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BACOLOD, Philippines — Kiosks offering “clean, fair, and good” food—featuring regional grains, fruits, and sustainably sourced delicacies—lined the former cemented pathway leading to Bacolod’s provincial capitol during the five-day inaugural edition of Terra Madre Asia-Pacific.
Today marks the final day of the ongoing event in the City of Smiles. Over the five days, more than 2,000 delegates from 20 countries, including South Korea, Taiwan, and Indonesia, joined the 61 barangays of Bacolod in showcasing their local produce for visitors to taste and sample.
Terra Madre is a slow food festival that promotes high-quality, nutritious food produced through clean methods that do not harm animals or the environment, while ensuring fair pay and good working conditions for producers.
It started in Torino or Turin, Italy in 2004, and more than two decades later, it made its way to Bacolod. It was two years in the making, with the organizers, including the Philippines’ Department of Tourism and Bacolod’s local government units, ironing out the details of its first edition in the region.
“For the Department of Tourism (DOT), this gathering is both a milestone and a call to action,” Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said during her keynote speech. “Through these efforts, we do more than celebrate cuisine, we create opportunities for our communities, we empower our local producers and ensure that tourism generates tangible benefits for our people as well as sustains our proud heritage.”
The DOT has a slow food pavilion showcasing community-based culinary experiences from Pasil in the Cordilleras, Manila in the National Capital Region, Cavite in Calabarzon, Cebu in Central Visayas, and Bingawan, Capiz and Boracay in Western Visayas.
Frasco noted how these exhibits tell the story of local farmers tending their land, fisherfolk preserving the Philippines’ traditional practices, and artisans and chefs transforming ingredients into expressions of culture.
The tourism chief also noted that tourism supports nearly 7 million jobs and contributes almost 9% to the Philippine economy, with tourists spending nearly 20% of their budget on food.
“This is the way to introduce the diversity of Filipino cuisine, which you can enjoy while also taking part of the tourism offerings of Bacolod… In other words, this movement is growing and it is enriching our tourism industry. So, the entire experience becomes purposeful, meaningful, as much as it is experiential,” Frasco told reporters in an ambush interview.
Star-studded festival
Apart from the Terra Madre food kiosks, there are also talks and conferences held simultaneously. Recently awarded Michelin chefs shared their culinary journeys and passion for food at the conferences and talks.
Chefs Chele Gonzalez and Carlo Villaflor, the famed duo behind Gallery by Chele, recently awarded with One Michelin Star, talked about the art of cacao production, use and consumption in a talk moderated by food historian and chef Ige Ramos.
Chef Miggy Cabel Moreno, meanwhile, shared his inspiring journey of bringing Tausug and Southern Mindanao food to the national — and now global culinary map. Chef Miggy and his family are behind Cabel and Palm Grill, both Manila restaurants awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand.
At the cooking demo in Bacolod, he presented his family’s favorite Chicken Pyanggang and demonstrated how the Pamapa, a spice mix crucial to Tausug cooking that features burnt coconut and other spices, is a highlight to the dish.
Restaurateur and FEATR’s Erwan Heussaff also held his talk about Filipino food, and tried to make the foreign delegates — and even Filipinos — understand what makes the Filipino food.
An organic market festival runs alongside Terra Madre Asia-Pacific in Bacolod, set along the other cemented pathway lining the capitol’s lagoon. Fresh produce, grains, fruits, and herbs are sold at fair prices.
Terra Madre general manager Paolo Di Croce shared how their movement has grown from a small festival in 2004 to a global movement in 2025. Currently, the Philippines has 35 slow food communities as noted by Frasco.
“I know very well what happened in Torino. The growth of the city, the growth of the region, the growth of the country has become one of the most important global food destinations, and I appreciate so much your vision about creating the Philippines, creating all over the country, but also this island and the city, a great food destination. You have all the characteristics… We see so many similarities to what we had in Italy and what was the situation in Italy 20 years ago, and you have the richness, you have the diversity, you have the quality, and you have the smart people understanding that it is a great opportunity. So, we really look forward to the next edition,” Di Croce said.
“To all of the delegates, the farmers, the producers, the chefs, whoever is contributing to produce, as we say, good, clean and fair food. You have a very simple task. We need to change the world. We need to change the food production. We need to change the way people eat. We will succeed because it's too unfair, the system that has run the world in the last 78 years, and we have the elements, we have the responses, we have the possibility all together to really drive the change for the future."
“The only way to succeed, the only way to change the food system, the only way to change the world will be to work united with our smile, with our competence, and with our vision for the future,” he added.
RELATED: Bacolod to host 1st Terra Madre regional slow food event
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