To promote Higaonon culture in the local scene, Councilor Joyleen Mercedes ‘Girlie’ Balaba proposed an ordinance promoting the use of the Higaonon word 'Maayad' as the official greeting of residents to each other and to visitors arriving in Cagayan de Oro City.

 

Balaba, who chairs the 21st City Council’s tourism committee, said the ordinance would encourage use of the ‘Maayad’ greeting—which means good, peaceful, and beautiful—to welcome locals and visitors alike in hotels and other public places in the city.

 

'It’s not just a greeting but a way of life-speak with kindness, walk with humility, and build a future where no one is left behind,' Balaba said.

 

Councilor Roberto S. Cabaring, lumad community representatitive to the City Council and chairman of the council’s cultural affairs committee, supported the proposed ordinance saying this would aid in promoting indigenuous culture in the mainstream.(MDS/CIO/Photos by Roel Felicitas)