ISTAMBAY SA MINDANAO

The provincial government did a soft opening of the
month long celebration on February 12 but the “grand
opening” will be held on March 3.

An early morning  traditional Bukidnon ritual called
Panalawahig will be officiated by datus (tribal
leaders) at the Kaamulan grounds. A Catholic mass
would be celebrated at the Capitol grounds. After the
rituals, major sponsors of the event would go around
the city on a motorcade.

The Kaamulan festival is the province’s major tourist
attraction with ethnic street dancing competitions on
March 4 as the highlight.

Ocaya told MindaNews about new activities in Kaamulan
2006 that give more value to the cultural aspect of
the celebration, not only tourism.

She said this is to help increase the public’s
appreciation of the cultural heritage of Bukidnon’s
seven tribal groups in addition to the street dancing,
bazaars, sports tournaments, rodeo shows, nightly
musical, dance and entertainment shows among others.

Ocaya said for the first time there will be an
indigenous song writing clinic for students and the
general public. She said Bukidnon-based Talaandig
artist and musician Waway Saway agreed to lead the
“open to the public” clinic. Saway, based on the
official schedule provided to MindaNews, would also
have a concert on March 8.

The 1st National Folklore Conference will also be held
here on March 2-3 and is part of the official schedule
of Kaamulan 2006.

Ocaya also cited the re-entry of Bansagen, an exhibit
of Bukidnon contemporary art by a group of local
artists from March 1-10. The exhibit, on its 5th this
year was not in last year’s celebration.

She also stressed that this year’s ethnic sports
competitions would occupy center stage and could be
seen and participated by more people on March 6.

Another new event in this year's festival is the
Bukidnon Kaamulan 21-kilometer open marathon
competition from Valencia City to Malaybalay City on
March 9.

Kaamulan is also a haven of trade fairs showcasing
Bukidnon’s cutflower, livestock, agri-food industries
and the major industries operating in this
agriculture-based economy.

In the last three years, Bukidnon’s hotels and inns
declared  full occupancy during the Kaamulan
celebration with domestic and foreign guests.

Bukidnon is home to the Bukidnon, Higaonon, Talaandig,
Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon and Omayamnon tribes.
Majority of its present population (at least 1.06
million in 2000) is composed of settlers and lumads
who have inter-married with migrants from Luzon and
the Visayas.

In 1977, Kaamulan started as a local celebration of
the cultural heritage of Bukidnon’s lumads (indigenous
peoples) held annually in September. Starting 1996, it
is held from the second half of February to March 10,
the anniversary date of the foundation of Bukidnon as
a province in 1917.

“Kaamulan” came from the Binukid (dialect spoken by
most of the lumads) term “amol-amol” or gathering for
any purpose, which could mean a datuship ritual, a
wedding ceremony, a thanksgiving feast during harvest
time, a peace pact or all these altogether.

The provincial government of Bukidnon and the
Department of Tourism have promoted the festival as a
tourist attraction. With mileage in the national
media, more tourists visit Bukidnon for the Kaamulan
in the last five years.

Revelers from around Bukidnon and tourists from around
the country come to watch the annual ethnic street
dancing competition among local institutions and
recently, from Bukidnon’s 22 local government units.

Kaamulan is now among the Philippines’ major festivals
and the only “ethnic festival” in the country,
according to the DOT. Based on their 2005 estimates,
at least 100,000 visitors arrived for the festival
last year.

The provincial tourism office admitted in 2004 that
the festival is Bukidnon’s only tourism promotion
initiative. Ocaya said the provincial government
allotted P3 million in holding Kaamulan 2006 with
private corporations taking care of some attractions
as major sponsors.

In 2004, critics claimed the festival doesn’t really
make lumads better off because its commercialized set
up aims to boost tourism only and not the real welfare
of Bukidnon’s indigenous peoples. They said the
provincial government should come up with a genuine
development program for the indigenous peoples in the
province.

In 2005, Bukidnon Governor Jose Zubiri said they have
taken steps to alleviate the plight of the lumads.
Zubiri said 20 percent of the province’s annual budget
is given to the lumads in the form of medicine and
food needs.

Ocaya told MindaNews last week that they are taking
measures to ensure handlers of the festival’s
activities like the street dancing observe cultural
sensitivity and no lumad would be exploited in the
celebration.

Ocaya said Kaamulan is fast becoming Bukidnon’s entry
point to the country’s tourism industry and may also
usher tourists to Bukidnon’s less popular but also
interesting tourist attractions (http://www.bukidnon.gov.ph/indextourism.htm).