City Hall execs join GenSan’s first Grand Iftar

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (07 August 2013) - In a show of solidarity with the local Muslim and tribal community, city executives led by City Mayor Ronnel Rivera joined in the first ever Grand Iftar organized by the Office of the City Mayor for Cultural Community Affairs (OCMCCA).

Iftar refers to the evening meal taken by Muslims when breaking their daily fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan.

“This is the first Grand Iftar in General Santos. During the previous years, Muslim communities use to celebrate Iftar privately in the Muslim homes,” according to Bai Janena Tito, OCMCCA consultant.

She added that the OCMCCA organized the Grand Iftar on Friday (August 2) to bring the local community together and celebrate to foster unity and peace.

The theme for the celebration is, “Peace through unity and reconciliation.”

In a speech, the mayor said “the challenge is to bring everybody in one direction and this is one way of earning the respect of our cultural and tribal leaders.”

He also thanked Muslim leaders present in the event saying that he counts himself lucky because the first Grand Iftar was celebrated under his administration.

“We can observe that most of the activities organized today are inspired by modernization. We want to change this and revitalize our cultural practices, thus we honour the significance of Iftar through this gathering and I am thankful that the first Grand Iftar was celebrated under my administration,” Rivera said.

Pastor Dionesio Talon of the B’laan Tribal Community also expressed his appreciation to the city for recognizing the indigenous tribes and inviting them in one of Islam’s significant celebrations.

With positive responses from the tri-people communities and especially among Muslim groups, the OCMCCA intends to institutionalize the Grand Iftar as a yearly gathering and as a regular part of the celebration of Ramadan in General Santos, according to Dr. Tito.

GenSan’s first Grand Iftar was organized with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), Mindanao State University (MSU) and also participated in by members of the International Monitoring Team (IMT). (GENSAN INFO OFFICE/Michelle Ann Gonzales)