it was the feast of Eid’l Fitr. Early morning i can see women fully clothed in traditional Muslim wear silently walks along the hotel corridor. Later I learned that an early morning prayer was held just beside the hotel premises.
Careful not to disrupt to ceremonies, i took some snapshots before I had my breakfast.
I decided not to join the rest of the media team who went to the Grand Mosque at 4AM. It was too early for me.
Later we headed to the house of Cotabato city Administrator to partake of the Eid’l Fitr feast. It was an open house. And literally anybody can just get inside the house and eat.
After sharing the feast we went on a rolling tlur were we vot a glimpse of the old Cotabato Provincial Capitol and the cave bshind it. From there ournext destination is probably the highlight of ang tripto Cotabato: our visit to the Sultan Haji Hassanal BolkiahMsjid or more popularly known by its common name : the Grand Mosque.
The grand mosque has become the iconic symbol of Cotabato. It has also become the center of Islamic worship for many Musli.ms living in the City.
Of course I grabbed the chance to take a few snaps of the famed golden dome and its towering minarets. I also had my selfie taken at the mosque as well as a souvenir.
From the mosque wewent back to the ARMM Complex to partake of Pagana lunch from the Iranun Village. We were then served with traditional Iranun dishes specially prepared for the occasion. We had omelette sautéed with lots of tomatoes and palapa. Palapa is a disti cly Mindanaoan ingredient that is common in Muslim areas it is also used by the Maranao and Maguindanao peoe as its main ingredient in many dishes.
Aside from the omelette we also got to try the stingray (pagi) cooked in coconut milk with palapa. We were also served with beef sinina. A traditional Musli. Dish served spicy with lots of chili. Sinina is somewhat akin to our beff kaldereta except that the Muslim version also has coconut milk (gata) giving it a rich creamy texture and flavor.
From the Iranun village we hopped to the Maguindanao Village to partake the community’s Eid’l Fitr Pagana. The Maguindanao people living in Cotabato City has an interesting story to tell: among the ethnic groups in the Philippines, they were heavily influenced by the Chinese culture. This was evident i the decors of their homes as well as foods.
During our (second) lunch we were served with very fat freshly harvested crabs cooked in gata and spices. It was really rrally good! They also had sinina but their version was served with goat meat. Ot was fork tender and spices just right. We were also served with stif fried veggies somewhat similar to those you see in some Cantonese restaurants. We also had beef strips cooked in oyster sauce and broccoli.
Thevillage decked with colorful lemba also has a small sou enir shop where one can buy pasalubong for friends. They have keychains, dolls dressed i Traditional Maranao outfit, Malay CDs as well as assorted brasswares.
While checking out some items at the shope, ARMM DENR Secretary Haji Kahal Kedtag gave me a beautifully crafted purple Darangen doll as a goodwill gift.
We ended this amazing Halal Goodness Tour with a brassware gift from Cotabato City Gurlie Frondoza.
Cotabato City is a City of Peace. There’s no need for you to worry when traveling to this part of Mindanao. The peace-loving Cotabateños would always welcome you with open arms and let you experience their unique and distinctly Mindanao culture.
