The Department of Trade and Industry Cordillera and its partners from Baguio City and Abra opened the Impakabsat 2022 at SM City Baguio on July 16 after years of being staged in Metro Manila.
DTI-CAR Director Juliet Lucas, Baguio Rep. Mark Go, Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Abra officials led by Board Member Rodolfo Dela Paz and DTI Abra Director Francis Pacio, and SM City Baguio Assistant Mall Manager Michael Pena led the ceremonial beating of the gong to officially open the trade fair that features the best products from the Cordillera.
The month-long “Impakabsat: Goes Back to Baguio Trade Fair” kicked off with the exhibit of Abra which will run until July 22. Apayao and Mountan Province will have their turn from July 23 to 29; Baguio City and Benguet on July 30 to Aug. 5; Ifugao on Aug. 6 to 12, and Kalinga from Aug. 13 to 19.
Go commended the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for their adaptability as they continue to promote the best of the Cordillera amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Amidst this fast-paced and technologically-dependent dynamic of the global economy, our indigenous culture, heritage and the arts have often suffered in favor of other capital intensive industries, to the detriment of local artists and cultural identity,” Go said.
“To all the participants of this trade fair, you are more than just businessmen and businesswomen, you are protectors of our culture and heritage, and it is through you that even future generations will one day also enjoy the variety of our amazing Cordilleran products.
Furthermore, it is through MSMEs that we can achieve sustainable and inclusive growth. So I hope all these participating MSMEs will continue to inspire us with your success, in the Impakabsat and beyond, and that you continue to be significant contributors in the building of this nation,” he added.
De La Paz expressed gratitude to the DTI for its continued support and promotion to the local products through the Impakabsat 2022 despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I salute the DTI for preserving our culture and traditions by supporting and promoting local products. Indeed, upholding our products is a very genuine way of enriching and flourishing the riches that we have in our beloved provinces,” La Paz said together with the sangguniang panlalawigan members and other department heads from Abra.
“Impakabsat Goes Back to Baguio symbolizes the courage and resiliency of the Cordilleras in braving the tribulations of the pandemic. Cordillera did not back down but bounced back better and wiser. The true emblem of progress is redefining and standing to what really matters, moving on, moving forward, and moving as one,” he added.
Impakabsat stands for the region’s six provinces, namely Ifugao, Mountain Province, Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, Benguet, and the City of Baguio, and completed with the Ilocano word “kabsat” which means brother or sister. It was conceptualized a year after the 1990 earthquake that left Baguio City and other provinces in the region in shambles to serve as a platform and opportunity for Cordillerans to recover and restart again after the calamity. – Redjie Melvic Cawis
