Dutertes to grace Maguindanao’s Inaul Festival events

COTABATO CITY – Members of the ruling Duterte family will grace separate events meant to highlight the 2ndInaul Festival in Maguindanao next month, host officials confirmed today (Saturday).Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carprio, more known as Inday Sara, has confirmed attendance to lead the inaugural operation of the newly completed Negosyo Center building in Buluan, Maguindanao on Feb. 8, the official start of the week long fete, 2018 Inaul Festival Director Nulfarid Ampatuan said.Inday Sara will also lead a ceremonial turnover to poor street vendors of custom-built food carts, which the provincial government employees’ cooperative-run Negosyo Center consider as field commercial conduits, Ampatuan said.On Feb. 12, Sebastian Baste Duterte, Sara’s youngest brother, will join principal guests in the coronation night for 15 local beauties competing in the Palamata Nu Maguindanao pageant, another main highlight of the festival, said Ampatuan, a renowned personality for cultural festivities.Police and military representatives in the festival preparations joined civilian counterparts in a meeting last Friday in Buluan town to map out security arrangements for the possible attendance of President Duterte as festival’s main guest of honor on Feb. 13.The Chief Executive is expected to lead the ceremonial ground-breaking for the proposed P100-million Maguindanao sports center, which the provincial government has programmed in months to join the national map of athletics and sports development.Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu had underscored in past occasions the significance of the sports center, revealing his administration’s dream to host the 2019 or 2020 Palarong Pambansa and an episode in the periodic athletic meets of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia- Philippines (BIMP) corridor. There’s no harm in dreaming…In fact, all things surrounding the progressive evolution of our province were fruits of dreams, Mangudadatu once told a provincial gathering in local dialect.Provincial Engineer Abdulrahman Asim on Friday said that architectural details of a proposed P200-million were set for completion next week for President Duterte to officiate also the corresponding project ground-breaking ceremony during the same visit.The President visited Buluan, the new provincial capital, first in July 2016 to inaugurate the 6.3-megawatt power plant built by local palm oil planters including Mangudadatu family members in collaboration with Chinese counterparts.Last Friday, Gov. Mangudadatu said he was optimistic for a second Presidential visit in Buluan town, this time to be the principal guest of honor in the celebration of the 2ndInaul Festival.The governor asked festival organizers to officially invite senators and cabinet members involved in various interests corresponding to festive segments of the week long festival. (Ali G. Macabalang)