Legarda Invites the Public to Sikat Pinoy National Arts and Crafts Fair 2018

Senator Loren Legarda today encouraged everyone to visit the 2018 Sikat Pinoy National Arts and Crafts Fair to be held on June 14-17, 2018 at Megatrade Halls 1-3 in SM Megamall and support the country’s artisans and producers of indigenous crafts.

Spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion (DTI – BDTP), in coordination with the Department’s regional and provincial offices, and supported by the Office of Senator Legarda, the four-day retail fair trade will feature 150 MSMEs from different regions across the country, mainly highlighting both contemporary art and crafts that exemplify indigenous living traditions through hand-made products, ornaments, jewelry, fabric and accessories, among others.

“This event will not only highlight our rich cultural heritage and living traditions but will also serve as our support for the Filipino indigenous communities in bringing public attention to their crafts and tradition.  We can hopefully even elevate this to the global stage,” Legarda said

Legarda, author of Republic Act 9501 or the Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Republic Act 9509 or the Barangay Kabuhayan Act, said that, “Today we consider our heritage as source of livelihood and as an effective way to establish micro, small and medium enterprise, especially to our IPs.”

Legarda emphasized the importance of MSME programs in generating more employment and better incomes to support our country’s artisans and local entrepreneurs.

“Our MSME programs should be further strengthened because aside from generating employment opportunities and better incomes, MSMEs are powerful platforms for the promotion of viable rural livelihoods, cultural preservation, socio-economic empowerment of indigenous peoples, and even environmental protection,” Legarda said.

Meanwhile, among the highlights of the Fair are special interactive settings for visitors, such as leather crafting, bead buffet, embroidery, and henna tattooing.

There will also be lectures, workshops and training courses on various subjects related to culture and the arts in collaboration with government agencies, experts and local personalities.

Moreover, on June 16, a fashion show directed by Floy Quintos will feature the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group wearing the indigenous clothing and accessories of various IP communities in the country, while Prof. Felipe M. De Leon Jr., former Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and Arts, will be launching his book, Linangin ang Likhang Bayan on the last day of the fair (June 17).

“I invite everyone to come and visit the 2018 Sikat Pinoy National Arts and Crafts Fair.  It will be free admission to all,” Legarda said.

“Our support for this event will be a significant platform specially for our IPs to have an opportunity to showcase the rich and exuberant culture and traditions of Filipinos. Our IPs are the living representations of our past, our heritage, and our national identity.  Thus their talents and craftsmanship deserve to be recognized, preserved, developed, and promoted,” Legarda concluded.