Miss Philippines-Universe, other celebreties to grace 1st Inaul Festival

BULUAN, Maguindanao – Miss Philippines-Universe Maxine Medina alongside other beauties and celebrities will grace the ongoing 1st Inaul Festival, which formally reeled off in this provincial capital town with utmost revelries among thousands of people mostly clad colorful traditional Muslim attires made of the fabric being promoted in the festival. It will be our honor to host and see Miss Medina as well as other dignitaries gracing our festival, Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu told a press conference here Thursday afternoon after declaring the week-long celebration proper open.The festival officially kicked off with close to 5,000 students, employees and officials of various government agencies and residents across Maguindanao parading on major streets here Thursday morning, donning varieties of traditional clothes made of inaul fabric.Mangudadatu said Medina and 2016 Miss Philippine-International Kylie Verzosa will grace as judges for the 2017 Palamata Nu Maguindanao, the province’s official beauty pageant forming as festival segment on Sunday night. The two beauties will be joined by Filipino celebrities Nyoy Volante and Daryll Ong to entertain pageant spectators, it was learned.The visiting beauties and entertainers will also grace the Governor’s Night here also on Sunday, during which at least 100 reigning sultans, datus and other local royalties are expected to form an alliance and elect a paramount Sultan, Mangudadatu said.Thursday’s festival opening festivities also drew the attention of hundreds of visitors including journalists from various places, particularly on the exhibit of inaul-making dynamics and products, which included some of traditional gowns worn by 65th Miss Universe candidates in their tapestry presentation in Davao City last month.The governor also opened on Thursday the inaul expo at an outdoor area here where some provincial line agencies and municipal governments put up 32 booths to showcase their various special products, including inaul clothes.At the press conference, Mangudadatu said the provincial government through its Sangguniang Panlalawigan has declared Inaul Festival as its official annual fest, in replacement of the five-year old Sagayan Festival.The renaming of the festival came after the provincial government learned lately that Sagayan Festival has been the official feast of Lanao del Norte duly registered with the Department of Tourism for almost 10 years now, he said.He said renamed festival gave the people of Maguindanao a unique recognition title in the global map, and enabled them to revive with more vigor the centuries-old inaul-making industry from near extinction. We are now proudly known elsewhere in the world, especially in urbanized countries in the west and Europe, the governor said, citing official arrangements for the upcoming displays in New York and Berlin of some inaul products including some of the gowns worn by candidates to the recent 65th Miss Universe pageant.Mangudadatu admitted that their provincial government played as major sponsor and spender for Davao City’s leg of the 65th Miss Universe candidates’ tapestry show. It’s a normal process for one to spend and embark on big events to be able to promote something efficaciously. Our age-old inaul industry is worthy of some investments… because it has been part of our culture for centuries, he said. (Ali G. Macabalang)