COTABATO CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DTI-ARMM) will organize a month-long Ramadan Fair this month as part of the observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan.
The Ramadan Fair is considered the most popular annual multi-product consumer exhibition in the region. This year, 40 food exhibitors and 20 non-food exhibitors will showcase ARMM’s best goods and services from five provinces that include Maguindano, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi.
During the Holy Month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world are required to fast during the day. This year’s observance is expected to start on June 17. DTI-ARMM will be the Ramadan Fair’s lead agency together with the Department of Tourism of ARMM (DOT-ARMM). Dr. Susana Anayatin, chief of technical management services of DTI-ARMM, said the event will attract exhibitors and visitors from ARMM and neighboring areas.
Among the activities lined up for the month-long Ramadan Fair is the Qur-an reading competition headed by the Bureau of Madaris that aims at communicating messages written in the Holy Qur’an.
Each of the line agencies will also sponsor free Iftar (fast-breaking) offering to the selected mosque in the region. DOT-ARMM will sponsor Islamic symposia throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan where various ARMM government agencies will conduct Islamic gatherings.
With this year’s theme “100 Days of Journey in Understanding the Culture and History of Bangsamoro Towards Peace and Development”, the tribal villages inside the 32-hectare compound of ARMM in Cotabato City will also form part of the Ramadan festival said Secretary Marites Maguindra of DOT-ARMM.
Major tribes covered in this event are Maguindanaon, Tausug, Sama, Maranao, Yakan, Iranon, and Teduray. The tribal villages will allow visitors to feel the traditional life of the people of the ARMM. (Bureau of Public Information)
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