CATBALOGAN CITY — The culminating event of the “Pagtulitol ngan Pagtimon: Tracing the History and Navigating the Impacts of 20 years of Manaragat Festival” project sets off Wednesday, February 21, at Nana Manuela’s Place in Catbalogan City.
This project, funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through their Lunsod Lunsad Program, represents a significant milestone for Catbalogan City. Selected as the lone grantee in Eastern Visayas under the DTI program, the “Pagtulitol ngan Pagtimon” project aims to identify and support innovative project proposals from Philippine cities.
The initiative offers funding of up to Php3 million, with the goal of inspiring a widespread increase in creative projects and stimulating innovation throughout the Philippines. One of the key outcomes of this project is the completion of a coffee table book entitled “Pagtulitol ngan Pagtimon: 20 Years of Manaragat Festival.”
This achievement was made possible through the collaborative efforts of Dr. Rolando Borrinaga, a historian and writer; Mr. Aaron Almadro, a media, marketing, advertising, and design expert; and Mr. Gianfranco Morciano, a photographer, videographer, and director.
City Mayor Dexter Uy, through the Catbalogan City Tourism, Culture, Arts & Information Office (CTCAIO), led the project, aiming to trace the city’s humble beginnings and navigate the impacts of twenty years of the Manaragat Festival as a celebration of culture, history, and advocacy.
The culminating event will be attended by members of the Local Culture & Arts Council of Catbalogan City (LCAC), the Catbalogan City Tourism Council (CTC), along with various stakeholders and partners. This event perfectly coincides with National Arts Month (NAM) celebration, highlighting the two decades of Manaragat’s cultural preservation and environmental protection advocacies that have molded Catbalogan’s identity as ‘people of the sea’.
