2025 DTI Bagong Pilipinas National Food Fair: A Celebration of Filipino Taste and Entrepreneurship

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Food enthusiasts and entrepreneurs alike have something exciting to look forward to—the highly anticipated 2025 National Food Fair. Organized by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Market Development, Promotions & OTOP (DTI-BMDPO) in cooperation with the Regional and Provincial Offices, the event will take place from April 9 to 13 at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Halls 1-3, showcasing over 250 exceptional food-based micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from across the Philippines.

The National Food Fair goes beyond a mere marketplace; it is a vibrant celebration of Filipino culture, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to sample traditional heritage recipes, explore innovative food products, and savor culinary delights representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Assistant Secretary Nylah Rizza D. Bautista, Supervising Head of the DTI-Competitiveness and Innovation Group (CIG) emphasized the fair’s significance, stating, “The National Food Fair serves as an essential platform for Filipino MSMEs to introduce their products and innovations to broader markets. Through this event, we aim to empower entrepreneurs by providing critical opportunities and resources necessary for them to thrive locally and internationally.”

Here's what visitors can expect at this year's fair:

Event Highlights:

• Launch of DTI Bagong Pilipinas Marketplace: Attendees will witness the unveiling of the largest B2B e-commerce platform tailored to support local MSMEs. This innovative digital marketplace aims to connect Filipino entrepreneurs with institutional buyers around the globe, greatly expanding their market reach and presence.

• Diverse Food Clusters: Visitors can enjoy a wide variety of products ranging from fresh and processed seafood, local produce and processed meats to regional delicacies, snacks, nuts, artisanal beverages, fruit wines, botanical drinks, and health supplements. The fair also spotlights specialty items like coconut and cacao products.

• Immersive Culinary Settings: The fair features distinct experiential areas, including the Fresh Produce Grand Marketplace, the cozy KAPEtirya Philippine Coffee Pavilion, and the vibrant KAINAN Dining Area, each crafted to provide engaging and enjoyable experiences.

• Sustainability and Innovation: Reflecting global trends, the fair highlights eco-friendly packaging solutions, plant-based products, functional snacks, and pioneering food processing technologies primed for commercialization.

• Daily Interactive Activities: Attendees can actively participate in cooking demonstrations led by renowned chefs, wine-mixing and food pairing sessions, insightful business dialogues, exciting product showcases, and live cultural performances and music.

Whether you're a culinary enthusiast, business buyer, or advocate for local products, the 2025 DTI Bagong Pilipinas National Food Fair offers a wealth of opportunities to discover new favorites, support Filipino innovation, and contribute to the sustainable growth of our nation’s vibrant food sector.

Join the DTI-BMDPO Events

Aspiring entrepreneurs can join future DTI-BMDPO fairs through their local DTI Office. They may also reach out to the Bureau of Market Development, Promotions & OTOP by sending an email BMDPO@dti.gov.ph. Stay updated by following them on Facebook (@BDTP), X (@DTI_BMDPO), Instagram (@dti.bmdpo), YouTube (@dti_bmdpo), and TikTok (@dti.bmdpo).

Shopee Launches Shopee Thursdays with the Department of Trade and Industry to Help MSMEs Thrive in the E-commerce Space

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As e-commerce takes on greater importance for both consumers and sellers, Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, partners with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to offer in-depth discussions about online selling to support the growth of online businesses through Shopee Thursdays. These masterclass sessions aim to equip existing and aspiring online entrepreneurs with the right tools and information on how to use data to operate effectively in the e-commerce space.

E-commerce is considered a crucial part of the global retail framework. When the pandemic hit, its role became even more critical as physical businesses closed and people were encouraged to stay at home for safety reasons. With the implementation of lockdown measures, more than 65 percent of business establishments had to close temporarily, and only 29 percent of enterprises remained open with limited operations. This led to people turning to online platforms to shop for their needs and entrepreneurs to shift to digital platforms to sustain their businesses

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “Shopee is excited to partner with the Department of Trade and Industry to equip MSMEs with proper knowledge and skills to thrive in the e-commerce space through Shopee Thursdays. As many entrepreneurs transition to online platforms like Shopee, it is important that they learn the basics of online selling and to maximize the e-commerce space to its full potential. We will continue to collaborate with DTI to support MSMEs in their e-commerce journey to success.”

Jean Pacheco, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Trade and Industry, said, “At DTI, we believe that every business is essential for the Philippine economy to prosper, and that is why it is our goal to support them in any way possible. With leading marketplace platforms like Shopee, we can reach more people who want to expand their business and learn more about e-commerce. It is an honor for us to work with a company that prioritizes the local community and we will keep on partnering with organizations like Shopee, to uplift Filipino entrepreneurs.”

Sellers can learn essential tips on how they can expand their businesses on Shopee in the upcoming sessions. On June 17, entrepreneurs will understand and learn how to better manage shop operations, inventory, warehouse processes, and employees. On June 24, the masterclass session will focus on the potential of data and how entrepreneurs can use it to improve their shop’s performance.

For more information about the topics and to register for Shopee Thursdays, visit https://ecommerce.dti.gov.ph/shopee-thursdays-grow-your-business-online/.

Shop, load, and pay bills with ShopeePay. Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

Filipino Design Thinking: Why the Philippines Pavilion is the Story of the Filipino

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Bangkota, the Philippines Pavilion at the 2020 Expo in Dubai is more than just an architectural masterpiece showcasing the Philippines. Woven within its undulating and free-flowing form is the 4,000-year journey and history of the Filipino people. 

Designed by visionary architect Royal Pineda, the “Bangkóta is a living coral reef, pulsating with people, movement, activities, flora and water features, all functioning as one global ecosystem.” Measuring a total outdoor area of 1,268 square meters and 385 square meters of winding path, with a total landscaped area of 676 meters that includes water features, the Bangkota is surrounded by a see-through and free-form wire mesh that exoskeleton that shelters visitors from morning and afternoon sun. 

Tapping into his own design philosophy of ‘Nature is Peace’, Royal took inspiration from the fact that coral reefs spread and thrive across the oceans, just as how Filipinos thrive across the world. This makes the Bangkota a transcendent architectural masterwork as it is as much about Filipinos as it is about the Philippines. 

The Philippines Pavilion is both an indoor and outdoor experience, with the undulating external structure acts as a protective, fertile habitat to the hidden treasures within. It thus becomes a venue to appreciate nature and its light and shadows, depth and expanse, widths and heights, breeze and humidity, warm and comfort, and the feel of raw and refined. 

At its core, the Philippines Pavilion is a monument to the creativity and compassion of the Filipino, as well as their unique bayanihan spirit. Further, Architect Pineda sees the Bangkota as an exploration of the Filipinos’ history that spans well before 1521, when Spanish colonizers first arrived in the Philippines, with famed curator Marian Roces responsible for piecing together the Filipinos’ millennia-long story, to ensure that the exhibits within the pavilion are based on solid historical and cultural facts. 

Inside, visitors play an active role in creating the narrative sequence by being given freedom to roam the pavilion’s spaces and exhibits. The interior spaces are designed to elicit both thought and action, offering varying levels of immersive experiences through art and film installations. Each visitor thus becomes part of the story, where digital interactive art forms cinematically surround the viewer. 

In the same vein, the Bangkota is a celebration of the Filipino creativity. This is the reason why an entire network of collaborators such as National Artist for Music Ramon Santos, visual maverick Avid Liongoren, and 11 of the Philippines’ prominent artists have been called upon to contribute their own interpretation of the Bangkota’s overarching theme of permeability, connectivity, and sustainability. With artists, designers, and creators lending their skills and talents, the Bangkota is truly a product of the bayanihan spirit and a genuine example of design thinking that Filipinos can call their own. 

The Bangkota will open in Dubai on October 20, 2020.