DTI-Cordillera Regional Director Juliet P. Lucas, Cong. Allen Jesse Mangaoang, Tabuk City Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero, LKDEO District Engineer Ruby Uyam, Manuel P. Madio, and DTI-Kalinga Provincial Director Renie Ramos lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the Kalinga Pasalubong Center.
CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga (PIA) — Local micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) get a huge boost with the establishment of the Kalinga Pasalubong Center, which was formally opened on June 25.
Located close to the welcome arc at Talaca, Barangay Malalao, Tabuk City, the shop is designed to be the go-to place for gifts and souvenirs and a hub for local entrepreneurs to market their products. It offers a wide selection of proudly Kalinga-made items including wearable weaves, knickknacks, processed foods, delicacies, and many more.
Aiming to give a good first impression to tourists and travelers entering Kalinga, the pasalubong center features pleasant amenities including air-conditioning, clean comfort rooms, and a view deck overlooking picturesque vistas of grasslands and rolling hills. It is also an eco-friendly facility with its electricity and water powered by solar energy.
Department of Trade and Industry-Cordillera Regional Director Juliet P. Lucas hailed the project as a milestone for MSMEs, and touted it as a testament to local officials’ strong support of the sector.
“This is an overwhelming support for the MSMEs of Kalinga,” Lucas said during the ribbon-cutting.
“We are already imagining [this to be] a trading hub with all the components that will serve the general public in Tabuk City and nearby areas,” she said.
Congressman Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang who initiated the project with an appropriation of around P13 million, promised more developments and improvements to the area.
“We would like to see this place [become] a thriving business district nga 24 hours [operational] kuma,” Mangaoang said.
“All of these things nga araramiden tayo are in support of the thrust of the Department of Trade and Industry to support our entrepreneurs,” he said.
The MSME sector conveyed their gratitude for the project and gave their commitment to sustain and improve its operations.
“We will work hard and do our best to sustain this pasalubong center. We will support the promotion of local products in different barangays,” said Regina Madio, president of the Chamber of Kalinga Producers, Inc. (CKAPI), which operates and manages the facility.
Madio said the pasalubong center has uplifted the MSME sector and has given them an advantage with the influx of visitors to the province.
“Idi ag-operate kamin, idiay mi lang naamwan nga grabe gayam ti sumsumrek nga bisita tayo,” she said.
[When we started operating, it was only then that we realized that there are many visitors coming to the province.]
The CKAPI is assisted by the DTI-Kalinga. (IOS-PIA Kalinga)
