COTABATO CITY—Visiting public and residents of Cotabato have a chance to revisit, appreciate, and rekindle the Bangsamoro identity as the Cotabato City Government officially opened the Cultural Heritage Booth in front of the city hall late afternoon today, Dec. 16, 2022.
The following participating booths included the Cotabato State University-Salamindanao Dance Company, Barangay Local Government Unit of Poblacion 7 of Cotabato, United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD), Cotabato City Pasalubong Center, ABCD Flowers and Home of Decors, Local Government Unit of Datu Blah Sinsuat LGU, and the Provincial Government of Maguindanao.
Booths are available for visitors until Sunday, Dec. 18, and open for the public from 8 AM to 8:30 PM.
As part of the competition, spectators need to secure a sticker bearing the official event logo at the entrance which they need to paste at the booth they think deserves to win.
Dr. Rahib Kudto, UNYPAD president and member of the Third-party Monitoring Team, shared in an exclusive interview that the booth competition will serve as an avenue, particularly for the young generation to appreciate the Bangsamoro culture.
“Bangsamoro culture, in general, has been forgotten; and with this type of event, everyone will have a chance to learn and appreciate our unique culture and identity,” Kudto said.
Cotabato City Mayor Bruce Matabalao personally graced the launching together with city officials, visitors, and constituents of this city.
On the same day, the City Government of Cotabato launched the 3-day public show of diverse cultural dances in the region dubbed “Colors of Cotabato” in front of People’s Palace.
According to Norianne Lou Frondoza, Tourism Officer of this city, the Colors of Cotabato means cultural dance presentation of tri-people—the Muslim, Christian settlers, and Indigenous People—living in Cotabato City and the Bangsamoro region as a whole.
“The performance of different cultural dances will be viewed every afternoon from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM for free from Dec. 16-18 (3-day event) and it will be performed by Salamindanao Dance Company, an official cultural dance troupe of Cotabato State University,” Frondoza said.
Mayor Matabalao emphasized, “we are not only celebrating our culture and our heritage in this Shariff Kabunsuan Festival but also we are celebrating our unity as one Bangsamoro.”
“As we are jointly celebrating this festival with the BARMM government for the first time, we will witness the showcasing of colorful dances that are popularized by different tribes living in our region,” Matabalao added. (Abdullah Matucan/Kasan Usop, Jr./BIO)
