ASEAN leaders, spouses to be given tokens with Mindanao details

With a proud Mindanaoan as the President of the country playing host to the 30th ASEAN Summit, leaders of the nine Southeast Asian nations and their spouses will receive tokens with details that depict Mindanao’s art and culture.

ASEAN-National Organizing Council said that the ASEAN heads of state or government attending the summit on Saturday will be presented with a tray made of Philippine mahogany wood. It will have brass etchings with the following motifs:

• Singkil or Sayaw sa Kasingkil - a folk dance of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao
• Pattern - copied from traditional T'nalak tapestry of the T'bolis of South Cotabato
• Sarimanok - a legendary bird that has become a ubiquitous symbol of Maranao art

Meanwhile, the spouses of the ASEAN leaders will receive clear tempered glass cheese plates with brass kulintang and sarimanok accents.

President Rodrigo Duterte, the 2017 ASEAN chairperson, is the first Chief Executive who hails from Mindanao. He served as the Davao City mayor for over two decades. His partner Honeylet Avanceña will be the official hostess of the six spouses who are expected to arrive in Manila on Friday. — BM, GMA News