CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga(PIA) — In continuing efforts to bolster the creative industry, the Department of Trade of Industry (DTI) released a total of P4.3 million grant to Tabuk City and Lubuagan.
The Tabuk City government received P2 million for its Mang-wa Creative Festival under the DTI’s Lunsod Lunsad project.
The Upper Uma Agroforestry Association of Barangay Upper Uma in Lubuagan is also a recipient of P2.3 million worth of equipment for the blacksmiths under its Shared Service Facilities (SSF) project.
DTI Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba and DTI-Cordillera Regional Director Juliet P. Lucas led the awarding during the ‘Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat para sa Lahat’ event on September 13, 2024 at the Kalinga Sports Center.
“Through these various programs and initiatives, we aim to enhance your capabilities, improve your access to markets, and ensure that you remain competitive in this ever-changing global landscape,” Aldaba said.
Tabuk City’s Mang-wa Creative Festival was conceptualized during a DTI-led creatives summit in 2023, and involves a series of initiatives to promote the city’s creative sector.
According to the Tabuk City Public Information Office, the festival is set from September 30 to October 30, and will feature a creative boot camp on handicraft and souvenir-making, a songwriting competition, a fashion show, the city’s first-ever Creative Industry Conference, a food fair showcasing traditional and contemporary cuisine, and the making of a documentary film highlighting the traditional Gittot-Laktob weaving.
Meanwhile, the SSF project grant for the Upper Uma Agroforestry Association aims to increase the income of the group and foster Lubuagan’s blacksmith industry.
“Daytoy shared service facility, isu ti pagalaan pay ti additional nga income ken pagadalan,” Lucas said.
“We want this industry to be sustainable with new breed of blacksmiths. Tapos pumintas pay ti quality ti produkto, napinpintas pay ti panag-market tayo ken ti preservation daytuy nga nabayag nga industriya ti Lubuagan,” she added.(JDP/IOS-PIA CAR, Kalinga)
