The Provincial Government celebrated the week-long 16th Naliyagan Festival, a yearly festivity to pay tribute to the province’s still rich lumad cultural heritage and a showcase of the best local products.

Organizers are keeping their fingers crossed this year’s will draw more local and foreign tourists as more array of activities will be witnessed from day one to day six on June 17 which also falls the 41st Founding Anniversary of Agusan Del Sur.

Gov. Maria Valentina G. Plaza said the people of Agusan Del Sur have reasons to celebrate to this year’s festival since the province’s develoment is gaining ground as she said it had already graduated from 10 most depressed provinces in the country and it is the only province in Caraga region classified as first class by the Department of Budget and Management.

Expected to draw a crowd is the Bai Naliyagan Beauty Pageant participated by 13 towns and a city of the province, the Agri-Industrial Fair, and the nightly concert with Jr. Kilat band of former Pinoy Big Brother housemate Budoy taking center stage on the culmination night.

Aside from the various sporting activities, this year’s festivities also offers new game crazes like airsoft tournament and rappelling exhibition of which several teams in many parts of Mindanao are expected to participate.

TheNaliyagan Agri-lympics featuring biggest farm produce contest, fastest manual rice miller, mudfish relay, fastest fir maker contest, piglet catching at the Naliyagan Activity Center will not also be left behind as another festivities comes on.
But organizers failed to present this year the tribal street dancing competed by all towns and a city of the province due to lack of preparation.

Ferdinand Perez, Provincial Information Officer, however explained government officials would want to make the competition school-based and the winner for each town will become the official entry in next year’s festival.

The tribal street dancing competition highlighting colorful and ethnic- inspired display of Manobo dance prowess has been one of the top crowd drawers in the last 16 years of festivities.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, a college classmate of Gov. Plaza at UP Los Baños, will be the guest speaker on the 17th marking the anniversary in the creation of the province.