50,000 flock to Kidapawan festival for free eat-all-you-can fruits

KIDAPAWAN CITY—Some 50,000 people from all walks of life, including visiting foreigners, flocked to the free eat-all-you-can fruits laid on a table stretching two kilometers along the national highway during the culmination of the Timpupo (harvest) festival here on Tuesday.

Lt Col. Argie Celeste, city police director, gave the crowd estimate as he reported that no untoward incident happened during the Fruit-Eat-All-You-Can sa Kadalanan (in the streets).

The crowd, which also included the elderly and people with disabilities, came not just from North Cotabato but also from nearby provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Sur, and Davao del Sur, he said.

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READ: Free fruit feast at Kidapawan’s Timpupo Festival on Aug. 18

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Celeste lauded the efforts of the local police and the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPATs) to secure the event, noting they bravely fought the scorching heat by noon, hours after the feast started late in the afternoon.

Marisa Aton, the city agriculturist, said that 30 tons of tropical fruits, including marang, durian, lanzones, rambutan, santol, banana, and dragon fruit, were among those served to visitors for free.

These fruits are locally produced by farmers in Kidapawan, with the city government purchasing them as part of its commitment to support local produce and boost the city’s fruit industry. 

The Kidapawan local government unit spent P3.5 million to purchase the fruits.

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Louige Allan Tutor, a native of Magpet, North Cotabato, observed a disciplined and compassionate attitude of some participants.

According to Tutor, a local broadcast journalist here, he witnessed at least three Kidapaweños who gave away their place to visitors from Davao del Sur and Maguindanao del Sur provinces./coa