Kalutong Pilipino ‘should help promote’ traditional dishes

AN OFFICIAL of the Department of Agriculture-Davao Region (DA-Davao) emphasized the importance of intensifying efforts to create and preserve traditional Filipino dishes, particularly for the younger generation.

“If you look into our market, most of our younger generation are fond of eating in [fast] food chains, instant foods, so at times yung mga traditional food natin matitikman na lang natin pag bumabalik tayo sa mga local communities natin (we only savor traditional food when we go back to our local communities),” Melinda Rubillano, supervising agriculturist of DA-Davao Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD), said during Pep Talks Forum on April 25.

As the DA, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), celebrates Kalutong Pilipino at Abreeza Ayala Malls on April 28 to 30, Rubillano said the event should help promote traditional dishes and the harvest of Davao local farmers.

“Because as we are motivating our farmers [in our program], we also enjoin our younger farmers to engage actively in the promotion or the production of the agricultural commodities,” she said.

Rubillano also said the promotion of Filipino food should be celebrated the whole year round to promote the farmers and fisherfolk who are producing food for every Filipino.

“We collaborate with our local communities, to our farmers, to our fisherfolk... as our farmers and fisherfolk freely play an important role in celebrating our food month as well the preservation ng ating mga pagkain (of our food),” Rubillano added.

Rubillano said aside from the five provinces of Davao Region, they are also inviting other communities as well to participate in the event.

“We are inviting the other communities... the Muslim community, our IPs (indigenous people), apil na sya sa atong hall na concept sa preparation sa atong Filipino Food Month,” she added.

Meanwhile, for the presentation of the foods for Kalutong Pilipino, Rubillano said these will be presented in their very preserved form for the younger people to appreciate.

“We stick sa mga traditions nato, naka-concentrate jud siya didto on how we prepare those heirloom foods,” Rubillano said.

The event will feature food from Maranao, Mansaka, and Kalagan tribes, among other heirloom and traditional dishes from Davao Region.

The Kalutong Pilipino is a part of a month-long celebration of “Buwan ng Kalutong Filipino,” under Proclamation 469 series of 2018 signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte. (ICE)