The Foundation for a Sustainable Society (FSSI) has started its week-long celebration with a social enterprise trade fair at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol in Iloilo City.
The 20th anniversary event organized by FSSI for the Visayas is being hosted by the Iloilo Provincial Government and activities will run from June 29 to July 3, 2015.
Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr. looks on at the products on display and sold after the ribbon cutting ceremony which he led at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol Grounds.
Around 20 groups engaged in social enterprise initiatives from different areas in the Visayas has displayed products ranging dry goods, food stuff, organic vegetables produce, native products and furniture, solar panels, and useful household materials.
“The products that are displayed are available for sale. It is intended to introduce the merchandise developed by people’s organizations, cooperatives, and differently-abled persons and as a way of presenting what social enterprise is all about,” said Wilfredo J. Homicillada, focal person for FSSI’s Visayas event
Homicillada, who is also the executive director of PROCESS-Panay, further explained the purpose of social enterprise saying that “it is an initiative with a social mission and does not necessarily seek profit as its bottom line but rather uses revenues for activities designed to uplift the lives of the poor among marginalized sectors.”
The Green Forum-Western Visayas offered alternative home power system by displaying solar panels and batteries. Melvin Purzuelo, principal coordinator of the group gave out orientation to interested individuals on how they can start to install solar panels for its power needs in the household.
On the other hand, the multi-purpose cooperative of the Association of the Differently-abled Persons in Iloilo presented attractive furniture products made from recycled wood and school chairs made from bamboo.
Dried goods and food products are displayed and sold by groups like Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PHILDHRRA), Participatory Research Organization of Communities & Education Towards Struggle for Self-Reliance, Inc. (PROCESS-Panay) and the Pambansang Kalipunan ng mga Manggagawang Impormal sa Pilipinas (Patamaba) and Philippine Cooperative Center Fund Federation (PCF).
The food products, especially locally made sweet treat delicacies, are among the fast moving in the display and they have been earning quite well since the opening, shared by Rey Ambao of Taytay sa Kauswagan (TSKI), the group who organized the trade fair for FSSI.
The 20th year celebration of FSSI is a yearlong event which started in Mindanao, then the Visayas and will culminate in Manila for Luzon island. ###
(News article published at the Iloilo Metropolitan Times, July 2, 2015. Photo by: Christian Evren Lozanes)