Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco on Thursday, Nov. 21, congratulated Bacolod City for being chosen to host the very first Terra Madre Asia Pacific next year.
Bacolod’s hosting of the “Terra Madre Asia Pacific next year in only the beginning of the ascension of the Philippines as a hub for gastronomy in the world”, Frasco said in her speech at the 2024 Terra Madre Visayas at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez officially announced Bacolod’s hosting of the 2025 event and Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, Negros Association of Chief Executives president, pledged their support.
“Slow Food International has announced that it has chosen the Philippines to host the Terra Madre Asia Pacific 2025 here in Bacolod City. This will feature a slow food expo, an international forum and community experiences that will insure new ways of thinking about food and tourism,” she said.
Frasco also lauded Bacolod City for being designated as the slow food hub of Asia Pacific.
Bacolod’s tourism drive will be centered on food, which will be promoted globally, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said.
Lacson said Negros Occidental is extending its full support to Bacolod City’s hosting the Terra Madre Asia Pacific next year.
It will be springboard for Bacolod City and Negros Occidental towards becoming a global hub for a sustainable food system and culinary heritage, he said.
”Bacolod and Negros are not only the slow food hub but boast of having the most diverse and unique food in the entire Philippines,” Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said.
Slow Food International for Southeast Asia councilor Ramon Uy Jr. and Slow Food Community Negros president Doreen Alicia Gamboa have been among the major players in Bacolod’s bid to host the Terra Madre Asia Pacific next year.*