SAN JOSE, Antique – Antiqueños are encouraged to patronize local products as the province joins the national observance of the “Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa and Kulturang Pilipino” this August.
The Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPA) administrative officer, Ma. Lourdes Fortaleza, made the call at the opening of the trade fair participated in by 25 micro-, small- and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) at a mall in San Jose aimed at promoting local products.
“We want to help our local producers affected by pandemic movement restrictions be able to promote and sell their products,” Fortaleza, who represented OPA chief Nicolasito Calawag, said in her message during the program.
She said with the national observance, mall-goers and the public should patronize indigenous products and showcase the culture of the Antiqueños.
Among those on display at the exhibit that will run until Aug. 16, are muscovado sugar, banana and taro chips, and native coffee.
Information Officer Lynna Joy Cardinal of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the partner agency for the activity, said also showcased in the exhibit are non-food products, such as the handwoven or patadyong fabric.
“In the trade fair, one can see that the use of the patadyong fabric has already been diversified,” Cardinal said.
The fabric is already being used as material for shoes, bags, and even earrings.
“The creativity and innovativeness of the MSMEs could be seen on the local products displayed now,” she said.
Cardinal said there are also bags made of bamboo with intricate designs.
The MSME participants are graduates of the Kapatid Mentor Me Program, a mentoring program of the DTI aimed at enriching their entrepreneurial skills. (PNA)/PN
