This year’s week-long Shariff Kabunsuan Festival commenced on Dec.11 with a float parade, an enactment of the arrival of Kabunsuan, the Arab missionary who introduced Islam to central Mindanao in the 16th century. (Michael Camsa/BIO)
COTABATO CITY— Officials and employees of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the City Government of Cotabato, as well as students from different schools, and residents of this city and neighboring Maguindanao provinces, enthusiastically participated in today’s parade marking the commencement of the much-awaited Sharrif Kabunsuan Festival.
With the participants wearing their culturally-inspired attires, the parade marched through the major thoroughfares of Cotabato City, starting from the Bangsamoro Government Center and city plaza and culminating at the Cotabato State University ground.
The Bangsamoro Government, through its Ministry of Trade, Investments, and Tourism (MTIT) joined hands with the City Government of Cotabato in planning, organizing, and executing exciting events from December 12-21, 2023 expecting to draw thousands of visitors from both domestic and international.
This year’s festival carries the theme: “Honoring Traditions, Forging New Horizons.”
City Vice Mayor Johari Abu emphasized in his opening remarks that the very essence of the celebration is to commemorate the arrival of Shariff Kabunsuan’s arrival in the city some 500 years ago through the Rio Grande de Mindanao— the second-largest river system in the Philippines.
Abu encouraged Cotabateños to immerse themselves in the richness of the unique and diverse cultural heritage and to take pride in their historic roots from which the culture, tradition, and identity thrived.
On the other hand, City Mayor Mohammad Ali “Bruce” Matabalao stressed that the festival is “not just a mere spectacle of colors and performances” but rather “a living testament to our commitment to honor the traditions passed down through generations”.
Mayor Matabalao retrospected that the arrival of Sharif Kabunsuan reminded everyone that the traditions, when rooted in shared beliefs, have the power to unify people and lead to progress.
Further, he also emphasized the importance of cultural identity. “As we celebrate our history, we also forge our future, grounded in the rich legacy of our ancestors,” he remarked.
BARMM Assistant Senior Minister Abdullah Cusain, joining the delegation from the regional government, underscored the festival’s significance in strengthening communal bonds and promoting cultural awareness.
“Shariff Kabunsuan Festival is not just a celebration; it’s a bridge that connects our past with our future, reinforcing the cultural bonds that unite us,” he expressed.
In the book Bangsamoro: A Nation Under Endless Tyranny authored by Bangsamoro historian Salah Jubair, it was mentioned that Sharif Muhammad Kabungsuan, also claiming to be of Hashimite descent, is credited as being the most instrumental in the propagation of the new faith (Islam) in the island.
He landed first at Malabang (now in Lanao del Sur) in the year 1475, by the account of one historian and in 1515 by another, and subsequently proceeded to Cotabato, where he firmly planted the seed of the new creed.
Out of his marital union with the local maidens, the Maguindanao Sultanate and Buayan Sultanate came into existence. Succeeding sultanates, though of lesser status and power, claimed lineage from him. (Abdullah Matucan/BIO)
