Sambuokan Festival Preparations Underway

Preparations are now underway for the staging of this year's colorful 10TH Sambuokan Festival in Mati, Davao Oriental, with several events scheduled for a weeklong celebration in October.

After a series of meetings conducted by the LGU - Mati chaired by Mayor Michelle N. Rabat, the different committees created for this year's Sambuokan Festival came up with various activities of the week-long celebration that will start on October 26 to October 29, 2010.

The Tourism Office as organizer is now busy preparing for the big event, one of the Philippines most colorful festivals which will commence on October 26 with daily activities and programs until October 29. The organizer is working doubly hard to make the town of Mati sustain the confidence of the business community.

One of the highlights of the program is the Indak - Indak sa Kadalanan - Street Dancing Competition that will bring together the best contingents of the festival coming from different schools in elementary, secondary and tertiary for a unified celebration and present its distinctive dance elements, colorful and creative costumes, and legendary stories

Showdown and street dancing represents the oneness of the Sambuokan and the opportunity for the public to witness the colorful activities in one place at one time which will be routed along Mati's main thoroughfares and presentation per contingent at the Mati Park and Baywalk.

An expected influx of local, national as well as foreign tourists will bring in cash flow and economic surge during the Sambuokan Festival period.

Sambuokan is from the Visayan word "buok" which means "one".

The local government then, thought it was over, not until they noticed that the festivity was responded only by the people in the local government.

As such, all the efforts were exerted to explain to the people that Sambuokan Festival is for all the people of Mati.

Sambuokan Festival then became a Sambuokan of politics, politics of accepting people from all walks of life, and from different denominations and economic status.

And whatever happens to Mati, already acclaimed as second to the Kadayawan Festival of Davao City, will stay, the way Mati stays in history, as a place rising from uncertainty to firmness, and from indifference to focus.

"Sambuokan is here to stay, and its message of unity and peace for the people of Mati.", Mati Mayor Michelle N. Rabat disclosed.