CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Department of Tourism Regional Office in Northern Mindanao (DoT-X) remains proud of the Kaamulan Festival of Bukidnon province, mainly for being an "authentic tribal festival."

“We’re always proud of the Kaamulan Festival, and, it is more vibrant than ever,” DoT-X Regional Director Marie Elaine Unchuan told the DAILY TRIBUNE, as she prepares the agency’s "Exit Report," Monday, 14 April.

“We’ve seen the performances; we’ve seen how colorful the festival is. But, one of the things I’m most proud of is that they have maintained the authenticity of their tribal festival. And, again, this is one of our biggest and most authentic in the Philippines, and I’m very happy to show this to my fellow regional directors who were in Bukidnon since April 10 until April 13, and they’ve seen the beauty of Bukidnon, and the beauty of our culture, and has celebrated the festival with us,” Unchuan said.

Unchuan added that regional DoT officials had their Second Quarter Regional Director’s Meeting in Bukidnon. “We had it in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. So, the regional directors were taken around, but prior to that, we were able to visit our important religious tourism sites — like the the Divine Mercy Shrine in Misamis Oriental: we were also able to visit Dahilayan Adventure Park, and also two of our farm-to-table destinations, the Waikai River farm and the Father’s Garden (farm). So, we had our meeting — we discussed a lot of important things, and then we proceeded to the pinyahan (pineapple field), which is one of the highlights of their visit, observe the culture of the people, here,” Unchuan said.

“I needed to show my fellow regional directors, and I wanted for them to experience it. And, they were all amazed, and then, last Saturday, 12 April, they were there in Kaamulan (Festival), and they saw the parade (street dancing), and the ground presentation, and all they could say were good things about the festival,” she continued.

This year, the Kaamulan Festival ran for three weeks, and offered multiple opportunities for local and foreign tourists to experience Bukidnon’s vibrant festivities, revolving around the theme, “Embracing Tradition: Innovating Culture For a Sustainable Future.”