By design

And just like that, we have reached the end of another month. July was full – the State of the Nation Address (SoNA) being a highlight for the country.

As a follower of fashion, the Life section of this paper was all agog at the variety of Filipiniana wear interpretations that showed up at the Palace breakfast and on the red carpet of Congress. There were none of previous years’ “statement” clothes, however, which showed messages “by design.” This time around, we saw real design — testaments to Filipino aesthetics.

Among the reports the President made in his SoNA, those on tourism also resounded among the lifestyle brigade. Last week, we ruminated on “experiential tourism” and how the “hospitable Filipino brand” should probably be reviewed by Filipinos themselves who seem to have lost that almost knee-jerk positivity that results in boundless cheer even through decades of helplessness against calamities and corruption.

Nowadays, it seems dourness and paranoia have replaced that need for affirmation from others.

Filipinos are getting weary — too many promises of change and ego-crushing results in the game of bests and worsts around the world — and they are likely simply trudging to the next elections. Not to get all worked up on promises, no, but to see what kind of show we would all be getting anew.

I wonder when we will ever get to continuity. It seems, for us who have been watching the telenovela of our country for far too long, a fresh new wave of challenges is unleashed upon the populace.

We are at the point when perennial issues seem to have come to their worst yet: agriculture, environment, food security, education… What previous administrations had failed at or made worse, are more terrible now.

Still, one can never truly tamp down that famed Filipino optimism. Maybe it is no longer naïve optimism, but it is a kind of faith in the universe that keeps many of us going, always hoping for the best.

In his SoNA, Marcos said, “Food, culture, heritage and the arts, education, halal and Islamic traditions, dive, cruise, farm and eco-tourism, even sports, now have become potent subjects and products of a nation’s tourism.

“Thus, it is imperative that we elevate and expand our understanding of the ‘one town, one product,’ or OTOP, concept. It must not inhibit, but rather, inspire. We must not rest content to have just ‘one.’ Rather, we must seek the ‘optimal’ number of high-quality products and services, which at the same time showcase our community’s distinctive history, traditions and talents.”

“Filipino creativity and ingenuity will enliven and unlock the as yet untapped potential of these new facets of Philippine tourism.”

The OTOP is designed to help micro, small and medium-scale enterprises, of which our country has a significant chunk. The Department of Trade and Industry says the program “enables localities and communities to determine, develop, support and promote products or services that are rooted in its local culture, community resources, creativity, connection and competitive advantage.”

“Pride of place” is built as a result — and as pride in our culture is something Filipinos need a lot of nowadays — the President’s words are, indeed, encouraging to a sector too long neglected. There is a lot to be done to elevate our local culture.

It will take “cooperation,” as the President called upon current leaders, but also full support for the industries that help promote the Philippines in a brilliant light.

The time of Filipino creatives, artisans and designers — the ones who produce products worthy of praise in the world market — has come.