Madrid Fusión Manila, the gastronomy event that aims to promote the Philippines as a culinary destination while showcasing Spanish cuisine alongside Filipino fare has been moved from April to September this year.
The food congress is set to run for five years, starting in 2015, during the previous administration. Its fourth leg, however, is still being reviewed by the Department of Tourism.
During a discussion with Robert Lim Joseph, an honorary consultant of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo and a member of Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppiers, Inc. (PACEOS), he said there’s still hope for Madrid Fusión Manila 2018, but a list of things need to be verified before going any further.
The current administration questions the objectives of the 5-year project at a cost of P600M, a contract locked in during the previous administration, headed by former Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez.
According to former DoT Secretary Mina Gabor, president of International School of Sustainable Tourism, when they had a meeting with Tourism Promotions Board, she asked if the terms of the contract between Madrid Fusion is being complied with especially in tourism arrivals and the reply she said was it is not.
Gabor believes that the Philippine brand should be promoted before anything else. She avers that the event has no clear direction on what it is trying to achieve, with too many topics and programs that are out of focus. She believes that the event should help improve knowledge in food preparations and have a holistic approach to the development and marketing of Filipino food before and after the event. She further notes that it lacks international publicity to trigger awareness for tourists to pique there curiosity and come to visit the Philippines and try Filipino food.
During the first meeting of presidents of all tourism organization nationwide, Sec. Teo instructed Usec. Bong Bengson to turn over all records from the Madrid Fusion Manila events, but the latter has only showed a copy of press releases while other information are still pending.
Philippe Bartolome, a Belgian chef, hotelier, and Chairman of Chefs on Parade shared how the Chefs on Parade held in 2011 and 2013 was staged with only P10 million budget, P300,000 of which was subsidized by the DoT.
Bartolome said COP was able to give free seminars and workshops daily by well-known chefs around the world for only P50 entrance fee. Meanwhile, MFM’s entrance fee costs P500 and the private dinners could reach P4,000 to P5,000 per head, thus it wasn’t unable to fill the entire SMX Convention Center.
A Spanish chef, who wishes to remain anonymous and was part of Madrid Fusion Manila, mentioned that they were not exposed to Filipino cuisine and didn’t get a chance to share experiences, techniques, and products of Philippine gastronomy. One of the setbacks, he said, is when there are degustations of Filipino food, it lacked explanations on the background of the food they are eating, moreso, the method of cooking.
According to him, the chefs are not being paid to participate in the event thus are free to do their own agendas, losing the purpose of immersing themselves in Filipino culture and limiting their time to learn the local gastronomy and interact with Filipino chefs.
“The tourism has a small budget, so having a P120 million budget per year is already a sacrilege. With that amount and the result of the past three events, 70 percent could have been used to other tourism promotions instead,” said Joseph.
He reiterated the importance of introducing the Filipino ingredients, highlighting that in order for other countries to appreciate Filipino dishes and the style of cooking, it is also a good idea for foreigners to experience the local markets and gain perspective on the agriculture of the country and know the sources and characteristics of ingredients.
Joseph suggested that in order to make the event more dynamic, there must be food challenges nationwide where foreign chefs will engage with local chefs using local ingredients that different regions are known for. From exploring our unique ingredients and farm products, it will also benefit the country’s trade and commerce and could open doors for exportation.
“Money is going to the wrong place. If not stop, at least tweak it, or at least make ‘Fusion Manila’ or ‘Manila Fusion’ instead,” asserted Joseph.
