TUNGAWAN, Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines – The municipal government here has emphasized its commitment to the people of this town for the much-improved quality and system of education in the elementary and secondary levels here next year.

Mayor Randy Climaco made his commitment Wednesday during the Alternative Learning System (ALS) division conference here, which was attended by ALS representatives, facilitators, and coordinators coming from the 16 towns in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Climaco told the conference participants that the municipal government will allocate more funds next year for the conduct of training and seminars for the ALS facilitators and coordinators, including elementary and secondary school teachers in this town.

“This is one of the solutions that we can adopt to improve the system and method of teaching of our teachers in this town, in order to reduce the illiteracy rate here,” Climaco said.

He likewise thanked the ALS coordinators and facilitators, and the teachers for their efforts in reaching out to the people living in the far-flung areas of this town who failed to complete their elementary and secondary education.

He urged the ALS mentors to work hard in order to reduce the present illiteracy rate from 36 percent to a much lower rate in the coming school year.

As this developed, some 100 ALS students received their respective certificates of completion for the elementary and secondary levels of education during graduation rites held Wednesday at the Tungawan Elementary School here.

Most of those who graduated from the program are aged 40 and above, and residents of remotes villages in this town.

In another development, mud crab producers and farmers in Cotabato City – boasting about up to 85,000 kilograms per year – launched Thursday a festival here in honor of the crustaceans, which always form part of sumptuous dining for both visitors and well-to-do residents.

The first Crab Festival started Thursday and will culminate Sunday as an added highlight to the celebration of the coming to Mindanao, through the now Metro Cotabato in 1403, of Shariff Kabunsuan, who has been credited for the early spread of Islam in the country.

Mud crabs, which abound in coastal villages and are now being commercially cultured for mass production, were exhibited in various sizes weighing from 500 grams to three kilos per piece at the compound of the Cotabato City Hall, known locally as People’s Palace.

Desired for the sweet taste of their meat and the high-cholesterol fat oozing from their shells, mud crabs generate an average of P21 million in sales every year here, according to the Trade and Industry Department.

Mud crabs from Cotabato City have been reaching some of the classiest restaurants in Metro Manila, giving this city the distinction of being their source.

Thus, the first festival would be done annually just like the institutionalized Tuna Festival in General Santos City, city officials said.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the United States-backed Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, impressed of the monetary and posterity of mud crabs, had decided to support local government efforts in paying homage to such crustacean species.

“The Crab Festival will prove to all and sundry that Cotabato mud crabs are the tastiest species in the Philippines,” said a briefing paper from the Metro Cotabato Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, which supports the holding of the event.

According to Shamera Abobakar, chamber executive director, the festival could enable visitors and residents to “network” with potential investors. (With a report from Ali G. Macabalang)