Gearing Up for the MunaTo Festival 2011

FOR THE first time, I feel so excited for the MunaTo Festival. Not that the MunaTo Festival of Sarangani Province isn’t exciting, it’s that have always been out of town  during the festivities — well, at least for the last three years. This year, I am excited. And I am involved!

So what’s gonna happen starting tomorrow?

MunaTo Festival 2011 Schedule of Activities

The MunaTo Festival, er, my MunaTo Festival will open tomorrow with a Fun Run and Mangrove Planting.  In the afternoon, there will be a Hero’s Welcome for People’s Champ and Sarangani Congressman Manny Pacquiao at 4pm, which will be followed by the opening ceremonies, called Panagtigum at 5pm.

On the 25th will be the Pearl of Sarangani with GMA Kapuso Artists.

Saturday, November 26 is my big day. Together with my friends, the Team Bundol Mountaineers, Madyaw Alabel Mountaineers Association (MAMA), and Magu Sarangani Mountaineers, I co-organized the 1st MunaTo EcoTrek. We invited mountaineers from nearby towns and cities to join us in trekking to Atnayan Waterfalls in New Canaan, Brgy. Pag-asa, Alabel, Sarangani Province. We will plant tress there and we will also be bringing books for the school there, courtesy of QuEST.

The 1st EcoTrek is what keeps me busy these past few days, alongside school stuff. It is nice working with like-minded people and it is very challenging at the same time.

There are lots of other exciting things happening during the MunaTo Festival. Check out the MunaTo Festival Facebook Page for the complete schedule.

If you are planning to visit the MunaTo Festival site inside the Sarangani Provincial Capitol Complex, here is the map I got from the MunaTo Festival Facebook page to guide you (click on the image to enlarge):

FAQ: What does MunaTo mean?

The MunaTo Festival is the celebration of the people of Sarangani Province of the bountiful gifts of God to the province. It is held in consonance with Sarangani’s Foundation Anniversary. This year, Sarangani celebrates its 19th Foundation Anniversary and the 9th MunaTo Festival.

A lot of people ask me about the meaning of the word MunaTo. MunaTo is derived from the B’laan terms for first (muna) and people (to). MunaTo, therefore, mean, First People, which refers to the pre-historic civilization that is believed to have existed in the municipality of Maitum in western Sarangani during the Metal Age.  There were anthropomorphic secondary burial jars that were found inside Ayub cave in 1991 by Dr. Eusebio Dizon of the National Museum. Carbon dating revealed that these relics date to as far back as 5 BC to AD 225. In other words, the MunaTo Festival is a celebration of the discovery that Sarangani is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Read more about this archaeological find.

To my fellow Sarangans, Happy MunaTo festival! To others, come and visit my beloved Sarangani Province.