NESTLED by the shores of picturesque Lake Lanao, the town of Lumbatan in Lanao del Sur is about to make itself known as one of the more progressive municipalities of Mindanao.
Newly elected Mayor Allan Lao said he wants to upgrade the town’s infrastructure and further develop its agricultural industry, which serves as the backbone of Lumbatan’s economy.
The mayor won in last year’s elections, and at the age of 44, is the youngest mayor to serve Lumbatan. It is his first term and his very first time to hold a public office.
It would be under the young mayor’s term when the town would mark its centennial on April 21.
Lao has huge plans for this milestone. “We’re going to hold a weeklong sports festival,” he said. “Each barangay is forming its own teams that will compete in basketball, volleyball and other popular sports. The championships will be held on the day of the anniversary itself.”
A cultural competition will also be held and this will involve booths that will showcase the colorful heritage of the Maranaos. Again, each barangay will participate and will be assigned booths to decorate with ethnic materials.
On April 21 a dance parade will be held on the major thoroughfares of Lumbatan. Also, a cultural show will be held in the evening and will present the performers of the cultural dance troupe of the Lanao Agricultural College, which happens to be in Lumbatan.
The mayor said he is working hard to establish the fundamentals that will pave the way for the town to progress.
“We have to fix the infrastructure, build passable roads, and provide electric power to every residence in town. Also, to accomplish this, we must have peace and stability and this can be realized by putting a stop to the long time feuds between certain groups and families, which we have already begun doing,” he said.
When all these were achieved, the mayor said he would start promoting the tourist attractions of Lumbatan, which is just around two hour’s drive from the Lanao del Sur’s capital Marawi City.