During the “Kabuhayan
2012”, this year’s National Livelihood Trade Fair held last November 8-11, 2012
at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall, different regions, provinces, and
congressional districts of the country showed the best they have to offer in
terms of products, services, and tourist destinations. The fair also served as
a venue for the promotion of the local micro, small, and medium enterprises
(MSME) that invigirote local and national trade.
The event saw the
different facets of Filipino culture and tradition—through arts, crafts,
fashion, cuisine, and other specialty products hand-crafted by Filipino
artisans, as well as services and local tourist spots— all of which demonstrate
Filipino creativity, artistry, and ingenuity at its finest.
The affair which was organized by the Congressional
Spouses Foundation, Inc. (CSFI) was a “great opportunity for promoting quality
local products from the different regions of the country which are usually
enjoyed by the locality’s visitors, tourists and locals,” according to QC
Vice-Mayor and CSFI chairman and president Ma. Josefina Belmonte.
The Quezon City (QC) government, being one of the
participants of the said event, had its own way of promoting its own cultural
heritage. Brandishing the theme “Great, Green, Growing”, the QC made use of the
3Gs to best present the three essence of the city.
According to Ms. Marlyn S. Siapno, officer-in-charge of QC’s Sikap Buhay Entrepreneurship and Cooperatives
Office, the theme highlights the best of the city—from products, natural
endowments, man-made creations, old and new business establishments, etc. – all
of which piece together the city as the “Place to be”.
“’Great’”,
Siapno said, “refers to the city’s rich
history with its shrines, monuments, and national and cultural sites such as
the Tandang Sora Shrine, Pugad Lawin Shrine, Sto. Domingo Church, and EDSA
Shrine, among others, as testament to this.”
She also
added that the city’s area of over 16,000 hectares contributes to the
city’s greatness. QC also has the bigget population in the National Capital Region
with 2.6 million inhabitants, according to a 2007 census.
“Green” describes the
city being the “greenest city in Metro Manila”, according to Siapno. Places
such as Quezon Memorial Circle, La Mesa Eco Park, Ninoy Aquino Parks and
Wildlife, and the UP Arboretum make up for that green portion of the city. QC
has also been very active in green initiatives in support of the government’s,
through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, environment
programs.
From an entrepreneural perspective, Siapno said
that “QC is continually ‘Growing’”. “QC supports old business establishments
such as Kamuning Bakery, Lechoneros Association,
New Polland Bakers Fair (since 1962), etc. which continue to offer
quality products and whose existence are intertwined with the city’s history,”
she added.
Aside
from the old, the city also supports the new and young entrepreneurs that sell
fashion
accessories, bags, gifts and house wares made from recycled materials as well
as indigenous weaves and ethnic and occult-inspired items such as those made by
establishments and institutions such as Key Chains, Charms
& Other Novelty Products, Rags2riches, Tribu ni Jerry, Kamay Kraft
Cooperative, and QC-BJMP Ladies Dormitory, among others.
In
its exhibit, QC also has an interactive area where all the city’s tourist
destinations which include iconic heritage sites
such as churches, monuments, museums, and art galleries. The virtual hub also
promotes green destinations which guide prospective visitors through the city’s
“green belt” from the Quezon City Memorial Circle all the way up to the La Mesa
Eco Park. Even growing lifestyle
destinations are also included such as
shopping areas, dining and entertainment areas like the ones in Tomas
Morato, West Ave., Eastwood City, etc.
All these are just a
glimpse of what Quezon City can offer. Through its massive tourism promotions,
cultural heritage preservations, green initiatives, and entrepreneur programs,
QC promises to live up to its vision of being the great, green, and growing
city of the metro.
