Food export show IFEX Philippines returns on site this September

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



Discover your love affair with Filipino flavors at IFEX Philippines

IFEX Philippines, the country’s long-running and biggest export-oriented food show, is back on the trade show floor at the World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City from September 22 to 24, 2022.

With the theme “Discover your love affair with Filipino Flavors,” the event is set to offer international food importers, buyers, and aficionados a multi-sensory food experience which has been missed by many at the height of the pandemic. IFEX Philippines is organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“This is the first time that IFEX Philippines is going to be back on site since the pandemic in 2020. We look forward to welcoming our participants, especially buyers and guests, and for them to see and taste first hand what the Philippines has to offer in terms of food exports,” said CITEM Deputy Executive Director Ma. Lourdes D. Mediran.

It’s a Love Affair

Built on the Filipino concept of a “love affair,” IFEX Philippines 2022 seeks to “pursue and enthrall” participants and guests by capitalizing on the practice of “panliligaw” or local courtship traditions. “Love affair is the heart of Filipino food. We’re tapping into local culture to evoke a sense of discovery and romance in creating a unique Filipino food experience. Through IFEX Philippines, we want to highlight the reasons why Filipino flavors stand out in the world and why the Philippines is a premier destination for food products and ingredients,” said Mediran.

Expected to join the expo are more than 300 companies and enterprises all over the Philippines from the following sectors: beverages; fine food and specialties; fruits and vegetables; biscuits and confectioneries; snacks and crispy savory food products; meat and poultry; dairy products; cereals, grains, and starch; seafood and marine products; organic and natural; raw materials and food ingredients; and allied services.




A Showcase of Familiar and New Flavors

IFEX Philippines 2022 will have multiple trade components including exhibitions, business matching activities, seminars and talks, and special events. The event will also feature a thematic showcase of distinct Philippine food and ingredients, dynamic cooking demonstrations, and product presentations. These on-site activities will be complemented by digital components such as virtual business-to-business (B2B) meetings and online streaming for special events.

This year’s trade show will also introduce a special section named Flavor Finds as its main highlight. It will feature new and innovative products from NXTFOOD PH, the banner for products developed under CITEM’s food innovation program, as well as currently in-demand local products like ube, plant-based food, and handcraft beer among others;​ and new products from select exhibitors.

The event will also pilot CoconutPhilippines, the country branding of the most versatile food produce of the Philippines, through a showcase of coconut products from food SME exporters. CoconutPhilippines is presented through the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) under the Department of Agriculture (DA) which aims to increase the productivity of and modernize the country’s coconut industry.

IFEX Philippines 2022 will be held in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Regional Offices in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Bicol Region, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, and CARAGA, as well as the DTI-Export Marketing Bureau, DTI-Foreign Trade Services Corps, Philippine Exporters Foundation Inc. (PHILEXPORT), Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization, Inc. (PHILFOODEX), Integrated Food Manufacturers’ Assn. of the Phils. for Productivity (INFOMAPP), and Coconut Farmers & Industry Development Plan (CFIDP).

To learn more about the event, visit IFEXConnect.com or email ifexphilippines@citem.com.ph.



About CITEM

The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is the export promotions arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

For nearly 40 years, CITEM has established the country’s image as a premier destination for quality export products and services. It continues to set the highest standards of creativity, excellence and innovation to achieve competitiveness in the home, fashion, lifestyle, food, creative, and sustainability sectors.

CITEM is committed to developing, nurturing, and promoting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), brands, designers, and manufacturers by implementing an integrated approach to export marketing in partnership with other government and private entities.



About IFEX

IFEX is the country's most comprehensive trade promotions program for the domestic food industry, helping Philippine and global exporters promote premium quality food and ingredients to the world through physical and/or digital trade shows and business-to-business platforms, digital marketing efforts, an online community, and a product innovation program.

IFEX Philippines (formerly International Food Exhibition) is CITEM's long-running trade event and sourcing program for Philippine and global food and ingredients.

Together with IFEXConnect.com, IFEX Philippines serves as a one-stop business-to-business (B2B) platform aiming to optimize their sourcing experience of buyers from anywhere in the world.

IFEX Philippines is organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions & Missions (CITEM).

Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub, Training Ground, Home and Haven for Athletes and Sports Enthusiasts

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



After the successful staging of the Green Run -- a multi-level run for elite athletes, training athletes, fun runners and fitness enthusiasts last July –Ayala Land’s 750-hectare Vermosa Estate is stepping up development to make it a complete venue for an active and healthy lifestyle down south.

Launched in 2018 as a South Luzon-based multi-sports facility that would help hone and prepare national and aspiring athletes to reach their individual and collective goals, Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub (AVSH) is already recognized as the go-to training facility south of the metro. Its multi-feature Sports Hub boasts of a FINA-standard Aquatic Center with an Olympic sized pool, an IAAF-certified Athletics Center with a world-class track oval, a football pitch with natural tiff grass, and a gym operated by Santé Fitness Lab.

In the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, AVSH was the playing venue for underwater hockey. Today, national athletes continue to train at the Sports Hub due to partnerships forged with the Philippine Athletic and Track and Field Association, the Triathlon Association of the Philippines, World Archery Philippines and the Philippine Rugby Union.

Vermosa Sports Hub facilities are constantly growing and evolving. The Aquatic Center now has a 25-meter warm-up pool and 240-seater bleachers around the Olympic-size pool. The installation of a lighting system has made the track oval ready for evening events. Also available is the Athlete’s Lounge that can also be a venue for seminars and small gatherings like product launches. Soon to rise is an athletes’ dormitory called The Athletes’ House. The initial phase will have 30 rooms, with 3 beds per regular room and 2 beds for PWD rooms, with a total of 87 beds.

“The Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub was built with athletes in mind,” said Moses “MJ” Aragones, Vermosa Project Development Manager. “We want athletes to come here and consider it their training place and call it home.

“The Athletes’ House aims to support the needs of elite national athletes who will train in the Sports Hub. It lets them do lock-in training so they can avoid the hassle of transporting to and from the training venue. We want our athletes to start preparing already for the 2024 Olympics,” Aragones said.

A multi-purpose field where sports like archery, frisbee, and rugby can take place is also in the planning stage. Eventually a multi-purpose gym will also be built where indoor sports can be played, with spectators.

The world-class facilities and thoughtful features for competitive athletes and believers in a healthy lifestyle, all show Ayala’s commitment to developing the Filipino athlete. To ensure nurturance while keeping fit, there are food establishments around Vermosa Sports Hub, such as the Vermosa Food and Lifestyle Market, Mc Donald’s, Jollibee, Starbucks, and Chicken Peri-Peri.

“These continued improvements have made AVSH grow into a viable venue for hosting key local and international sporting events,” said Vermosa Estate Head Jay Teodoro.

“Hopefully, we can continue to make this place a home and training ground to more athletes and enthusiasts. This is for all athletes to realize their dreams and for individuals to move forward in their pursuit of a healthy and active lifestyle.” Teodoro added.




For more information about Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub, go to vermosa.ph.

Save the Children sets up learning spaces, repairs classrooms for safe return of children in Odette-damaged schools in Bohol and Southern Leyte

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Over 4,000 learners in the provinces of Bohol and Southern Leyte will be able to utilize four Multipurpose Learning Spaces (MPLS) set up by Save the Children Philippines to support children’s safe return to school and continued learning amidst the ongoing pandemic and emergencies.

The humanitarian organization also repaired seven classrooms and provided back-to-school kits to over 2,300 learners and teaching kits to over 12,000 teachers.

Each back-to-school kit includes school supplies, a school bag, a bluetooth speaker, and mobile load cards. The teaching kits include office supplies, classroom supplies, mobile load cards, and reams of bond papers for the printing of modules.

“Through this multipurpose learning spaces, more learners will have access to basic education,” said Cantumogcad School Head, Nicasio Sosoter.

He adds that the repair of the only two classrooms of Cantumogcad Primary School in Buenavista, Bohol destroyed by Super Typhoon Odette, and the MPLS constructed will significantly help their students as they resume in-person classes.

Save the Children’s humanitarian response integrates the Education in Emergencies framework which provides uninterrupted, high-quality learning opportunities for children affected by humanitarian crises. It also focuses on children’s well-being and includes, among others, the conduct of return-to-learning (RtL) sessions and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services for children, teachers, and parents to address learning barriers. It also provides shelter repair assistance to families with damaged houses and child protection in emergencies.

“Education in Emergencies is an integral part of Save the Children’s holistic approach in responding to the needs of families affected by Typhoon Odette. We give utmost importance to every child’s right to access basic, inclusive and quality education which must not stop even in emergencies,” said Save the Children Philippines Humanitarian Manager, Jerome Balinton.

Funded by the European Union and in partnership with Humanity and Inclusion, the Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS), Sentro para sa Ikauunlad ng Katutubong Agham at Teknolohiya Inc. (SIKAT), and Oxfam Philippines, Save the Children’s humanitarian response is able to support the Department of Education’s thrust to ensure the safe return to schools of millions of students.





Super Typhoon Odette hit the Philippines in December 2021 and left devastating damages in various provinces in Visayas and Mindanao. It affected more than 12 million learners across 29,671 schools. In Bohol and Southern Leyte, many damaged classrooms are still left unrepaired.