Beauty queen, governors to join 'prelude' to NCotabato's centennial celebrations

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines  – Binibining Pilipinas - Universe Mary Jean “MJ” Lastimosa and three governors of provinces that emerged from the 19th century "Empire Cotabato Province" will join the June 25 “provincial governor’s night” here as a prelude to the centennial anniversary celebration of North Cotabato.

North Cotabato, covering 17 towns and Kidapawan City, the provincial capital, will celebrate its 100th year anniversary on September 1 this year.

The governor’s night will be hosted by North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Mendoza and her constituent-provincial officials at the provincial capitol in Amas District here.

Lastimosa, who is of Ilonggo descent, is a resident of Barangay Sibsib in North Cotabato's Tulunan town, about 23 kilometers northeast of the provincial capital, Kidapawan City.

The beauty titlist and governors Daisy Avance-Fuentes of South Cotabato, Suharto Mangudadatu of Sultan Kudarat, and Esmael Mangudadatu of Maguindanao will attend the governor’s night, according to Jimmy Sta. Cruz, Mendoza's information staff.

The event will  highlight the socio-economic and geographical ties of North Cotabato's local folks with the political communities and the centers of commerce and trade in surrounding provinces.

The territories of South Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Sultan Kudarat were separated from the Cotabato Empire Province under Presidential Decree 341 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos on November 22, 1973.

The partition of the empire province into three smaller provinces, North Cotabato, South Cotabato and Maguindanao, was intended to quell the Moro uprising then by creating provincial governments that can accommodate Moro leaders and engage them in governance to help spur economic growth and political stability in areas affected by secessionist conflicts.

North Cotabato, also administratively known only as “Cotabato,” retained the original founding anniversary of the American-era empire province, whose trading and political hubs were originally scattered in the 17 towns that now comprise the province.