Nocot Celebrates Kuvuruan Festival

Provincial Administrator Jun Pinol with the Cotabato Council of Elders during opening ceremonies of Kavurunan 2006 at the Kavurunan tribal village. (Carl Bautista)

NORTH COTABATO (Carl Bautista / 31 Aug) The North Cotabato government held its 8^th Kuvurunan Festival at the Children's Park, Capitol Compound in Kidapawan City, as part of the 92^nd Foundation Anniversary celebration of the province.

Among the highlights of the Festival on Monday were the tribal unity dance performed by the different tribal groups who participated in the celebration. Various other tribal activities and parlor games made the festival more meaningful, villagers said.

Kavurunan is conducted yearly as thanksgiving by the indigenous people (IP) of the province for the blessings they have received throughout the year.

Provincial Administrator Bernardo F. Pinol, Jr. who graced the program, urged all IP in the province to support the education of their children by all means possible. He said that education would surely help their children have a better future.

In his brief message during the program he emphasized the importance of agriculture in the lives of the locals.

"Through agriculture we will be able to send our children to school which will eventually help us to attain our goal to have a better life," he said.

Pinol said the provincial government was ready to help the people, especially the IP in planting high value crops like rubber, banana, oil palm and coconut. “All they have to do is apply for the Plant Now Pay Layer (PNPL) program in order to avail the planting materials,” he said.