The Rizal Exporters and Manufacturers Association, Inc. (REMAI), on its offering for the “Araw ng Lalawigan ng Rizal”, opened the 14th REMAI Trade Fair last June 11 at the SM City Taytay, Manila East Road, in Taytay, Rizal.
The 12-day fair, running from June 10 to 21, 2015, features the renowned products and wares of Rizal: food and processed food; gifts, decors and house wares; and health and wellness products made by nineteen of REMAI’s members along with 31 other guest exhibitors.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Regional Director Marilou Quinco-Toledo underscored the importance of holding a trade fair as it will expose products to more buyers. Toledo also cited REMAI as a reliable collaborator of DTI.
“Through the years, REMAI has been pro-active and eager to showcase its products, consequently instituting itself as a strong partner in our regional activities particularly in the holding of regional and national trade fairs”, Toledo said.
Mercedes Parreño, DTI Rizal Provincial Director, said the trade event is a result of convergence among government agencies and the private sector.
“Also, we are showcasing packaging products under DTI’s SSF Projects in Rizal that addresses productivity and efficiency – among the pillars of MSEM development – as well as the Bottom-Up Budgeting (Bub) projects of the Municipal Government of Taytay featuring products made of waterlily, and the kakanin”, Parreño said.
Parreño added that simultaneously, capability-building activities under DTI’s Small and Medium Enterprise Roving Academy, or SMERA, are held at the fair site Taytay Mayor Janet De Leon-Mercado, an ardent supporter for entrepreneurship, said that being an entrepreneur is a way to freedom from the typical employment which enables one to reap the benefits of one’s own labor.
“Organizing trade fairs are means of improving competitiveness as every enterprise could gauge itself through its performance in sales”, Mercado added.
Rizal Vice-Governor Prisco San Juan believes that trade fairs are stepping stones to export and open the doors to a lot of opportunities to promote Rizal, its products and culture. It is the 14th time for REMAI to hold the fair, according to its president, Josefino Eustaquio.
“Among us entrepreneurs in REMAI are no longer competing with each other but co-operating as one – we call it ‘coop-petition’ – for the bigger competition. Through this event, we are preparing for the regional and the global competition brought about by the Asean Economic Integration”, Eustaquio said.
Posted By: Edrillan Pasion
