I visited the 10th Central Luzon Trade Fair at the Megatrade Hall 2 of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong which runs from October 8 to 12, 2008.  Regional trade fairs like these are always worth visiting, not only for the native delicacies, but also because it gives you a chance to get reacquainted with the products of the provinces.  More importantly, it gives you an insight of the world-class products that these little (and not-so-little) towns are making.  It’s rather like taking a trip to Baguio, and your bus makes periodic stops along the way—Bulacan, Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac—so you could stretch and buy all these food and knick-knacks that you bring home as pasalubong.  Only better, because the place has booths and friendly people who tell you fascinating tales about the things you might want to buy.  The event features 142 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from Region 3’s seven provinces, so it’s a literal feast for the trade-fair-goers.

The fair exhibits giftware and holiday décor.  Pampanga has its traditional lanterns that are meticulously crafted, and the designs and colors are as bright and Christmas-y as you could want it.  Reb Handicraft of Nueva Ecija has lamps in shades so lovely you’d want to grab a dozen and hang them in your garden.

There were carvings from Tarlac, dining sets and coffeetables from Aurora, bamboocraft from Bulacan, silver-plated mirrors and lamps from Pampanga.  There are nursery furniture, paintings, table linen, scented candles and pottery.  In fact, you could outfit your whole house in a single shopping expedition here, down to cocktail forks and chopsticks made of kamagong wood.  

The booths offering wearables were very popular with women.  There were clothes, accessories, footwear, and hats. 

The choices were good enough to mix and match for your own fashion statement.

Ollie’s Footwear from Nueva Ecija featured sandals that were quite funky.  They’d look good on the feet for a night out, and they look sturdy enough if you plan to spend the whole day traipsing the malls.

The accessories in the booth of MSH Fashion Accessories are a hit.  There was a crowd of office girls, all trying on dangling earrings, bracelets and necklaces.  From the look on their faces, they probably had their money’s worth.

Now there’s a booth manned by two soft-spoken old ladies.  They sell crocheted items such as shawls, table runners, swimwear, cellphone bags, and lovely blouses.  Mrs. Buccat, the owner, tells me that the blouse below took two days to make.  It costs P450 and comes in eight colors.  I took the picture before a woman bought the blouse off the mannequin. 

The other old lady told me that if I wanted a similar one, she could crochet it for me if I’d drop by again before the exhibit closes.

Let’s go to food!  There’s such a wide variety of the good stuff that after all the food-tasting I felt like I’ve taken my dinner already.

I have a sweet tooth, so I attacked the booths with pastillas and candies first.  They come in so many flavors; there were tarts and milk candies, candied fruit and little pies, pastries and tiny cookies in colored plastic wrappings.  There were native rice cakes, puto, cuchinta, and suman.  All seven provinces had their booths for sweets.  All of them had delightful offerings.

Pampanga’s meat products have been a regular in the past trade fairs, and they are already quite popular. 

Pampanga’s Best, Mekeni, Betis Best Meat and Tita’s had very busy booths, especially since they attract people by the delectable smell of cooking meat.  You could see the mothers stacking the tocino, longganisa, and tapa in their bags.
Navarro Foods, also of Pampanga, offers bottled crab fat.  Croissant and pesto dip?  Give me Sky Flakes topped with  taba ng talangka anytime.  Heavenly!  

And then there are the fascinating finds, the things that leave you smiling in the delight of its discovery:

In Castillejos’ booth, you’d find pineapple marmalade, mango chutney and guava jam.  But they also have calamansi marmalade.  It was green goo, but its tangy-sweet taste would probably go well with toast.  Rickson’s Nutrilife offers cucumber and celery juice.  They have frozen vegetarian food products that are so popular, they’re already open for franchising.  Aliaga Veggie Canton has your regular canton noodles, with a nutritious twist.  They mixed the flour with saluyot, malunggay, squash, and carrot.  At P30 for 150 grams, you could cook a kid’s favorite and load him with veggie nutrients.

Aside from food, I came across Jed’s Handicraft, from Nueva Ecija.  They had all sorts of things made from coconut shells:  lamps, curtains, jewelry—even coin purses.  The coin purse would make a fun gift for Christmas because it is so unusual.  Better Country Community’s booth has a unique chandelier shaped like an orchid plant.  The flowers had capiz petals lighted from within. 

There are bags and slippers made from water lily stalks, and fruit trays made from cogon weeds.  

I stayed a long time in the booth of Munoz Science City Food Products.  It has malunggay tea, squash tea, garlic tea, and rice coffee.  I chatted with the owner, Ms. Leticia Basubas.  She tells me that she started small.  She would ask her neighbors to plant squash and malunggay, and then she buys the vegetables from them.  She was assisted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in developing her products, and her teas are approved by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).  After only five years, she now supplies six branches of a large mall.  She is asked to supply all of its branches nationwide, but she needed fresh capital.  And does the trade fair bring her business?  Yes.  Joining the trade fair exposes her products to a wider market (and potential financial partners), and she is now already gearing up for export.  She says the trade fair organizers, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 3, Philexport 3, and the Regional Development Council, have been very supportive of the local industries.  

While we were talking, she held up her ginger-apple tea and said it was good for call center agents.  Two young women near me exchanged a look and grabbed one container each.  Sale closed.

Under the One Town One Product (OTOP) program, several products were highlighted: the traditional lanterns or parol from Pampanga; crocheted garments from Tarlac, fresh and processed sweet potato from Zambales, and processed fish from Bataan.

Aurora’s model for the (OTOP) is the sabutan industry.  Sabutan is a screwpine plant that is abundant in the area.  The leaves are dried and dyed, and they are used to weave vibrantly-colored fans, hats, and bags.  Judging from the number of women who were walking around the trade hall wearing ribboned and flowered hats, I’d say the booth was a bestseller.

This exhibit, with a theme of “Natatanging Produkto, Ipagmalaki sa Buong Mundo,”   runs for five days.  Last year’s LCL fair generated total sales of P48.99 million and was visited by more than 15,000 persons. 

If this is any indication of the trade fair’s impact on the SMEs, this is the tenth year that LCL has succeeded in promoting the distinctive quality products of Central Luzon.

Likha ng Central Luzon Trade Fair does not just promote world-class products.  It develops entrepreneurs and small businesses into the region’s next generation of exporters.  More importantly, it showcases Filipino talent and ingenuity that is worthy of international recognition.

I ended this enjoyable jaunt a thousand pesos poorer, but I do have taba ng talangka on crackers for my midnight snack, a pretty little woven bag for after-office hours, a couple of kamagong sugar bowls for my mom, and a bright pink hat waiting for the next summer outing.