CREATIVITY and meticulous attention to details in its handicrafts all spread in an array of colors, shapes, textures take on the Island City Mall’s display booths and special display set-up as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) bring to Boholanos the second Holiday Market and Crafts Fair which runs from November 21 to 26, 2022.
The Christmas crafts bazaar which features the most recent creations of 22 micro small and medium enterprises into the manufacture of wearables and home decors, 13 investors in processed food and 8 who have spent considerable investments in furniture, is one of DTI’s initiatives to help these MSMEs bounce back and recover from the economic inactivity brought about by the pandemic.
During those times, the DTI never ceased to help hand hold these entrepreneurs who struggled to survive as the world nearly ground to a halt.
In her message read by DTI Bohol SMED Division Chief Vierna Teresa Ligan, DTI Provincial Director Maria Soledad Balistoy said “Yes, we have faced great challenges in the past but our initiative and our passion to help our MSMEs bounce back and recover have never ceased.. product development, marketing efforts, mentoring and coaching have been continuously done and now our micro entrepreneurs have started picking up and are doing well even in the export market.”
During those difficult times too, DTI challenged everyone to continue to create, to innovate, and think of some other ways to move on, move up, and get sales.
It was just lucky that digital platforms and technical innovations allowed for online mentoring and coaching, trainings, meetings with our MSMEs and opened up wider marketing initiatives that kept businesses going, according to the DTI.
During those times, while the cessation of global trade happened, Bohol MSMEs went back to product development, innovated and pooled ideas and brought them to production, all of which they are bringing now in the showcase.
The pandemic and the calamities in between have also contributed to the variety of the showcase.
Giang lawaan and molave trees felled during the typhoon became the raw materials for furniture manufacturers which has upped their display with world class offers that could make Ikea shoppers drool.
Food processors for the holidays offer the famed Robustas of Bohol, the cacao and the ubiquitous tableya, corn brew, egg white based cookies, traditional tortas, chicharon, calamay and still many other Boholano products you would definitely want on your Christmas table.
And then there are the hand and loom woven products, raffia, raffia table runners, bags with loom and upcycled accents, upcycled rubber boats made into bags, native wovens, and wearables like wooden ear rings, bracelets, necklaces, tribal wears and still a profuse number of creations of the Boholano hand.
“To our shoppers, we have a lot of products to offer and we have new MSMEs in this show. Daghan ang namugna sa mga Bol-anong kamot. That’s how talented, creative and resilient Boholanos are. And we are very much excited for some more new things to come, Ligan read Balistoy’s message.
Meanwhile, former DTI Assistant Secretary and Bohol Provincial Administrator Aster Cabertecalled this year’s Christmas Bazaar as a coming out party for Bohol MSMEs from COVID.
The biggest coming out party however happens next year, when the City Government, the local government units and Capitol.
Make your budget grand, and Capitol will make an equally big counterpart, Caberte, whose first half of the year was spent as DTI exec and half of the month is sting considered young.
On this note, I would like to congratulate our micro entrepreneurs and I would like to thank the local govt units, the City of Tagbilaran, the Provincial Govt of Bohol, our partners from the government and the private sector who have never ceased to support DTI’s journey to help our MSMEs, Balistoy through Ligan said. (PIA-7/Bohol)
