For 13 years, the Bishop Gainza Trade Fair has helped micro, small, and medium enterprises gain a platform. Now in its fourteenth year, it sets its eyes on helping creatives as well.
The trade fair harkens back to the 1875 agricultural fair initiated by the then titular Bishop of Caceres. It was revived during the 300th anniversary of the Our Lady of Peñafrancia devotion in this city in 2010.
Gainza was the founder of the first ever normal school in the country, the Escuela-Colegio de Sta. Isabel, which is now the Universidad de Sta. Isabel in Naga City.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Camarines Sur and the Caritas-Caceres, Inc., the Archdiocese of Caceres social action commission, are the joint organizers of the trade fair, which will open on Sept. 12 until 23 in two malls in this city.
Creative industry included
The organizers are expecting over a hundred micro, small, and medium enterprises in their usual venue Robinsons Place Naga, while the creatives will be housed in their new venue at the Vista Mall Naga.
The organizers of the event needed a second venue this year to cater to the creative industry participants in the trade fair.
DTI Camarines Sur Jay Percival Ablan said during a press briefing on Wednesday, Aug. 8, that the booths for the creative industry participants will feature 40 visual artists.
“This is the industry that was sort of, let’s say, left behind,” Ablan said during the press conference. “For a while, they have been there, but the government has had little intervention or assistance.”
But due to the enactment in 2022 of the Republic Act 11904, or the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, there was a heightened interest on how to assist them, Ablan said.
The Archbishop of Caceres, Most Rev. Rex Andrew Alarcon, said that the inclusion of the creative industry in the trade fair is a positive development.
“We can see that when a community’s culture prospers, it is not only the basic needs that we are catering to,” Alarcon said. “It is an improvement when we are now able to put space for these things.”
He, however, said that the inclusion of the creative industry is “not entirely new.”
“When I look at what is being sold here, I can see that they are really beautiful. They are visually attractive and tasty,” Alarcon said.
The regular trade fair will feature locally-made wearables, food, and furniture.
More than just exchange
Alarcon also said that these trade fairs show the fruits of God’s gift of nature.
“This is something that we must also see beyond the exchange, beyond the commerce,” he said. “It is really the development of the human person and the development of the culture.”
He said that when people visit Naga City to express their interest in the devotion to Ina, as the image of Our Lady of Penafrancia is locally called, there is an exchange not only of goods, but of ideas, ways, and strategies, which are encouraged through the Gainza Fair.
Naga City sees 1 million devotees and pilgrims during the Peñafrancia Festival.
Boost to economy
Ablan said that the trade fair is a good venue for local startups that get feedback to improve on their products.
“We measure the success on how well the activity helped the MSME elevate especially when it comes to market access,” he said.
Previous participants who once catered exclusively to the local market are now exporting, while those who focused solely on international markets have discovered local opportunities, he said.
He also said that those based in Cebu, Palawan, and Rizal have expressed interest in joining the trade fair.
“This means one thing. They see Bishop Gainza Trade Fair as a lucrative event, meaning there is an assured market where they can generate huge sales,” he said.
In 2023, the fair generated P12.6 million total sales for the participating MSMEs.
“We are thrilled to bring together such a diverse and dynamic group of exhibitors and attendees for this year’s fair,” project director Rev. Fr. Marcel Emmanuel Real stated in a press release.
The trade fair will also include workshop and panel discussions with industry leaders, job fairs, and networking opportunities for exhibitors and visitors.
“We are confident that the 14th edition will exceed expectations and drive meaningful progress across industries,” Ablan said. I Rey Anthony Ostria