Bacolod will host Terra Madre Asia Pacific in 2025

BACOLOD CITY – Tourism Secretary Cristina Garcia Frasco announced on Thursday, November 21, that the city will host the first-ever Terra Madre Asia Pacific in 2025.

“In a stunning affirmation of our country’s direction and emergence as a leader in sustainable food tourism in our region, Slow Food International has selected the Philippines to host Terra Madre Asia Pacific in Bacolod City next year,” Frasco said in her speech at the Terra Program Madre Visayas at Negros Residences here.

Frasco said they are celebrating how the city has been named the slow food hub of Asia.

BACOLOD Mayor Albie Benitez, Tourism Secretary Cristina Garcia Frasco, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez attend the Terra Madre Visayas program at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City on Thursday, November 21. (Gazed Masculino)

She recognized that Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, with their distinguished sugar heritage and organic farming principles, have added a new chapter to their history, written with the admirable intention of perpetuating culinary traditions and protecting biodiversity based on values ​​and upholding goodness, clean and fair practices and carry them out with passion, patience and persistence.

At the heart of slow food, Frasco says, are communities and passionate people who are tirelessly dedicated to preserving biodiversity and food heritage.

She said if the effort is completed, hosting the event next year will only be the beginning of the Philippines’ rise as a global food hub.

Frasco said the event will feature a slow food exhibition, an international forum and a community experience that will inspire a new way of thinking about food and tourism and enhance the quality of offerings in a country that will always remain true to its roots.

By incorporating slow food principles into tourism strategies, Frasco said they have created an experience that highlights the art of flavorful ingredients, celebrates the diversity of local culinary practices and brings the stories of farmers and fishermen to the fore.

“This experience invites both domestic tourists and international travelers to enjoy the unique flavor of the Philippines while fostering a deeper understanding of the people and ecosystems behind them,” she added.

“We are thrilled that next year we will host the very first Slow Food Asia Pacific Conference,” said Mayor Albee Benitez, acknowledging the role of national leadership in bringing about this historic opportunity.

Benitez believed that through the city’s cooperation with the Slow Food Movement, the city would achieve a new world status.

“We are making Bacolod a destination known for its unique food tourism, diverse ingredients, talented chefs and hospitable people,” the mayor said.

Terra Madre is an initiative of the global Slow Food movement that celebrates traditional food cultures, counters fast-growing consumerism and strengthens people’s connection to food.

Last September, Fondazione Slow Food Italy signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Negros Island community dedicated to promoting and preserving traditional food and the city government to develop and implement slow food projects and programs as Bacolod is seen as an international Slow Food hub. for the Asia-Pacific region.