‘We carry our culture wherever our bags may take us’: Kalinga MSMEs bring indigenous craftsmanship to Int’l Exhibit in Baguio

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Indigenous craftsmanship from Kalinga continues to reach a wider audience as local entrepreneurs from the province participated in the 9th International Farm Tourism Conference held in Baguio City from March 4 to 6, 2026.

With support from the Department of Trade and Industry–Cordillera (DTI-CAR), the conference was organized by the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) to help micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and farmers in the region promote their products and create more livelihood opportunities through the integration of agriculture and tourism.

Among the MSMEs from Kalinga that joined the event were Jajie’s Native Fashion, Y-Kalinga Tapis Weaving, Cultura de Kalinga Fashion, and Ifka’s Weaving.

In an interview with GURU Press Cordillera, Jajie’s Native Fashion sales associate Kyryllmae Pimentel Icayan expressed gratitude to the organizers, saying the event provided them an opportunity to market their products to a broader audience.

Beyond sales, Icayan emphasized that their participation in the conference allowed them to share the rich culture and traditions of Kalinga. She noted that the bags they produce carry the identity of the province wherever they go.

“It was a privilege for us to showcase our products. We did not only present our bags for sale but also shared the culture and traditions behind them wherever our bags may take us,” Icayan said.

The young entrepreneur added that despite the presence of many exhibitors offering similar products, their enterprise was still able to meet its sales target.

“The event was quite interesting since it was my first time joining a trade fair in Baguio. Knowing that Baguio is one of the places where we supply our bags, I initially thought our sales might be low because there were many products similar to ours. But it was a pleasant surprise because we were still able to reach our target sales,” she added.

Meanwhile, according to DTI-CAR, the four Kalinga exhibitors generated a combined P304,940 in sales during the three-day conference, highlighting the strong market interest in the province’s indigenous products.