THE 30th Negros Trade Fair of the Association of Negros Producers (ANP) opened at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City yesterday, Sept. 16, and will run until Sept. 20. This year’s theme is, “Truly Negros.”
Prior to the opening, a Preview Cocktails was held dubbed, “Arima!” with the theme “Negros is Sugar and More.” Arima in Ilonggo means “at the start of the day.” Arima is the traditional practice in Negros of clanging the bell at the crack of dawn to gather workers for their day’s task assignments.
Similarly, the 30th Negros Trade Fair Preview Cocktails signifies the early start of the exhibition. As the Arima bell invites workers to their daily chores, the Trade Fair’s Arima bell invites guests and partners to give support to the trade fair, to help promote it, and lend prestige to it by their presence and endorsement.
Set in the eve of the opening of the fair, it serves as a Special Preview Cocktails for guests from the government, media, sponsors and industry partners. This year, Arima featured a culinary fusion of celebrated Negrense chefs and entertainment from homegrown talents. Arima brought together five of the most celebrated and innovative Negrense chefs—Chef Margarita Fores, Chef Tonyboy Escalante, Chef Fernando Aracama, Chef Cyrille Soenen, and Chef JP Anglo—to showcase the flavors of Negros.
The story of ANP is not only the story of the start of the day but a story of the life and lifestyle which is and always be truly Negrense. To a farmer that majority of Negrenses are, it is defined by either tilling, weeding, or harvesting the fruits of the land.
But Negros has risen to be more than just sugar. Negros has had its share of glory days and the sorrowful ones as well. Whether Arima extends to mean rising up and greeting the new day in celebration of a triumph, it also connotes resurrecting after a battle has been lost and the day’s agenda starts with planning and strategizing how to win the war.
That is Arima for a Negrense. The start of a new day is welcomed
with hope—resilient to the core with challenges but always feisty to rise, not merely to survive. That story is told and retold with the ANP and its annual trade fair.
The Negros Trade Fair is hailed as one of the top three fairs in Makati and the longest running trade fair in the Philippines. It is a showcase of the ingenuity and creativity of the Negrenses in terms of art, design and culture.
The 30th Negros Trade Fair features over 80 selling booths that show the creativity, skills and entrepreneurial spirit of small and medium enterprises.
Here, guests can taste the island’s best cuisine, the famous chicken inasal, sweets and pasalubong goodies that Negros is known for, buy hand-crafted and distinctive lamps, paintings and other home accessories, furniture, fashion accessories, bags for all lifestyles, and natural and organic products.