MANILA, Philippines - It’s barely four in the morning but our genial hosts Butch Chan and Decius Esmedalla insisted the festival is about to begin.
At early dawn when the sun had not yet peeked out behind the jagged hills and mountains, a loud series of thuds and booms filled the air for the Pamukaw, where home-made sound makers were being simultaneously pounded, clanged and struck, while from a distance, we could hear roving PA systems blasting wake-up calls as they crisscrossed the streets and alleys of the surrounding barangays.
Morning fireworks – not the type that fabulously brighten a dark sky – likewise blasted away to signal the then still sleeping residents and visitors of Malaybalay, Bukidnon that the culmination of a month-long celebration is soon to commence.
With a low mist and dew carpeting the ground, we were led to a rather small exclusive gathering of distinguished tribal elders together with their supportive council members – all spruced up in their traditional gala attire complete with turbans.
Offering prized fowls and choice products from the earth sacrificed to their gods and goddesses, accompanied by loud whispers and soft chants, is all part of the Pamalas ritual – a sacred rite that aims for the atonement of sins and hopes to shy away bad luck.
This honored passed-on-from-their-ancestors ceremony certainly brought back endearing memories of ancient documentary film clips and dusty moth-eaten journals that I came across as a young boy.
Once completed, the signal is given to assemble their communities, performers and dancers, together with their music makers, for the street dancing which showcases their distinct history and cultural heritage during the much-loved Kaamulan Festival.
While the rest of the city was slowly waking up to the bright new day and every participant searched for their assigned places along the parade route, my traveling group of five quickly returned to the Pine Hills Hotel – a mere two-minute stroll – where we were billeted the night before, to enjoy a heart Filipino breakfast in keeping with the local spirit.
When the clock struck seven, we settled in a kiosk – another three-minute walk from our ideally-located hotel – together with some judges as sections of the lone national highway was filled – standing-room only – with warm, eager bodies, all raring to present their pride and glory in the greatest show in this particular part of our islands.
Though there are seven tribes within the locality – Bukidnon, Higaunon, Manobo, Matigsalug, Talaandig, Tiwahanon and Umayamnon – only five were represented this year and six of the 20 municipalities were tapped this time in addition to the two cities, Malaybalay and Valencia.
The initial composition of every contingent began with the tribal elders dressed in their distinctive authentic tribal wear – excuse me, no costumes allowed here – followed by the music makers, pushing logs sitting on rolling beds and carrying sticks, guitar-esque kutyapis and kodlongs, goat-skinned drums, an assortment of flutes and tiny bells attached to their bodies which made sounds whenever they were in motion.
City and municipal officials come in complementing costumes.
The dancers followed. Bright colors exploded as they were draped in geometric designs predominantly red, blue and black, with touches of white and yellow, highlighted by eye-catching headgear and equally colorful beads, some harvest baskets, while others gracefully performed with their out-sized handkerchiefs.
The men, some clad in g-strings, bare-chested, had their choice of weapons – a spear, a shield, a bow and arrow.
The performers, some on stilts, others on platforms on rollers, illustriously showed off their nimble motions and adept maneuvers.
Lovely sights and pleasing sounds captured our eyes and filled our ears throughout the morning as each community tried to outperform the others.
Finally, fully decorated floats, representative of their places of origin, had more instrumentalists, all focused on producing an infectious easy-to-follow beat to the delight of the happy onlookers.
What’s amazing was the absence of recordings or amplifiers. Each and every note, pulse and rhythm were all pure, unadulterated and authentic – there goes the word again!
We soon moved to the lush green field of the capitol grounds for the Ground Performance Contest where doctors and scientists of Anthropology – those who have religiously researched and studied the various tribes of Bukidnon – together with a select few of discerning citizens served as jurors of the last-chance opportunity to spotlight the best of each group’s customs and traditions via chants, movements and dances.
At the end of a long yet entertaining and enriching day, prestigious awards were handed out.
The Best Float prize went to the papier maché masterpiece of Malitbog and the Higaunons, while runners-up included Valencia City and the Manobo-Bukidnon tandem which focused on their rich fertile land, and Kitaotao and Matigsalug’s majestic eagle with leaves fashioned as feathers of the giant raptor.
For the Street Dancing Competition, the red-and-black-clad bow-and-arrow wielding warriors of Kitaotao garnered the championship title, while runners-up Don Manolo Fortich wowed everyone with their long black attire complete with huge harvest baskets. Malitbog likewise proved their mettle with their women sporting white apron-like costumes and gorgeous red headgear as their men with g-strings, spears and shields made the magic circle of three.
The Ground Presentation top honors went to Maramag and the Manobo-Matigsalug tribe, followed by Malaybalay City and the Umayanons together, and the Malitbog and the Higaunons.
Now in its 41st year, while Bukidnon celebrates its centennial-plus-one anniversary as a province, the Kaamulan Festival is definitely here to stay, for it dwells in the very heart of its people, its history and heritage, its tradition and customs, its arts and culture – its absolute soul! Photos by Rommel Natanauan and Edu Jarque