Manamit guid, this is good for the heart and soul

I love going to flea markets and country fairs. It’s the best way to find unique artisan products. And discover the true soul of a place, and the heart of its people.

So when I attended a preview of the Negros Trade Fair hosted by Ayala Malls, I felt like I saw a glimpse of the province that I have never visited. I plead guilty and I am not proud of the fact that I have seen much of our local islands. I don’t want to sound pretentious (I am not Mother Teresa), but visiting the areas ravaged by Yolanda remains on my bucket list  

Well, Ayala just brought Negros nearer to me. I know friends from this region are the most malambing ever — with their voices always singing, not talking — in a carinoso tone. But little did I realize that their cuisine was so delicious. Manamit guid! — as chef Gaita Fores translated for me. 

Gaita and co-chef JP Anglo presented delicious dishes non-stop: fresh Negros palm heart lumpia with organic greens, lupo, wood sorrel, edible blue ternate flowers with sugarcane and guava jelly vinaigrette. Next came inihaw nga lampirong kay mangagat (grilled Negros scallops and banana leaf-wrapped red snapper) to which I added Capiz bihod guisado. Really good!

I skipped the inasal nga manok with sinamak and kalamansi kag sili, and the roast Bacolod-style lemon with batuan (a fruit that Gaita swears will make sinigang and other dishes really flavorful), tanglad and sampaloc infused with Cerveza Negra (I don’t eat meat). But judging from the raves of my tablemates AC Legarda and Mia Borromeo, they were surely very good. I fast-forwarded to the dessert (piaya ice cream sandwich), but not without enjoying first their super manamit camote iced tea. (I finished three glasses.)

What I saw that day, however, went beyond feeding my hunger for good food. Each of the products on display had a touching story to tell. Each story told of broken lives after typhoon Yolanda and the Bohol earthquake, and how kindhearted entrepreneurs tried to rebuild such lives. 

There is Jojie Locsin of Tumandok Crafts Industries who found it in her heart to help the “flat broke” people of Barangay Agdaliran in northern Iloilo. It was designer Carlos Lanuza who was involved in a project building 155 houses for the Yolanda survivors, who told Jojie of the need for livelihood projects for the barangay. Cut-off pieces of coco lumber from the project served as the main raw material of Jojie’s tables, lamps, trays and picture frames. Tumandok now plans to build a factory in the barangay to give more income opportunities to the “flat broke” people.  

And how about Marichu Cusi who runs Kiculo Crafts, a fashion accessory company run by her daughter Kitkat Lobaton? Themselves still recovering from the sugar crisis of the ‘80s, Marichu’s family nonetheless has been working with Gawad Kalinga beneficiaries of Bacolod who supply the bag lining for Kiculo. They trained the locals of Bantayan Island which was devastated by Yolanda, letting them focus on workmanship and quality to produce what is now called the Bantayan Tote, woven from pandan leaves.  

“Broken lives in broken tiles” is how the NVC (Negrense Volunteers for Change) call their mosaic collectibles telling the story of Maria Luisa, who lost her mother during Yolanda and was separated from her father as well. NVC shares the blessing from their products to feed malnourished toddlers daily for six months. The world-class products of NVC that are handmade by rural and urban poor women include folding tables, bed trays and French bread boards. Some products such as rosaries and crucifixes use wood felled by typhoon Yolanda.  

The story is also told of how Jojo Vito of Vito Prints & Pieces in Bacolod City backpacked to Bantayan Island right after Yolanda. At the Tent City, Jojo saw a church leader who was helping residents sell the shells they had collected at the beach. He bought the shells in bulk at double the price, giving half of the income for the rebuilding of the church and half to the shell pickers. He likewise went to Molocaboc where he hired locals to gather shells from consumed shellfish. Jojo developed 10 products. One is the Damang (spider) Lighted Wall Decor made with Bantayan shells. Another is the Adnaloy Divider using strings of shells from Molocaboc.                                                  

There is Manon Hernaez of Marayo Fashion Accessories who produces one-of-a-kind jewelry using seashells and dead corals for her line of brass cuffs. She ordered these shells from village cooperatives and backyard pickers of Cebu. Manon wanted to give meaning to the theme of the coming Negros Trade Fair — “Smiles Beyond Borders.”

How will the children of typhoon Yolanda and the Bohol earthquake spend Christmas? Ines Lovina Santiago, owner of Vicmik which makes Ines Moda Infantil clothes for children, thought of a stuffed toy drive. At the fair, shoppers will get a 10 percent discount off the clothes in exchange for a stuffed toy donation for the children. Vicmik started in the ‘80s, providing employment to women in the countryside.

Mary Ann Colmenares of Artisana Island Crafts wants to light up people’s lives with her Yolantern Collection. These use coconut shells hand-carved by Leyte artisans, raffia gathered from Aklan and using the expertise of the legendary weavers of Bohol.  

Joey Gaston and Christina Borromeo-Gaston of Hacienda Crafts likewise want to provide “light through the rubble” by producing lamps made from raffia done by Bohol’s loom weavers, rattan hand-woven by Cebu weavers, and other materials from towns devastated by Yolanda. A glaring example of their excellent work is the Eucalyptus Hanging Tube Lamp, which will be seen at the Negros Trade Fair.

“We have always believed in the creativity and ingenuity of the Negrenses,” says Myrna Fernandez, Ayala Land’s AVP for commercial business. “The 29th Negros Trade Fair on Sept. 24 to 28 at the Glorietta Activity Center will showcase the best of Negros’ food, fashion, furniture, arts and crafts from the land of smiles.”

The food at the fair will be manamit guid, satisfying your craving for delicious cuisine from Negros. Even more fulfilling is buying a product handmade by people struggling to rise above their ravaged lives.

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Follow the author on Instagram and Facebook @milletmartinezmananquil. Email her at mananquilmillet@gmail.com