LIST OF FESTIVALS FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2011

LIST OF FESTIVALS, SPECIAL EVENTS AND 

OTHER TOURISM EVENTS

REGION XII

CY 2011

December

1.    IMMACULATE CONCEPTION DAY – Cotabato City

-      December 8

-      Patronal town fiesta in Cotabato City highlighting civic military and cultural parade. Other events are trade fair, cultural shows, sports competition and religious activities.

CONTACT PERSON

       MR. BENJAMIN N. ABARCA

Supervising Tourism Operation Officer
Peoples Palace, Cotabato City
(064) 546-0430

2.    SHARIFF KABUNSUAN FESTIVAL – Cotabato City

photo from: my.opera.com

-       December 15-19

-      A celebration in commemoration with the arrival of Shariff Kabunsuan in Mindanao to bring Islam civilization.  The festival is characterized by fluvial parade, banca race, cultural street parade contest, ethnic sports and re-enactment of the arrival of Shariff Kabunsuan.

CONTACT PERSON

-      MR. BENJAMIN N. ABARCA

Supervising Tourism Operation Officer
Peoples Palace, Cotabato City
(064) 546-0430

3.    KANYONG KAWAYAN FESTIVAL – Kidapawan City

photo from: prepys.com

-      3^rd Week of December

-      A unique activity to do away with the dangerous pyrotechnics during the yuletide season. It is a city wide contest which feature the firing of bamboo canons using empty milk cans as projectiles. The canon fire the farthest wins the contest.

CONTACT PERSON

-      MAYOR RODOLFO GANTUANCO

City Mayor
Tel. No.: (064) 278-3361
Tel/Fax: (064) 228-1604

4.    KADAGAYAAN FESTIVAL – Alamada, Cotabato Province

-      December 7

-      An official trademark of the Municipality of Alamada which especially features Street Dancing every 7^th day of December  as a highlight of the Patronal Fiesta. And inspired by the abundance of products that the agricultural community could offer.

CONTACT PERSON

-      MR. NOLI S. DOROMAL

PPC President
Alamada, Cotabato Province
CP No. 0916-7355709

5.    FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS – Kidapawan City

photo from: demotix.com

-      December 1 – January 2

-      A light of tree contest, a pine tree decorated with 100’s of Christmas lights.

CONTACT PERSON

-      MAYOR RODOLFO GANTUANCO

City Mayor
Tel. No.: (064) 278-3361
Tel. No.: (064) 278-3361
Tel/Fax: (064) 228-1604

6.    KARITON FESTIVAL – Tupi, South Cotabato

-      December 10-14

-      A four-day pre-events  the highlighting the parade of karitons pulled by either a carabao or a cow made of indigenous materials bedecked with flowers, fruits, and vegetables. These have given the essence of the importance of karitons in the lives of the residents of Tupi, South Cotabato. The trade fair showcase the farm products brought by the karitons from the farms; the children’s role in understanding the role of kariton in making livelihood of their olds ad empowerment of the women in helping and providing livelihood.

CONTACT PERSON

-      MR. CESAR SULIT

Head, ACTS office
Provincial Planning and Development Office
Tel. No.: (083) 228-3447
Tel.Fax: (083) 228-3447

-      MR. ROLLY VISAYA

Tourism Incharge
Office of the Mayor
Tupi, South Cotabato
Tel.No.: (083) 228-9837

7.    PASKO SA GENSAN – Freedom Park, General Santos City 

photo from: busy-berna.blogspot.com

-    December 1-31

-      This is a month long Christmas festival featuring multifarious activities, such as caroling, singing contest, lantern making competitions, bazaars, fireworks displays and many more. During the season, the city is like bursting in flames, majestically radiating colorful sparkles, to the delight of old and young alike. The main highlight of the celebration is the building of a Christmas landmark using local materials and embodying the character of the city and the people. The main objective of the festivity is to free the people from the drabness of their daily struggles and toils that ushered Gensan to its current prosperous state, to prepare them physically and mentally for the year ahead; and to enable them to face the future with much vigor and enthusiasm. In short, it is a celebration of “LIFE”.

CONTACT PERSON

-      OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

Left Wing, City Hall
Tel. Fax.: (083) 554-4212

-      GSC ARTS AND CULTURE COUNCIL

c/o Office of the City Economic Mngnt. & Cooperative Office

photo from: saggi-space.blogspot.com

3^rd Flr., Brgy. Dadiangas Esat Hall
Quirino Ave., General Santos City

8.   HINUGYUNAY FESTIVAL @ City Plaza, Tacurong City

-      December 5 to January 2

-      A month long merriment filled with a series of activities highlights the light-a-tree contest and fireworks display.

CONTACT PERSON 
HON. CHARITO COLLADO
Vice Mayor
Tel.No.: (064) 384-1648
            (064) 200-5843

CAPTURED MOMENTS - 2ND YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE

So many check points.5 IED where reported found at the site before the program start.

the Marker where the names of the massacre victims were listed.

Candle lighting by DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo and Gov. Esmael "toto" G. Mangudadatu along with the other families,friends and relatives of the massacre victims.

Symbolic releasing of mourning dove represents justice, peace and love.

The SEND OFF - white balloons.

Candle light believed to cleanse both the mind and the spirit and heal any emotions that are in turmoil.

HON. ESMAEL "TOTO" G. MANGUDADATU, MESSAGE ON MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE

Here's a copy of the message of Honorable Governor Esmael "Toto" G. Mangudadatu in verbatim. It's an honor to have this copy for as I believed that CCNTV Productions and I (my blogsite, www.laruylaruysinta.blogspot.com) has the only copy of this. My gratitude to his staff, he doesn't want his name to be mentioned. God bless Maguindanao...

 Assalamualaikum...

Honorable Secretary of justice, Leila de Lima

Honorable DILG Secretary, Jesse Robredo

Guests, members of the media, relatives, friends

Mga kapwa ko nagmamahal na nawalan ng minamahal, isang mapayapang araw sa ating lahat.

Ngayong araw na ito, dalawang taon nang nakalipas, limampu't walong pamilya ang nawalan ng asawa, ina, ama, anak o kapatid. On my part, madalas sabihin nawalan ako ng asawa, kapatid at tita. Ang hindi alam ng karamihan nawalan kami ng, hindi lang tatlo, kundi dalawampung kamag-anak... dalawampung mahal sa buhay.

Minsan, hindi talaga natin maiwasan magbilang.

Like today, we have been waging our fight for justice for two years. That's 730 days... 17,520 hours. Ganun katagal na tayong lumalaban.

At ganun katagal na natin sinasanay ang sarili natin na wala na

sila.

Pero hindi pa rin ako masanay. Hindi lubusan matanggap ng isip, puso at diwa ko na wala na talaga sila.

I'm sure this has happened to you. Naglalakad ako sa mall tapos may makikita akong damit at bigla papasok sa isip ko, "Uy, bagay yun kay Gigi." 0 di kaya makakain ako ng paksiw o tinola at sasabihin ko sa sarili ko na mas masarap pa ang luto ni Gigi na paksiw o tinola. Specialty niya yun.

Tapos matitigilan ako. Ilang saglit bago ko maaalala na wala na pala siya. Na sumakabilang buhay na siya.

And the pain comes back with the same intensity as if the massacre happened just yesterday. There are times the pain is worse, there are also times the pain is less. But there is never a day or an hour when there is no pain at all.

Little things, familiar places will trigger memories and set off the pain all over again.

          Gaya rito… This place will always remind us of the nightmare of November 23, 2009. At mahirap tanggapin ay kailanman hindi tayo magigising mula sa bangungot na yun.

I tell myself: move on, let go.

But when I go to court to attend the hearings, observe the proceedings and hear the arguments of the prosecutors and defense lawyers, I realize that I cannot let go. Maybe I can move on, but I cannot and will not let go.

Hindi ko na maibabalik ang umaga ng November 23, 2009 at pigilan ang convoy.

Hindi ko na mababalikan ang panahong sinayang ko na dapat naglagi ako sa tabi ni Gigi. Na sana ay mas mahaba pa kaming nagkuwentuhan. Na sana mas mahigpit ko siyang hinagkan. Sana mas matagal kong hinawakan ang kamay niya.

Lahat yun, hindi ko na magagawa. Pero may kaya pa akong gawin. May kaya pa tayong gawin.

We can still fight. We can continue to be vigilant and participate actively in the legal battle we have started.

At hindi tayo nag-iisa.

Secretary de Lima has been steadfast in her commitment to bring the perpetrators to justice. At the time when many were worried that some sort of deal was alledgedly being cooked up with one of the principal accused, she firmly and candidly said there will be no deal, there will be no compromise where massacre case is concerened.

Then there is DOJ USec Francisco Barran. He, too, has been diligent in keeping tabs on the criminal proceedings. At times, he even attends court hearings.

At huwag natin kalimutan ang mga procecutor, both the public and private prosecutors who have been tireless in their prosecution work in and off the court. Madalas nag-uuwi sila ng trabaho. Malaking bagay sa mga procecutor na makitang matatag tayo sa laban.

Governor Esmael "Toto" G. Mangudadatu deliver his message.

Last, but certainly not the least, is the President. PNoy has already said he will make sure justice is served. While many say he should articulate his policies clearer, there is no denying the support the office of the President has given and continues to give to the efforts to attain justice.

          Ang pangulo, ang DOJ, ang mga prosecutor, lahat sila, kakampi natin. To them, we extend our heartfelt gratitude.

          We hope the same commitment and efforts will be given to other cases of extralegal killings.

          We also hope there will be renewed genuine efforts on the part of our law-enforcement agencies, particularly the Philippine National Police, to tract down and arrest the other accused in the massacre case who are still at large.

          Alam natin hindi mangyayari yung gusto nating hustisya bukas o sa makalawa na. Mahaba-haba pa ang landas na tatahakin natin para makamit ang katarungan at managot ang mga may sala.

          Umaasa po ako na sama-sama nating tatapusin ang laban na nasimulan na.

I know it is easier said than done. But I also know that with the grace of Allah, of God, of the Divine, nothing is impossible.

The legal battle is very important for many reasons:

First, our loved ones do not deserve to die. They do not deserve the violent and brutal deaths they suffered.

Second, as often pointed out by media advocates, the massacre is an affront to press freedom with 32 media workers killed.

Third, this case is said to be the measuring stick of the efficiency and sufficiency of our criminal justice system. Dito masusukat ang takbo ng hustisya sa ating bansa. That’s why it is no surprise that November 23 has been declared the International Day to End Impunity.

The fourth reason is often overlooked by many. Ang massacre ay isang sampal sa ating demokrasya dahil ang layunin ng pagpatay sa mga kasama sa convoy, pati na rin sa mga motoristang napagkamalang bahagi ng convoy, ay upang pigilin ang pag-file ng aking Certificate of Candidacy.

The act of filing a COC is a concrete manifestation of our democracy, which gives us a chance to elect our political leaders. And we all know that free elections is one of the pillars of our democracy. Kaya ang massacre ay isa ring pag-aalipusta sa ating demokrasya. Sana po manatili tayong matibay ang loob sa laban para sa hustisya. Para sa Iimampu't walong taong pinatay. Para sa kalayaan ng pamamahayag. At para sa ating demokrasya.

Salamat, at muli, isang mapayapang araw sa ating lahat.