The best of Negros: From ‘piaya’ to ‘parol’
For regular trade fair attendees and avowed foodies, the Negros Trade Fair is an event worth looking forward to every September. They anticipate getting a fill of their favorite sweet and savory delicacies, never mind if they have to line up to get a freshly made piaya or a hot serving of chicken inasal. They also expect to discover new handicraft and specialty products.
Small wonder then that the Negros Trade Fair remains strong on its 38th year, based on the huge turnout on opening day, Sept. 17, at Glorietta in Makati (it runs until Sept. 22). It is, in fact, the country’s longest-running provincial trade fair held annually in Metro Manila, according to Michael Claparols, the chairperson of this year’s edition, in his opening remarks.
Claparols looked back on the trade fair’s successful journey by paying tribute to the late Negros Occidental governor Daniel “Bitay” Lacson, who steered the province through tough times during a crisis in its flagship sugar industry and the aftermath of martial law in the 1980s. Around that era, a group of local entrepreneurs banded together to form the Association of Negros Producers (ANP). The inspiration came from the 15 Negrense women based in Metro Manila who put up the House of Negros Foundation to aid displaced sugar workers.
ANP then evolved into a nonprofit organization that “supports local small businesses and communities by providing platforms for marketing and selling their products,” notably through the Negros Trade Fair.
The 2024 edition’s theme is “Halad,” which means “offering” in Hiligaynon, to highlight the “spirit of generosity and unity that defines the Negrense community.” It officially opened with the arima, or ringing of the bell ceremony led by Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Y. Lacson and Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, along with Claparols and Ayala Corp. executive director Mariana Zobel de Ayala.
Food treats, shopping finds
To help fair attendees navigate their way around the venue, the organizers have uploaded on Instagram (@thenegrostradefair) a map of Glorietta mall with a directory of the exhibitors. The food section takes a huge chunk of spacious location as it has a main dining area and several eating spots.
There are two booths selling freshly made on-the-spot piaya. Fresh Start offers three flavors: peanut, calamansi and muscovado sugar.
El Ideal, on the other hand, offers just the classic muscovado flavor. But it also has other signature delicacies (guapple pie, coconut pie, lumpiang ubod) and a whole line of packaged goodies that make this iconic bakery in Silay City a go-to pasalubong store, for everything from angel cookies to barquillos, barquiron, broas, butterscotch and masa podrida.
A few booths provide hot meals, from chicken inasal to pork barbecue, kansi, kadyos, turon and ginataang bilo-bilo. There are more bottled or canned food items for ulam and snacks, as well as cakes and pastries. Aside from banana chips, there are now banana strips, and chips come in different ingredients like aratiles leaves, not the tiny fruit. The batuan (also spelled as batwan) sour fruit that is widely used in Negrense dishes is also sold in powder form.
Other interesting food finds include the all-natural Negros artisan cheese by Casa del Formaggio and Ereñeta-Manaloto Chorizo de Bacolod, which won in the Deli category of the 31st Bulawan Awards.
Handicrafts are aplenty, from bags and clothes to lamps and furnishings to jewelry and other accessories. There is a booth dedicated to fans and another to tassels. Various Christmas decorative items are likewise available. Valle Hermoso Helping Hand sells parol that are made of washable cloth and can be folded for easier storage. A medium parol cost P900 each, while the large ones, P1,000 apiece.
Proceeds from Vallehermoso Helping Hands’ sales help the foundation it runs for disadvantaged children. Another booth, NVC Foundation, earmarks its earnings to livelihood, educational and nutritional programs for the poor and needy in different parts of the country. For instance, a purchase of a Christmas card, which comes with a crocheted parol tree ornament and costs P350, means a donation to give undernourished children with meals fortified with mingo supplement.
As an added treat, the organizers of the fair have arranged a special screening of “Under the Piaya Tree” for Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m., at the Cinema 4 of Glorietta. The movie, directed by the province’s homegrown talent Kurt Soberano, won Best Picture at the 2024 CinePanalo Film Festival in March.
