DAVAO ORIENTAL, July 21, 2014— It’s not just the colorful embellishments, charming performances, and heaving happenings that drawn crowds together in Caraga’s 111th Founding Anniversary last Tuesday (July 15) but also the spirit of unity and the ‘bond’ as a community.
Bannered by this year’s theme,“A call for unity towards achieving greater goals”, Carageños celebrated the town’s more than a century of existence with the spirit of oneness, especially now that Caraga is rapidly taking strides towards development.
Delighted over the solid support and participation of the people for the town’s most important occasion, Mayor Alicia B. Mori, said it was also an opportunity to bring together communities, officials, and the townspeople as a whole to call for one development direction.
“Gone are the days that we have been divided as a people. We, as stewards of our town’s future generation ought to work in unison to make headway onour developmental goals,” Mayor Mori told her audience during the anniversary program.
Meanwhile, recognizing culture as one ‘bonding element’ of a town, the municipal government also encouraged its people to help preserve and conserve the priceless cultural heritage as culture plays an important role for economic and social development of the municipality.
EVIDENT DEVELOPMENT
While considered a haven of diverse cultural richness of the Mandaya culture intertwined with the touch of Spanish heritage, Caraga holds a potential of being a premier travel and educational site in the country.
And now that the province hosts one of the country’s World Heritage Sites—the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, tourists are becoming more eager toexplore all treasures it has to offer.
This had prompted the provincial government to set needed structures in preparation forthe influx of tourists. “We have to make sure that everything is in place before visitors start to come,” says Davao Oriental Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon, who now fast tracks implementation of projects bent to support primarily the province’s tourism industry, to include the culturally-rich town of Caraga.
Among these structures is the ongoingroad project tothe town’s historical landmark— the Pusan Point. Situated at the southernmost tip of the Philippines, this is where the first sunrise shines in the country.
Funds for the project wassourced out from the office of firstdistrict representative, Congressman Nelson Dayanghirang, which was also counterparted by the provincial government.
ANNIVERSARY HIGHLIGHTS
Officially opened last July 7, the week-long celebration in time for the 130th Parochial Feast was packed with a diversity of attractions and entertainment, which include among others, motorcross, a carabao show, swimming completion, banca race, and evening shindigs intended for different community groups.
While clad in colorful ornaments, the bucolic town of Caraga came alive as crowds flooded the main streets to spectate performers during the street dance parade.
Known for its various, unique products that range from exotic foods to processed goods and furniture to novelty items, the municipal government also featured an agri-fair that highlighted products of small farmers and entrepreneurs, which drew a lot of interest to residents and tourists alike.
Among the products highlighted during the fair were the chili foodstuffs under the brand name ‘Hot Pablo’. Backed with the support from the local and national government for farmers in the province’s east coast towns, the brand is now widely-known in the international food industry.
Aside from the week-long agri fair, the municipal government also observed the celebration with cultural performances, replete with Mandayan music and dances.
With more than a handful of attractions, which includes among others, caves, the century-old San Salvador Parish Church, series of falls and beaches, a Philippine Eagle Sanctuary, and the Pusan Point, the municipal government launched its official tourism music video that features footages of its must-see travel destinations.
Not only giftedwith richness in culture but also with acurnocpiaof natural treasures, the municipality of Caraga is convinced that with one development direction, these vast wealth can be efficiently tapped, thus, would help shape the town’s long-desireddevelopment. (Karen Lou Deloso/ PIO DavOr)
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