City officials recently approved the request of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) to hold the Food Expo from March 20 – April 20, 2024 at the Jose Abad Santos Drive subject to the approval of the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO).
Under Resolution No. 139, series of 2024, local legislators stated that in his follow letter dated March 3, 2024, HRAB president Anthony R. de Leon requested that the earlier date of the Food Expo dubbed as ‘Food and Culinary related Expo’ be amended to March 20 – April 20, 2024 so that more students and schools can actively participate which the council approved subject to the approval of the CEPMO.
The council claimed that the event should be exclusively a food and culinary-related expo only and that the approval is without prejudice of Section 5 of Ordinance No. 06, series of 2024 which stated that the roads and areas earlier described shall be for the exclusive use and management of the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI) and the Panagbenga 2024 Program Committees from February 1 to March 4, 2024. It shall not be used by other people’s organizations, non-government organizations, government organizations, individuals, associations, or organizations of any kind. No trade fairs or activities in public areas not included in the Panagbenga lineup of activities shall be approved by the city within the same period and 30 days thereafter.
Earlier, the council considered the letter requested dated February 12, 2024 of HRAB president de Leon to allow them to hold from April 1,30, 2024 at the Jose Abad Santos Drive the ‘HRAB Food and Trade Expo.’
The objectives of the said event include to establish and promote the city as the culinary destination of the country; financially assist annually 10 students taking hotel, restaurant and tourism courses by sponsoring their on year tuition fee; financially assist annually five professors of hotel, restaurant and tourism courses by sponsoring them to attend higher education classes in accredited culinary schools in Manila and help fund the annual conduct of HRAB’s Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Weekend, a hospitality and tourism competition among students and professionals in the hospitality and tourism industry, an avenue for learning and development.
The said endeavor will not only provide exposure to local, regional, national and international products but will also provide an opportunity for students, professionals, businessmen, and tourists to discover the latest trends in the hospitality industry. By Dexter A. See