Kaamulan fest opens on February 18

MALAYBALAY CITY – This year’s Kaamulan Festival starts on February 18 with the opening of garden shows, food fests, bazaars, agricultural fair and livestock shows, according to information from the Provincial Tourism Office. 

Gov. Jose Ma. R. Zubiri, Jr. will formally open the annual fest at a gathering at the Capitol grounds, May Flor Intong of the PTO told Newswatch this week.

The Ethnic Street Dancing competition is still among the highlights of the fest with 10 participating groups.

The participants will include the local governments of the cities of Malaybalay and Valencia, the towns of Don Carlos, Lantapan, Maramag, Sumilao, Libona, Baungon and Manolo Fortich; and Bukidnon State University.

The Search for Laga ta Bukidnon beauty pageant will be revived in this year’s festival.

Exhibits, sports competitions, concerts, parades, ethnic-inspired events and others were for the 22-day festival.

Organizers have not finalized the list of officials and other guests expected during the celebration but young celebrities Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson and John Pratts were named.  

The annual fest ends on March 10, the 91^st anniversary of the founding of Bukidnon as a province. 

A PTO brochure of the festival’s schedule of activities described the Kaamulan as “an ethnic festival featuring Bukidnon’s seven hill tribes (Bukidnons, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tala-andig, Higa0onon, Umayamnon and Tiguahanon)