Day 1: Cotabato City

Cotabato City is 1 hour and 20 minutes by plane from Manila. That means it is faster to go there than, say, from Makati to Quezon City during rush hour.

We arrived at Awang Airport at 830am and were met by Ms. Nellie, an officer of the regional office of the Department of Trade and Industry and our escort for the trip. On the way to the city, we passed by a couple of military checkpoints. Cotabato City is very safe, Ms. Nellie assured us, but since it is in the ARMM and elections there are coming up, the military is not taking any chances. The soldiers were surprisingly young and fit-looking, unlike the leery, pot-bellied types we see so often in Manila. They simply peered into our van and waved us off without a word. Their no-nonsense, unsmiling demeanor, not to mention their heavy-duty arms, showed they meant business, and discouraged me from taking their photos.

In the city, we were brought to a restaurant where the highlight of the 45th Araw ng Cotabato festivities was taking place—a crab-cooking contest! Cotabato crabs are supposedly the best-tasting in the country, and today it was launched as the priority product/industry of the city. While I was busy interviewing the entrepreneurs lined up for the morning, the organizers asked my mom to be one of the judges!

Here she is in action:


And here are some of the entries. We ate them all during lunch and yum!



We would’ve wanted to bring some fresh crabs home as pasalubong but there was the problem of packaging. No matter how you pack those crabs in cardboard boxes or styrofoam, they can still use their claws to pierce their way through. “Muslim yung mga alimango e, matatapang,” was the joke.

Cotabato City is about 50% Muslim and 50% Christian, and the two groups get along pretty well, cracking jokes about each other’s customs. For example, a Muslim man is allowed to have 4 wives; if he has 5 wives, he’s considered a Christian! Hahaha.

I also got to try out some Maguindanaoan delicacies, like the tinagtag, which is a mixture of flour and brown sugar. It’s not as sweet as one may think, and it’s now my new favorite snack:


There’s also the pastil, which is rice with viand wrapped in banana leaves. It’s a nice alternative to sandwiches when one wants to have lunch or dinner while on the road:


In the afternoon, we visited an inaul malong weaver. “Inaul” is the Maguindanaoan word for “handwoven," and it takes about 2 weeks to finish one inaul malong.



The way malongs are worn reflect one’s status in society. You see how the ends are draped across this woman’s arms. If you wear it this way, it means you are royalty (because you don’t need to work with your hands). If you wear it knotted around your waist (so your hands are free), it means you are a commoner.


Other photos from the day:

Maguindanaoan grandmothers at rest.


By the banks of the Tamutakan River, one of the rivers which encircles the city. I could get used to waking up to this kind of scenery. There are 14 rivers and creeks criss-corssing the city and also serves as its boundaries, hence, Cotabato City is called the “Island City.”


Because of outsiders’ fears regarding peace and order, development in the city is slow. Franchises like Jollibee and Mister Donut, in fact, only came in recently. Badminton is still the craze, though, and badminton courts are one of the few establishments in the city that open past five.

We ended the day quite late, almost 9pm, and by then I didn’t think it would be possible for me to smile through another interview. Still, we ended the day in one piece, and that’s good enough reason to feel good. Our adventure was just starting.