Legarda eyes global showcase for Filipino Indigenous crafts

As the National Arts and Crafts Fair (NACF) closed on Wednesday, 29 October, Senator Loren Legarda shared plans to introduce Filipino Indigenous crafts to the global stage.

Now in its eighth edition, this year’s NACF gathered micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) representing Indigenous peoples and cultural communities across the Philippines.

The fair featured Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) awardees, Schools of Living Traditions, and community artisans supported by government programs such as the Department of Labor and Employment’s Kabuhayan program and the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Shared Service Facilities.

Legarda vowed to continue supporting the NACF annually and announced plans to bring the fair to different regions of the Philippines and eventually expand it internationally.

Beyond commerce, Legarda described the NACF as a “cultural classroom.”

“It’s like you’re able to go to different provinces—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—and see them all in one place,” she said.

“These are the arts and crafts, the artisanal work of our local communities that are difficult to reach. They’re in the mountains, in remote barangays,” she added.

Legarda also revealed her plan to bring the NACF to Frankfurt, Germany.

“I want to bring this to Frankfurt, like I brought the Frankfurt Book Fair, literary and cultural programs,” she said.

The senator led the Philippine delegation to the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 as Guest of Honour from 15 to 19 October in Germany.

Legarda also urged Filipino youth to engage more deeply with Indigenous traditions.

“Learn the history, the hardship, and the meaning of the designs. They should know the difference between Dagmay and T’nalak, between T’boli and Mandaya, between Kalinga and Mountain Province,” she said.

The NACF is a project of the DTI in coordination with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Design Center of the Philippines.