A COCO LIFE A contingent from one of Misamis Oriental’s local governments performs during the street dancing competition of Kuyamis Festival staged in Cagayan de Oro City on Friday. —JIGGER JERUSALEM
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Philippines — A festival recognizing the economic significance of the coconut industry has brought together the leaders of this capital city of Northern Mindanao and Misamis Oriental province.
For the first time in the 10-year history of the Kuyamis Festival, officials of Cagayan de Oro took part in the holding of the event, a brainchild of Rep. Yevgeny Vincente Emano, a former Misamis Oriental governor.
The weeklong festival culminated on Jan. 13 in a street dancing event that ended at Misamis Oriental Integrated Sports Complex, also known as Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Center, which is jointly owned by the Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental local governments and the Department of Education.
Due to political differences among previous leaders, Cagayan de Oro has not been participating in the festival. This changed in 2022 when political allies Peter Unabia won as governor and Rolando Uy as city mayor.
“This will be history in the making; MisOr and CDO working together for the first time,” Unabia said on Friday.
The festival is a key tourism event of Misamis Oriental that has been drawing visitors mainly into Cagayan de Oro City where the activities are held.
On Friday, contingents from 15 towns bested each other in street dancing performance. Earlier in the week, a booth competition, dance craze, “laro ng lahi” (traditional sports), battle of the bands, and the Paglaum MisOr-Rise CDO Cup were held.