Maasin,
Iloilo will celebrate Tultugan Festival on December 20 - 29, 2017. A festival
dedicated principally to bamboo and its many uses, the ceneterpiece of the
celebration is the tribal dance competition scheduled on December 28 at 1 p.m.
The festival
performances usually depicting the local culture is a perfect platform to display
new creative ways of utilizing bamboo, a widely available material that has
been used for centuries in the archipelago, into modern-looking and
aesthetically appealing functional products. Different approaches are applied
to the transformation and development of various bamboo-based products
incorporated in the presentation.
The festival
costume, prop and musical instruments are all made of or at least inspired by
bamboo and it is the municipality’s way of keeping various valuable traditions
alive by connecting them to the festival to ensure and safeguard its
sustainability for future generations.
In
addition to seeing and hearing unique dance and music performances, attendees
will be able to engage in activities such as the daily food festival which
opened in December 20 and the coronation of Tultugan Festival Queen on the 29th
of December.
Tultugan
is a native bamboo percussion instrument used by natives of long ago as a tool
for communication and as a musical instrument. Tultugan is a root word of tultug which has been defined as an
action verbalizing the act of playing sound on bamboo. Usually this is rendered
through a bamboo stick striking it against the body of the bamboo, thus
becoming a rhythmic instrument called Tultugan.
Tultugan
festival aims to promote its local bamboo industry highlighting its
significance and importance in the lives of the people in the community. It also
showcases Maasin’s rich natural environment with spectacular bamboo landscapes
for people to get to know its main local industry and local artisans. The
festivity also promotes its various natural products and social enterprises
that protect and promote some of its best assets: natural landscapes and
traditional skills.
The
town of Maasin has long been known as the center of bamboo in Iloilo. Situated
almost 26 kilometers west central from the city center, the place has been a
major supplier of bamboo and its various handicrafts for local demand, in fact,
some of the items are exported internationally.
The
local government unit headed by the very dynamic mayor, Hon. Mariano M. Malones,
teachers and local artists have the big challenge and vital role of assisting
the transformation of traditions
Known
as some of the fastest-growing plants in the world, the bamboo is a kind of
grass. It is commonly known as woody grass and can be harvested after three
years. There
are about 1,200 bamboo species.
Bamboo
has many uses. Many Filipino uses bamboo as material for house building,
decorations, baskets, furniture, toothpicks, lampshades, fruit tray, flower
vases, “kisame,” placemat and many more.
Iloilo
is positioned to be center of bamboo production in the Philippines with an
abundant supply of bamboo poles, mostly the variety of Kawayan tinik. More than
2 million poles produced yearly.
Maasin
is a 3rd Class municipality belonging to the 3rd Congressional
District of the province. Comprised of 50 barangays over its 17,110 hectare land
area, the town borders the Municipality of Janiuay in the northeast; the
Municipality of Cabatuan in the east, in the south by the Municipality of
Alimodian and in the northwestern by the mountain ranges of the Province of
Antique.
To
get to Maasin, one can take a jeepney ride at the Transport Terminal in front
of Christ the King Memorial Park in Jaro, Iloilo City. For more information,
please contact Jestine Casio – Municipal Tourism Officer at (033) 3330299 or
email at tultugan@yahoo.com
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