Talaandig village hosts Mindanao youth peace camp

The Talaandig village of Songco (or Sungku), in the upland town of Lantapan near the foot of Bukidnon's Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park is the venue of the 4th Mindanao Tripartite youth peace camp from November 5 to 9.

Read a report about the peace camp here.

The scenic village, home of the Talaandigs, boasts itself as an alternative venue for conferences and gatherings among Mindanao's peoples and support groups.

Datu Vic Migketay Saway, tribal chieftain said the village has become a venue to many gatherings in the past such as the Mindanao People's Caucus /Peaceweavers and other gatherings.

The tribe has revived its culture and traditions with a campaign by elders who pushed for the putting up of the Talaandig's School for Living Traditions.

Through the years, the tribe has revived traditional musical instruments, stories, music, and images of folk heroes and ancestors. Musician and performer Waway Saway is the ambassador for the movement with his students and followers.

Songco offers a quiet, clean and "community-based" venue for assemblies and other gatherings.

(Photo grabbed from the Talaandig Cultural Site.)

Bukidnon hosts Mindanao provincial legislators meet

The Provincial Board Members League of the Philippines will hold its 8th Mindanao Island Conference here on November 12 to 14.

The annual conference is held annually to facilitate sharing of experiences and strategies among provincial legislators around the country, specifically those in Mindanao, according to board member Ben Pancrudo who will act as convener.

Hundreds of provincial legislators are expected to troop to Bukidnon for the affair to be held at the Kaamulan Open Theater here.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri is scheduled to give the keynote speech as the conference focuses on the theme "One Island, One Mindanao, Give Peace a Chance".