This year’s National Filipino Food Month celebration kicked off Monday in this highly urbanized city, the only UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Creative City of Gastronomy.
The kick-off ceremony was held at the Iloilo Terminal Public Market, one of the newest and most modern market facilities and the city’s largest bagsakan of fresh agricultural products.
Mayor Raisa Treñas, in welcoming participants, said the city government stands proud with partners in promoting Filipino cuisine as well as empowering local farmers and fisherfolk and elevating culinary heritage on the regional and global stage.
“At the heart of our identity as Ilonggos is our deep love for gastronomy, one that reflects our history, our land and our people. It is this culinary heritage that continues to inspire innovation while staying rooted in authenticity, making Iloilo a true center of gastronomic excellence in the Philippines,” she said.
Meanwhile, National Commission for Culture and the Arts chair and executive director Eric Zerrudo said the annual celebration is a way to sustain and deepen appreciation for the distinct character of cuisines that speak of the people and are shaped by history, culture and traditions.
He said the theme “Connected by Taste: The Filipino Food in the Flavors of ASEAN” is an invitation to see Filipino cuisine within the wider, regional context, highlighting shared sensibilities with its neighboring Southeast Asian countries.
“It reminds us that while each nation’s cuisine is unique on its own, there is a common thread that binds us, an understanding of food, heritage, and evolving expression of identity,” Zerrudo said in his message.
He said it is in the spirit of connection and shared heritage that they find Iloilo City to be the most fitting host of the opening celebration.
Ivan Anthony Henares, the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines Secretary-General, said the occasion is special because at the heart of the celebration is food.
“Food is the fundamental building block of our identity. People remember who we are and where we come from through our shared foodways and flavors. But beyond the physical energy to survive, today we feel a different kind of power. The power of food unites us as Ilonggos, as Filipinos, and as a global community,” he said.
Henares said this year’s celebration is historic because for the first time, they bring together representatives from all five UNESCO Creative Cities in the Philippines to exchange, learn and grow.
They are also involving the academe, the youth, and entrepreneurs to ensure that Ilonggos’ gastronomy continues to influence and inspire every sector of society, he added.
The ceremony was marked by an exhibit of various Ilonggo delicacies and local products.
Other activities slated for the month-long celebration include a symposium on Iloilo gastronomy on April 7, Ilonggo Creative Nanay Cookoff on April 8, Sarap Saya: Tasting, Learning, and Loving Filipino Food on April 10, and Ilonggo Youth Day on April 24. (PNA)
