SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao – The local government here kicked off Wednesday the week-long celebration of its first-ever Kudaraten Festival, which targets to lure investors to its booming economy.
With a budget of PHP1.5 million, the celebration features a float parade, entertainment shows, sports and street dancing competitions, among others.
“From now on, this festival would take place every third week of January,” Mayor Shameem Mastura said in an interview.
He added that the festival intended to honor his great ancestor, Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat “for the legacy he gave us to stand against all odds”.
The town boasts, among others, of the multi-million Lamsan Trading Company, a soya beans industrial factory, which has helped in the employment of local residents for decades now.
Late last year, the Regional Board of Investments – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RBOI-ARMM) approved the registration of a PHP40-million water filtration plant operated and managed by the Mactan Rock TGV Builders Corp. in Barangay Macaguiling here.
The water filtration plant project involves the construction and operation of 5,000 cubic meters per day of water treatment work commissioning the water resource from Simuay River in this town.
The Macaguiling water source shares part of its resources to adjacent Cotabato City, which is home to more than 200,000 Christian and Muslim settlers.
Moreover, this town plays host to Camp Darapanan, the main encampment of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) situated in the Simuay area.
“Since both national government and MILF are continuously working hard for the passage into law of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), may this town serve as an example of coexistence, peace and development in this part of the country,” Mastura said.
The BBL is the basic structure of government for the establishment of the MILF-led Bangsamoro Autonomous Region that intends to replace the old ARMM setup and end the decades-old Moro rebellion problem in Mindanao. (Noel Punzalan/PNA)
