4^th Kaamulan Adventure Race “Panahik Pursuit”: The Kaamulan Version of Amazing Race

Kaamulan 2012 has proven that adventure is more fun in the Philippines. This year’s Kaamulan Adventure Race has proven that the Philippines are filled with wonders and adventures worth to be trekked by everyone.

The Kaamulan adventure race this year was a blast. It was participated by 15 pairs all over the province of Bukidnon. If you are a fan of the famous reality TV show: The Amazing Race then you would probably love this race.

Participants in the age of 18 and above are the only ones who were eligible to join the race.  Each pair must consist of male and female. They must pay an amount of PHP 1000.00. The package is inclusive of race paraphernalia and event souvenirs. Each participant is required to register to only one team. Each participant or team must present a medical certificate signed by a Medical Doctor.

Each participant was required to bring their own gears (compass, push scooter, helmet, First-aid kit, cell phone with load & battery, rappelling gears, waterproof flashlight, full-fingered gloves for rappelling, Personal floatation device per participant,  writing materials and whistle) on the race day.

Participants were carefully selected by the race committee. They went through physical and mental screening. Participants must be capable of the race track. If they lack the experience on the race there is a possibility that their application might be denied by the race committee.

The race had a period of 3 to 4 hours of time and 20 km for each vertical and horizontal distance. Each team is given 4 hours to finish the whole race. The starting checkpoint starts at the Capitol Building of Malaybalay ending at the same venue.

Each pair will have to go to different checkpoints that are assigned by the organizers. The checkpoints involve mental, physical and agility challenges. From there, each pair will be given tasks in each checkpoint. If they won’t be able to accomplish the given task they can’t proceed to the next checkpoint.  The game is survival of the fastest and wittiest pair.

Each team must comply the checkpoint according to order. If one team had missed one checkpoint they will be ground to disqualification. Pairs or teams who weren’t able to reach by the cut-off time are considered as eliminated.

Winners were given cash prize and a trophy to the top 3 finishers while the late finishers will receive a medal. However, all the finishers will be refunded on their registration fee. Participants who want to withdraw during the race must inform race marshals.

The race was even more challenging due to the weather. It was raining so hard while the race was still going on but racers were so determined to finish the track no matter how cold or severe the weather was. All of the 15 racers finished the race before the cut-off time.

If you weren’t able to join this year’s adventure race, catch it next year. There is still a lot of time to practice and be ready for the next Kaamulan Adventure Race. Adventure races are more fun in the Philippines. See you next Kaamulan Festival.

Kaamulan Salu Tabo 2012

            Kaamulan salu tabo is one of the busiest markets in the Kaamulan festival. All the produce, handicrafts, exotic food, fruits, ornamental plants, Japanese coy, and a lot more are being displayed for the Kaamulan festival. All the locals of Malaybalay and also the famous food chains were given a stall to display their products.

On February 16, 2012 was the soft opening of the Kaamulan festival with the theme “MAINSTREAMING OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE: CUSTOM TOWARDS ECOLOGICAL APPRECIATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (KAPANALIWADA HU TULUK ETAW: BATASAN PAYANAEN HU BAGAD KADAYUN – DAYUN DAW KAUHANGAN)” The indigenous people gathered in this Kaamulan festival to give respect to each tribe. It’s a gathering of the seven tribes who come together to celebrate the Kaamulan festival with joy and unity.  All the tribes were united as one to avoid chaos and war.

The salu tabo was organized to promote the good produce and products of the locals and so with the indigenous people. Salu tabo will let the locals and the indigenous people will learn to sell their good products and produce to the people of Mindanao and to all tourist who came to witness the bountiful Kaamulan festival.

Salu tabo is a mixture of all the goods and produce of the locals and so with the indigenous people. Like the fresh vegetables and fruits, the artistic handicrafts, the colorful accessories, the healthy ornamental plants, the dazzling Japanese coy and the grandness of the Kaamulan festival.  Vegetables and fruits are freshly harvested from their fertile lands.  The artistic handicrafts were made creatively by some locals and by the indigenous people. The colorful accessories are showing the people how vibrant their culture is. The healthy ornamental plants show the amazing climate or Bukidnon that some plants will only grow into their place.  The serenity of the Japanese coy makes you feel relax and it will sunk into your senses of being free and gracefully movements in the water.

Kaamulan 2012—A Gathering of Wonderful Cultures

Festivals are more fun in the Philippines. True, that it is more fun in the Philippines when they celebrate their local festivals. Every year, different festivals are celebrated in the Philippines coming from every corners of the country and one of these highlighted festivals is honored to the Kaamulan Festival.

The Kaamulan Festival is the trademark festival of the Province of Bukidnon. Kaamulan is a term derived from the native tongue of Bukidnon “amul” means to gather.  This gathering of tribe people is held with a purpose. The event is celebrated in honor to the lumad or indigenous people in the province of Bukidnon for their major contribution in culture and arts.

The gathering may consist of datuship ritual; this is practiced when a person attains the position of leadership; it can also be a wedding, thanksgiving for an abundant harvest, a peace treaty or the combination of the aforementioned.

It was believed that the Kaamulan Festival started around the late 1960’s or the early 1970’s wherein different individuals made effort to gather other tribes to manage a celebration for the indigenous people contribution to the culture of Bukidnon. Until 1999 the festival was officially settled to mid-February ending to March 10.

Every year, 7 different tribes naming Bukidnon, Higaonon, Talaandig, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon and Umayamnon gather to celebrate one of the highlighted events of the Philippines. The Kaamulan festival portrays a modern classical type of culture.

For this year’s competition, 7 contingents from different municipalities gathered to compete for the highlight of the festival naming the float parade, street dancing competition and ground presentation. Different municipalities portrayed the lives of ancient civilization. The participants were from the municipalities of Maramag, Malitbog, San Fernando, Cabanglasan, Valencia City, Quezon and Kalilangan.

The float parade and street dancing competition started around 7:30 in the morning. Wherein, different municipalities showed off their artful costume and float designs. Old and young performed their tribal dances.

The parade started off in the streets of Fortich Street ending to Rizal Park otherwise known as Kaamulan Grounds. Participants were clad in colorful costumes. Most of their costumes were dominated by the color red and accented by black, white, yellow or blue. Their floats were filled with crops that are majorly produced in their municipality.

For this year’s street dancing competition, the Municipality of Maramag outshined other contingents. Followed by the Municipality of Malitbog dragged the 1^st runner-up slot. San Fernando grabbed the 2^nd runner up slot. Maramag replaced the position of last year’s winner the Municipality of Lantapan.

The Municipality of Malitbog, grabbed the championship for the float competition. The Municipality of Quezon grabbed the 1^st runner-up slot and Valencia City garnered the 2^nd runner-up slot. Malitbog replaced last year’s winner; the Municipality of Lantapan who did not join for this year’s competition.

The Municipality of Malitbog was honored as the winner for the ground competition. They entertained thousands of spectators surrounding the Kaamulan grounds.  Malitbog took the spot of Malaybalay City who did not join this year’s competition. For this year’s competition, the top 3 winners of each category will receive cash amounting to Php. 40,000.00 and non-winners will receive cash amounting to Php. 20,000.00.

If you weren’t able to catch up this year’s Kaamulan Festival catch it next year. Bukidnon is located at the central plateau of Mindanao. There are no airports in Malaybalay City. You can only access it via land transportation.

If you are from the other side of the archipelago, book a ticket for Cagayan de Oro City. After arriving here in Cagayan de Oro City take a ride either on a metered taxi or van that will take you to the Eastbound Terminal. The fare may cost from PHP 300.00-PHP 500.00.

If you are in a tight budget, you can ride a jeepney that will take you to Xavier University. After dropping at Xavier University, ride another jeepney going to the Eastbound Terminal (LA Lapasan).  The fare will only cost you around PHP 20.00/person. From there, you can take a bus from the Eastbound Terminal of Cagayan de Oro City that can land you to the capital of Bukidnon, Malaybalay City.

Witness it live and be amazed by the wonders of nature, culture and arts. Culture, Arts, Nature and Celebration is more fun to experience in the Philippines.  See you on the next Kaamulan Festival.

There are three current flyover construction projects in the City today – and one thing to look forward to is the Puerto-Sayre flyover, as it should be the first among the three to be finished.

The Puerto-Sayre flyover is a P362 million project, which should be completed by next month, August 2011. The flyover will be 195 lineal meters long and is foreseen to greatly improve traffic congestion in the area. The flyover is located in Puerto, specifically the Bukidnon-Cagayan highway junction, which is regularly congested with traffic from motorists and buses travelling to and from the city to Bukidnon and Agusan.

With the structure completed, motorists from the city going eastbound to Butuan or Agusan will simply pass through the flyover while vehicles from Bukidnon will be able to smoothly pass through the underpass.

The First Type in Mindanao

The permanent two-lane flyover features pre-fabricated materials, which makes it the first of its kind to be built in Northern Mindanao. Of the total project price, P200 million is funded by the French Government, while the rest is funded by the government as part of the country’s Mega Bridges for Urban and Rural Development Project.

Prior to the construction of the flyover, a P10 million road widening project was also done on the area to prepare the road for the construction. The road widening project was started in January of this year. As of June 2011, the flyover was already 73% complete, so its completion should be expected by August of this year.

Other Flyovers in the City

Aside from the Puerto-Sayre flyover, there are also two other flyovers under construction in the city today. These are located at CM Recto Avenue and Masterson Road, Macanhan, Carmen. These flyovers, however, are funded by the local city government and contracted to UKC Builders Inc.

The flyover in CM Recto will allow motorists from the east to easily breeze through without the need to stop at the C.M. Recto junction, which is known for its traffic jams, especially in the late afternoons. The overpass in Carmen, on the other hand, will also decongest the amount of traffic that usually swells in the Macanhan and Lumbia junction, right at the foot of Masterson Avenue.

Indeed, with the Puerto-Sayre flyover as the first project – and the two other structures in C.M. Recto and Carmen to follow – Cagayan de Oro is set to see numerous improvements within the following months until next year. Aside from these three awaited structures, there are more things to expect in the city, from the new Ayala operated Centrio Mall to the new Paseo Del Rio Complex at the Rodelsa Circle.

Don’t forget to check other articles from CDOkay for more information about further developments in the City of Golden Friendship.

-Justine B. Raagas-

Primavera Residences, Cagayan de Oro’s first eco-friendly condominium, was launched July 5, 2011 in simple ceremonies at the project’s site along Trade Street in the Pueblo Business Park.

Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno graced the event, and was joined onstage by ItalPinas President and CEO Romolo Nati, ItalPinas Chairman Jose Leviste, Jr., Pueblo de Oro President & COO Rommel Leuterio and Arsenio Manuta of the project’s contractor AVPamatong.

A toast to CDO's first eco-friendly building.

The landmark building is rising at the Pueblo de Oro Business Park in Uptown CdeO. The area has become the city’s new growth center, with a major shopping mall, schools and premier residential subdivisions only minutes away. Construction has already begun on its second floor.

The 10-storey eco-friendly twin-tower condominium project applies state-of-the-art energy saving facilities and construction design that offer at least 20% reduction in energy consumption. The Italian-designed condominiums are constructed along the principles of sustainable architecture such as generating its own energy through solar cells at its rooftop, minimizing power usage, and maximizing natural light and ventilation.

Nati, an architect from Rome, Italy, stated that the features they used to keep the building cool, such as the use shadow cooling and ventilation, are not actually modern concepts.  “The bahay kubo follows this criteria, so we are not inventing anything new,” says Nati.

MyShelter Foundation Executive Director Illac Diaz

MyShelter Foundation Executive Director and green living advocate Illac Diaz expressed his admiration of the project. “You’re going to see that with climate change in a resource-competitive world, this kind of green design technology is going to help you. It is a pleasure to see the work that ItalPinas is doing and changing the way living in an apartment can be.”

The E-Shuttle

In relation, launched together with Primavera Residences were Pueblo de Oro’s electric shuttles that would ferry passengers around the Township. The e-shuttle was supplied by Philippine Utility Vehicles, Inc. (PhUV), makers of electric jeepneys. PhUV Vice President Rommel Juan stated that he was happy when shuttle operator Elena Orpilla contacted him, and confirmed that this is the first electric vehicle of its kind in Cagayan de Oro.

Tower A of Primavera Residences is expected to be completed in June 2012. To date, 40% of its units have been sold.

(Photos and press release courtesy of Grace Garcia)