By Nanette Guadalquiver
BACOLOD CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry-Philippine Trade Training Center (DTI-PTTC) brought the Lakbay Ensayo to this highly urbanized city to celebrate Negrense arts and creativity on Wednesday.
PTTC-Global MSME Academy (GMEA) Executive Director Clare Mari Torralba said Bacolod City is their first stop in the Visayas to bring creative learning and opportunities closer to communities across the country.
“For Visayas, we really chose Bacolod because of the entire culture, being the hub of the creatives in this province (Negros Occidental),” Torralba said in an interview on the sidelines of the event held at SMX Convention Center.
Lakbay Ensayo was previously held in South Cotabato in Mindanao and Pampanga in Luzon.
Carrying the theme “Tuklasin, Linangin, Ipagmalaki: Malikhaing Pilipino,” the PTTC-GMEA collaborated with DTI-Negros Occidental to gather representatives from various domains of the creative industry, local government units, and other stakeholders, highlighting initiatives aimed at developing Filipino creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
The initiative underscored the role of government programs in strengthening the capabilities of local entrepreneurs and providing opportunities for Filipino-made products to gain wider recognition.
Built on three key components, it seeks to discover, develop and showcase Filipino talent while empowering creatives to transform their passion, skills and artistic expression into sustainable livelihoods and enterprises.
“Tuklasin: The Creative Scene” features a video highlighting the creative talents, practices and industries of an identified province or region, showcasing local creatives from various domains.
“Linangin: The Creative Enterprise” involves an enterprise development learning session designed to strengthen the entrepreneurial capabilities of local creatives and explore opportunities within the region’s creative industries.
“Ipagmalaki: The Creative Showcase” serves as a platform to celebrate and promote local creative works and talents through fashion shows, art galleries, film screenings, trade fairs, book launches and other creative presentations.
In a message read by executive assistant Angelo Angolo, Mayor Greg Gasataya said the city government welcomes the DTI PTTC GMEA initiative for local artists and creative workers with great ideas and skills, but still need guidance, training, and better opportunities to turn their passion into steady income.
“This program’s three pillars – Tuklasin, Linangin, Ipagmalaki – fit exactly what we want to do here: discover our hidden talent, help our creators grow their craft into sustainable livelihoods, and show the rest of the country what Negrense creativity can achieve,” he added. (PNA)
