Kutawato Go: A virtual tour experience in Cotabato City

All over the globe, it comes as no surprise that we are taken over by out-of-this-world innovations brought about by almost uncontrollable technological breakthroughs, which are often unimaginable to humankind.

 

Galactic explorations, vast marine life discovery, location-equipped vehicles, artificial intelligence-controlled equipment, machinery with astounding features, effortless online shopping, and convenient research findings are now among those made feasible, which are the positive impacts of the golden word—technology.

 

Notwithstanding these cutting-edge inventions, David Valles Sibya, 26, a young Bangsamoro software and application developer-specialist, researcher, and college instructor, has drawn inspiration from his true-to-life experiences and humble beginnings to make the most of the current opportunities that come his way and survive his day-to-day life.

 

With this personal outlook, he invented Kutawato Go, which allows its users to experience the city of rivers and creeks and the Bangsamoro region’s Crown Jewel—Cotabato City.

 

Kutawato Go is an augmented and virtual reality mobile application that provides an ostensible experience to some of the best tourist destinations and popular landmarks in Cotabato City.

 

It also fosters cultural preservation and bolsters tourism, increasing the number of tourist arrivals within the city.

 

In 2023, the Ministry of Trade, Investments, and Tourism (MTIT) recorded a total of 857,621 tourist arrivals in the Bangsamoro region, a significant increase of 117% from last year’s 394,528, which is a manifestation that foreign and local tourists continue to pay visits to some of the well-known destinations in the BARMM, boosting the region’s economy.

 

Furthermore, Kutawato Go is an easily operated application, making its users maximize their utilization while having so much fun. The app could also help persons with disabilities (PWDs) who find traveling to tourist spots extremely difficult.

 

With its user-friendly homepage, you will be welcomed by two buttons: Mobile View and Virtual Reality (VR) Box View. From here, your trip to the city begins!

 

By focusing a device’s camera on the Cotabato City logo, the app user may already experience augmented reality, a three-dimensional (3D) projection of an object, for example, which is described as ‘one becomes part of the world.’

 

As soon as he chooses a travel destination, virtual reality emerges, where the user becomes ‘one with the world—a digital space’.

 

Primarily, it features Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque, a worship place of Bangsamoro Muslims and the grandest of its kind in the entire Philippines; Pedro Colina (PC) Hill’s vibrantly rainbow-colored houses, similar to Baguio City’s Valley of Colors; the Church of the Immaculate Concepcion of Tamontaka, widely known as Tamontaka Church, the oldest church in the city originally built in 1872; and the People’s Palace, the city hall of Cotabato.

 

Moreover, you can also virtually visit Timaco Hill, best known for its serene and natural view, and Sultan Kudarat Shrine with the statue of Sultan Muhammad Kudarat, a Maguindanaon ruler and warrior, who fought against Spanish colonizers to defend the religion of Islam and the Philippines’s freedom at the hands of the invaders.

 

Sibya also looks forward to bringing more indelible virtual travel to Bangsamoro by introducing some of the finest places in the different provinces of the BARMM.

 

“Eventually, with enough support, we will cover all possible places in the region and provide an audio feature that gives facts about the tourist spots,” he stated.

 

Indeed, with just your fingertips, you can already step onto the lands of astonishing Cotabato City.

 

The Kutawato Go app is available for download here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1n9Du6935xzzP61knbjkU0xl51KLnD1X1?usp=drive_link

 

The app could also help the Bangsamoro entrepreneurs. Sibya now opens his doors to businessmen.

 

For a full and unforgettable customer experience, you may feature not only the architectural structures of your physical stores but also the luscious dishes that you offer.

 

“Entrepreneurs may also subscribe to feature their businesses and make a 360-degree view of their store accessible to their clients,” he stressed.

 

“Moreover, they may also provide menu and details regarding what their stores are about,” the developer continued.

 

Aside from all these benefits, Sibya also offers a variety of affordable Kutawato Go merchandise, such as tote bags, T-shirts, tasseled bookmarks, and locally outsourced bracelets, with prices ranging from P45 to P160.

 

As a pioneering augmented-virtual reality mobile application for seamless travel journeys, he has a great deal of pride in Kutawato Go.

 

“For the record, it came first from Cotabato City; it came first through Kutawato Go!” he proudly emphasized.

 

Moved by Steve Jobs’s stay-foolish-stay-hungry quote, Sibya reiterated to his fellow Bangsamoro developers to strive for their dreams and find the most effective ways to learn new things.

 

“Just keep moving forward for your development, especially if it contributes to something better. It is just a matter of time to achieve your goal,” he highlighted.