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MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/30 January) — Instead of just playing indigenous sports as it has been the tradition in the annual Kaamulan Festival, Bukidnon’s indigenous peoples and communities will hold the province’s Tribal Olympics on March 2 to 4.
The provincial government here through the Provincial Indigenous Communities Affairs Division (PICAD) in coordination with Bukidnon’s seven hill tribes, is holding the “Tribal Olympics of the Seven Hill Tribes,” PICAD chief Russel Aquino told MindaNews.
He said the event will be the province’s preparation for the Philippines’ own Tribal Olympics and the International Tribal Olympics. The 1st ASEAN Tribal Olympics was held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia last year.
Expected to be among the favorite events in Bukidnon’s Tribal Olympics is archery, Aquino said.
The Bukidnon provincial government has vowed to stick as close as possible to the Bukidnon culture in its celebration of the Kaamulan Festival.
Before the Olympics, tribal leaders and elders from the seven tribes are scheduled to hold the Seven Ethnic Tribes Convention on February 22 to 24.
He said among the major items in the agenda is the institutionalization of the seven hill tribes’ justice system.
The Kaamulan Festival opens on Feb. 18 and will close on March 10, the anniversary of the founding of the province. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)