FILIPINO FOOD MONTH, celebrated each April — due to Proclamation No. 469, which in 2018 designated the month for the celebration — will kick off on April 4 and will feature a variety of activities.
This year’s theme is “Sarap ng Pagkaing Pilipino, Yaman ng Ating Kasaysayan, Kultura, at Pagkatao” (which roughly translates to “The taste of Filipino food; the wealth of history, culture and self”), was announced at a press conference on March 21 at the Manila Prince Hotel. The new logo for Filipino Food Month was also unveiled, featuring figures of meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables. According to a statement by the Department of Agriculture (DA; one of the agencies in charge of the celebration) says that the new logo “embodies the rich agricultural and culinary heritage of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao by showcasing key agricultural products from each major island group. It is also inspired by the colors of the Philippine flag, symbolizing unity, pride, and resilience in preserving and promoting Filipino cuisine.”
Its partner agencies include the Department of Tourism, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, and the non-government organization, the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement (PCHM).
Kickoff ceremonies will commence on April 4 at the Quezon Provincial Capitol Grounds.
“This year, we’re going down south to Quezon because we also have major food hubs in Quezon,” said DA Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing, and Consumer Affairs Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra during the press conference. “Not many people know that most of our vegetables, especially here in Metro Manila — we think it’s coming from the north, no — most of them are coming from Quezon… that’s what we want to highlight.”
She talked about the tangible effects the festival has had on the food industry since debuting in 2019. “This is a form of market linkage, and right after we do this. We (look) for partners.”
“We look at it as a form of opening the market and telling them that you can get ingredients here, better, or more premium, ingredients that they can also promote. That’s one gauge for us. That’s also giving our farmers better income and better opportunities for them to be able to sell their produce,” said Ms. Velicaria-Guevarra.
“For our farmers to continue planting, we have to show them that (there is a) market.”
PCHM Founder and President Jose Antonio Miguel Melchor, meanwhile, said that one of the food month’s highlight events, the KAINCON Filipino Food Conference, continues to attract academic papers from here and abroad, saying that there were 60 submissions this year.
The month-long celebration will feature various activities including an official opening ceremony at the DA Central Office and Mines Elementary School in Quezon City on April 7; the Department of Trade and Industry’s National Food Fair: Philippine Cuisine and Ingredients Show at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall on April 9; the KAINCON Filipino Food Conference on April 12, and the AngSarap! Philippine Food Festival from April 25 to 27 at Ayala Malls. — Joseph L. Garcia
