Kabuteño Festival highlight of GMA’s 43rd anniversary

The municipality of General Mariano Alvarez (GMA) in this province celebrated its 43rd founding anniversary highlighted by the 16th Kabuteño Festival on Saturday, March 9.

Select students from the various schools in the town and clad in colorful costumes converged and joined for the “Sayaw sa Kabutehan,” the highlight of the celebration.

GMA started holding Kabuteño Festival in 2005.

Situated in an area initially designated as a relocation site, GMA faced the challenge of having limited land suitable for agriculture.

This limitation sparked a creative solution: residents turned to mushroom farming, specifically the cultivation of cultured oyster mushrooms.

This means mushroom cultivation can be done even within the confines of one’s home.

The festival not only celebrates the successful adaptation and flourishing of mushroom farming in the area but also symbolizes the rapid population growth and the resilient nature of the people in GMA.

The term “Kabuteño” cleverly combines “kabute,” the Filipino word for mushroom, with “Caviteño,” denoting the people of Cavite, thereby highlighting the unique identity and culture of the GMA community within the province.

The Kabuteño Festival is a vibrant celebration of innovation, community spirit, and the rich cultural heritage of the people of GMA.

“It’s not just a celebration of mushroom farming, but also a celebration of the people’s growth since GMA is one of the centers for human resources in the province. That’s why our tagline is ‘Home of Culturally Diverse and Multitalented Kabuteños,” municipal information officer Rica Pinafiel said in an interview.