![EXPO. Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia (right) tries on a hat made of native materials as Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan (left) looks at her during the opening of the One Cebu Island Expo at the Mountain Wing Atrium of SM Seaside City Cebu on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. The expo features export-quality products from six component cities, namely Bogo, Danao, Toledo, Talisay, Naga and Carcar, 44 municipalities, as well as the highly urbanized cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu. [Inset] Carcar City showcased one of its famous products, the lechon baboy (roasted pig), in the expo, which is part of the month-long celebration of Cebu Province’s 454th founding anniversary this August. (Photo by Earl Kim Padronia)](http://media.assettype.com/sunstar%2Fimport%2Fuploads%2Fimages%2F2023%2F08%2F16%2F457059.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
MORE than 50 municipalities and cities have joined this year’s One Cebu Island Expo, a four-day trade fair showcasing “The Best of Cebu.”
On display at the expo, that kicked off Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 in SM Seaside City Cebu, are various local specialties, exquisite delicacies, artisanal crafts, and more.
The cities of Carcar and Talisay brought to the expo their famous lechons or roasted pigs while Bogo City featured its weaved hats and bags.
Sarok hats from Consolacion as well as banig or weaved mats from Badian; danggit or dried fish from Bantayan Island; the quality and export-standard furniture from Sogod; and coffee beans from Tuburan also take center stage at the expo.
Cebu Provincial Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia led the expo’s opening. She was joined by Rep. Pablo John Garcia of the third district of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and Councilor Joy Pesquera, along with One Cebu Expo chairman and Honorary Consul of Belgium Enrison Benedicto and SM Prime Holdings vice president Marissa Fernan.
“This One Cebu Island Expo showcases the unique unity that we have achieved in this entire island and because we are united, we are strong, very strong,” Garcia said.
The One Cebu Expo was part of the celebration of the Cebu Provincial Government’s 454th Founding Anniversary.
The venue was free of charge for the Cebu Provincial Government as it partnered with SM Prime Holdings.
Many firsts
Cebu Fifth District Board Member Andrei “Red” Duterte revealed that this was the first time that the tri-cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Cebu joined the trade fair since its relaunching last year.
Duterte, who heads the Cebu Provincial Board Committee on Tourism, urged the Cebuanos to support the local products produced by the towns and municipalities of Cebu.
“For the longest time, the One Cebu Expo was known to showcase Cebu’s export products meant for export. This is the first time that we went local, and this was the first that all 53 local government units (LGUs) of the entire island of Cebu, even the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu and even Danao have participated,” Duterte said.
Garcia said the inclusion of all 53 LGUs reflects the unity among all localities as one single island.
Aside from the expo, 43 Pasigarbo Festival Queens were introduced for the upcoming Pasigarbo Festival 2023 to be held in Carcar City on Aug. 27.
One Cebu Expo is the brainchild of Garcia that was first launched in 2008 at the Cebu International Convention Center to showcase various export-standard products from Cebu’s six component cities and 44 municipalities.
It was stopped when Garcia ended her term in 2013 following a six-month suspension, until it was revived in 2019. Then the Covid-19 pandemic happened in 2020 and super typhoon Odette badly hit some parts of the island in 2021, causing the expo to be temporarily halted.
“Ania na usab, nibarug ang Sugboanun ug mas maanindot tungod kay sa matag lungsod, matag dakbayan kay gipakita sa matag mayor, bise-mayor, ang atong mga konsehales, labaw sa tanan ang atong katawhan nga duna sila’y talento, aduna sila’y katakos nga ikapakita nga maghimo mi og among kaugalingon nga produkto aron makahatag og garbo sa among kaugalingon nga munisipyo o gipuy-an,” Garcia said.
(Here again, the Cebuanos stand, and it’s more beautiful because in every town, every city, every mayor, vice-mayor, our councilors, above all our people have shown that they have talent, they have ability to demonstrate that we can produce our own product that brings pride to our own municipality or residence.)