President makes pitch for Pinoy craftmanship
Stressing his pride in Filipinos’ “world-class” craftsmanship and creativity, President Marcos on Friday assured artisan communities and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that the government is working to help them flourish not just in the local market, but on the world stage.
During his visit to the Manila FAME trade exhibit in Pasay City, the President said the Department of Trade and Industry is hard at work to see to it that Filipino products gain international recognition in digital spaces.
“The government is able to put you now into not just the local space, but the digital space so that you are now working in the world market. It’s just up to us to scale up. It’s just up to us to keep the progress going because it’s very important that you’re continuously creative. I don’t think that that’s a problem for Filipinos,” he said.
He expressed confidence in the quality of Filipino products, may it be home, lifestyle or fashion products.
“I’m so confident that we will do well in the world market. That’s what we are trying to promote and to find ways that your work can be seen abroad,” the President said.
The 2024 Manila FAME is a premier trade show that promotes and showcases high-quality home, fashion and lifestyle products from local MSMEs and artisan communities.
Last year, the creative industry—which included this sector that employed 7.26 million Filipinos—contributed 7.1 percent of the gross domestic product or P1.72 trillion in goods and services.
First lady Liza Araneta-Marcos visited the trade show the day before and posted about her visit on her Instagram account.
“I was blown away by the creativity and artistry at the Manila FAME 2024 trade show. The colors, patterns and textures from our Filipino artisans were truly something special. What a showcase of talent!” she said.
Her husband was also impressed by the featured products, while quipping that he was there to pay for Araneta-Marcos’ shopping bill.
“But seriously though, I have to say that it’s so impressive. I mean, I have watched the design community become better and better and better in the Philippines and approaching world-class. I would even go so far as to say that now we are—in many cases that I’ve seen here today—surpass world-class,” he said.
