Trade and Industry Updates: Bohol

Tagbilaran City (6 July) -- "HINALANG nga manok" or "nilubihang kagang" would soon find its equal in the distinct palate of the Boholano.

Sandugo 2007 makes a bold attempt to scour the discriminating taste of the Boholano with the search for the newest food preparation that could go through the pages of cookbooks.

Sandugo Festival through the years has been celebrated via a plethora of activities that showcases the past, present and even aspirations (future) of Boholanos through song and dance, crafts and food shows, cultural presentations, agricultural fairs. It also has shown entrepreneurial endeavors of its people.

A follow through activity of the highly successful Painitang Bol-anon (Boholano Snack Fair) in 1997 and Pagkaong Kinaham, (Favorite Food) a year later, the cooking festival this year hopes to elevate the level of appreciation, preparation and presentation of the Bol-anon food and cuisine.

Earlier, Hinalang or haling-halang nga manok bisaya (Chicken Curry-Boholano style) and Nilubihang Kagang (landcrab cooked with young coconut) shared the distinction as a local favorite after winning hands down in previous culinary competitions.

Organized this time by the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Department of Trade and Industry - Bohol (DTI) and and the Bohol Association of Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants (BAHRR), the festival of local delicacies and newer recipes also hope to mainstream local recipes with international touch, a concept paper form the DTI said.

The cookfest, proposed to be held at the The Island City Mall will feature Boholano cooks inventing, reinventing, enhancing and garnishing local food to on the Gourmet Category. This will be an exhibition by creative chefs of both foreign and local origin who have made Bohol their home and who are willing to experiment on indigenous food and convert it into one which may be identified truly Boholano, the paper states. "The idea is to generate recipes for a main course, salad, dessert and maybe a Boholano breakfast which can be carried in the menus of local restaurants and hotels." (PIA) [top]

One of the must-buys when you are in Bohol is basket ware. To get a good deal, especially if you are buying in bulk, go to Antequera. Hailed the Basket Capital of Bohol, Antequera is a small municipality which lies 18.5 kilometers to the west of Tagbilaran City . The roughly thirty minute ride to Antequera may seem to be so out of the way, but Bohol 's stunning country side dotted with picturesque ancestral homes makes the time pass by unnoticed. Basket weaving has been the municipality's main industry for years. Baskets ranging from the smallest to the biggest can be found and woven freely by locals who have been into the industry for years. These woven crafts are made out of wicker, rattan, bamboo, buri, nito and sig-id and other native materials. The basket weaving industry, mostly home based enterprises, has been the main source of income for residents of the municipality since early 1900s with the skills of the craft having been handed down from generation to generation.To date, there are approximately 10,000 weavers from Antequera who support three established firms in the industry.As the basket capital of Bohol , the municipality is better known in the province as a craft village where children as young as five years old learn the intricacies of the craft from their parents and from adults. Over the years, the residents of Antequera have learned to weave even during their pastime --- while watching television or listening to radio. There is no common production center where they work, rather weaving is done in their homes.Despite stiff foreign competition, Antequera baskets still find their way to the export market because of its good quality and design. Buyers have specific product requirements --- and SMEs in Bohol focus on a specific product line to cater to this demand.These unique Antequera baskets will be featured in the coming Sandugo 2007, a festival of activities that will focus on the Boholano culture and lifestyle and highlight the One Town One Product (OTOP) of municipalities and cities.The OTOP is a government program that seeks to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs through identification by local chief executives of specific products and services that have competitive edge.The Sandugo 2007 events include the Sandugo Product and Lifestle Fair, Creativity agora, Creative Industry Forum, Bohol MagNegosyo Talk Show, Boholano Cookfests, Agricultural Entrepreneurship For a, Social Development Forum and Cultural Performances.According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Bohol , the added attraction of the cultural presentations will ensure that this year’s Sandugo will be a kaleidoscope of culture, crafts, food, agriculture, lifestyle, ideas, creativity and ingenuity.

The Sandugo Product and Lifestyle Fair showcases the best of Boholano craftsmanship and ingenuity with indigenous materials such as raffia and bamboo.

Aside from Bohol producers, producers of fashion accessories, processed food and home furnishings from other provinces within Central Visayas will participate in the trade fair this year, DTI-Bohol said.

The Creative Industry Agora will be a multi-media showcase featuring the crafts, agri-products, tourism destinations and programs of Bohol’s special six emerging productivity circuits: Northwestern Bohol, Anda Peninsula and Eastern Bohol, Interior Bohol, Panglao Island , Abatan River Towns and Tagbilaran City .

In the First Bohol Creative Economy Forum, speakers from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Center for International Exhibitions and Missions (CITEM), National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), DTI, Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and the British Council will shed light on the nature, scope, implications of the creative industries on the local economy.

The Bohol MagNegosyo Talk Show will focus on the importance of entrepreneurship towards achieving economic growth and poverty alleviation and highlight success stories to serve as inspiration for the Boholanos.

The Agricultural Entrepreneurship Fair is a major marketing and promotional activity that highlights the display of fresh, organic, agricultural and processed products and tests the marketability of products and farm produce. (PIA-Cebu)For more information on the Sandugo 2007 events, interested parties may call DTI-Bohol at telephone numbers (038) 5018260, 5018828, 4113302 or Email: http://us.f305.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=dtibohol@yahoo.com. (ends)