Falling down, getting up and beating the odds: The Tacurong CDCC experience

More than two years ago on New Year’s Eve. While people are excitedly reveling the remaining few hours before the dawning of 2004, a deafening explosion rocked the city plaza of Tacurong. Seconds later, ounces of blood coated the pavement, dead bodies lay everywhere, and frail voices of the wounded crying for help and the panicky shouts of shocked bystanders reverberated in the air.

The scenario on that dreaded night still haunts us, especially for the bereaved families and victims who are still carrying the excruciating mark of that violent terrorist act.

On first thought, we would like to bury that event in the recycle bin of our past.

But we never did! We just can’t!

Instead of erasing the grim memories of the bombing incident that claimed innocent lives and in turn weakening the city’s security foundation, Tacurongnons leaned on that particular dark part of the city’s history to pick up its broken pieces of strength and move on.

Corn husk trade gaining ground in Tacurong

Don’t look now but corn husk that farmers used to discard after harvest has become a hot commodity!

Farmers now are making sure corn husks are gathered before readying their fields for another planting season. In fact, even before harvest time, corn husk gatherers already go to the farmers’ homesteads for reservations. This peculiar trend around Tacurong City’s farmsteads is brought about by the increasing interest of some people’s organizations on the corn husk trade.

It all started in September of last year when a group mostly of women participated in the training for making home decors using corn husks as primary materials. The Archdiocesan Cooperative Development Council (ACDC) and the City Government of Tacurong facilitated the training, with financial assistance coming from the Department of Agriculture (DA), Regional Office XII.