Tuesday April 6, RC Cotabato South

Cotabato Supreme Court
We started the day meeting with our hosts and taking a drive into Cotabato City for a Vocational Visit to the Supreme Court, where we witnessed Rotarian Bansawan Ibram presiding over the hearing. The hearing was held in English, but our ears were not yet acustomed to the inflections of the local dialect. (we think the case involved something about Cebu Air, and since the opposing council was absent, the case was dismissed). After a series of photographs (one mores! one mores!) we moved on to our next stop, to meet the city Mayor.

People's Palace
When he took his seat in office, Mayor Muslimin Sema was determined to create transparency and improve relations with his constituents, and therefore created the "People's Palace" which as you will see in the picture is very much palace-like construction. He as literally created transparency, in that all offices are open and visible through floor to ceiling glass. The impressive stairwell leads up to the Mayor's office where we were welcomed warmly and briefed on his projects, challenges and plans for economic development. We had coffee and snacks (Typically the coffee is Nestle 3-in-1, a powdered instant coffee + sugar + creamer. This team—or at least this team member--will soon be buying stock in and importing, it’s so good! Snacks throughout the day we soon learned was to be the norm... Lots of snacks and coffee throughout the day and merienda, a late day light meal --around 3-4pm. So do not be surprised upon our return as slightly "softer" versions of how you last saw us! ;) We have tried so much new and amazing food, we will have to dedicate a post strictly to cuisine and local delicacies...let us just say that yes, there has been durien and bolut involved! More on that later....
The offices in City Hall were much like you would expect in most places, with an office of assessors, HR, public works, taxes, etc...

It was here at the Mayor’s office that Anita met her "cousin"... woman name Adela Bringas who is from the same area in Luzon as Anita's grandfather...Ilokano, which as we understand refers to the dialect spoken in the region from which they are from. They had a reunion complete with sharing pictures and telling stories and hugs. While Bringas is uncommon in the states, the surname is well known here!

Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
Following the visit to City Hall, we were given the privilege of a presentation by the Director of ARRM, Mr. Dumagay. There are multiple acts in the Philippino Constitution that designate this conflict-free zone, with the goal of peace through education, discussion and economic development and sustainability. They utilize a branch structure and collaborate with local and regional stakeholders to achieve the aforementioned goals. While the ongoing tension among groups is palpable, in no way have we felt our safety and security threatened. Our hosts make every effort to ensure we are not in harm’s way.

Malong Weavers
Our next visit was much lighter...visited the traditional weavers of the area. Fast hands glided the shuttle back and forth so quickly you could barely see it happen if it were not for the colorful bands of silken fabric grow broader with each pass. Patterns are as different as the regions from which they come…some designs tell stories, while others the “dream weavers” ensure sweet and pleasant dreams. We were welcomed by the exotic sounds of brass drums, kulingtong, traditional instruments reminiscent of that heard in Indonesia. The drums are played by women and are used in celebrations festivals. They can also used for courtship by young couples. We then were presented the Sagayan Dance. Performed by young boys dressed in colorful costumes, this was the dance of the Warrior.

Rotary Club Meeting of Cotabato South
After a couple hours of rest we attended our first Club Meeting. Again, we were welcomed with open arms and warm smiles. Upon arrival, we were each presented with something conceptually resembled a Hawaiian lei though this was hand-made with brightly colored ribbon with a round medallion of ribbon at the bottom. We were fortunate that our visit coincided with the clubs monthly “Ladie’s Night” which was when the all-male members’ wives the RotariAnns accompanied their husbands for the meeting. A bountiful feast awaited us…rice, of course, soup, pancit, sweet & sour, and more. Fresh fruit sweeter than you could ever imagine. (And as silly as this sounds, really, really good Coke in the bottle, served with a straw to everyone. Apparently the Coke is made with real sugar instead of corn syrup so somehow it tastes more Coke-y.)
We were treated like celebrities at this and all club meetings to follow. We gave our first presentation, and though we were tired and probably a little nervous, it turned out well. Following the gong officially marking the meetings adjournment, the fellowship that followed included one of the most popular Philippino past-times…singing!

While the team, or at least this team member, would normally be up for an evening of merriment it had been a long night and we said our good-nights and prepared for the adventures that awaited us the next day.