-Region 12 director, said there will be "cultural showdowns" such as ethnic dancing contests and traditional games during the four-day festival, the first ever in Central Mindanao.

Dimaampao said the event will also show that there is now fragile peace in Region 12 and surrounding ARMM towns, thanks to the ceasefire between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

"This event will also showcase our rich culture and traditions, which are all for the propagation of peace and unity among Muslims and non-Muslims," Dimaampao said.

Haron Felmin, ARMM’s assistant tourism secretary, said the event hopes to educate visitors on how the peace process has been complementing efforts to improve the local economy.

"It will correct wrong impressions that Central Mindanao is a war zone. It will show that while there are pocket conflicts in the region, most of them, however, are isolated and take place in very remote areas," Felmin said.

Felmin said ARMM. Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan has been supportive of the efforts to ensure the success of the Kuyog Tanu Festival.

Ampatuan has, in fact, tasked his trade secretary, lawyer Ishak Mastura, to help in the preparations for the event, convinced that it would bolster the region’s investment climate.

Bai Sandra Sema, who chairs the city tourism council, said the four-day festival will band together Muslim and Christian residents to better market their traditional crafts overseas.

Cotabato City, for one, is known for its delicious crabs and freshwater fish such as dalag, hito and tilapia. But village merchants lack access to potential markets outside of Central Mindanao.

Sema, who has been actively promoting Central Mindanao’s ecotourism sites abroad, said she has invited dignitaries from the member-states of the Organization of Islamic Conference and the European Union to grace the four-day festival.