By Karen Galarpe

IF YOU’RE in the food and beverage industry, you might want to set aside some time this month to check out the latest trends and innovations in the F&B industry. At the upcoming AsiaFood Expo (AFEX), Filipino and international players in the food industry are expected to converge at the World Trade Center on Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City to showcase new technology in food processing, packaging, machinery and equipment, and more.

“AsiaFood Expo has remained an undisputed venue to showcase the Philippine competitiveness in the food sector as well as bring into the country the latest innovations and developments in the food packaging and processing sectors,” said Elmer C. Hernandez, Trade and Industry undersecretary and managing head of the Board of Investments.

AFEX has been around for the past 18 years. This year, though, the organizer of the event, Trade Information Marketing & Exhibitions, Inc. (TIME Inc.) decided to split the event into three “so visitors will have more time to go around and discuss with exhibitors,” said Josephine P. Miranda, executive vice president of TIME Inc.
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WE SEE the signs around us: more stores putting up “Sale” signs to entice more shoppers to come in, and less people eating out and buying clothes. Just how do Pinoys behave in a financial crisis like the current one?

“Some people ask, ‘With all our economic problems, why aren’t people out on the streets? Where are the riots?’ Coping is an uphill battle that has left consumers frustrated and overextended, and this is even more true for those at the bottom of the pyramid, which is the biggest chunk of our population,” says Emil Avenido, research director of the Philippine Survey and Research Center-Research International (PSRC-RI).

The reaction, says Avenido, is not aggression but of withdrawal: focusing on oneself and family. Family is very important to the Filipino.
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AT TIENDESITAS along C-5 near Ortigas Avenue, parking becomes a problem especially at dinnertime on weekends. Filipino families, balikbayans, and tourists flock to this shopping and entertainment village to buy locally made items (handicrafts, clothes, and more) and to eat.

The choices are varied—you can have sisig, inasal, bibingka, Cebu lechon, tuna panga, kare-kare and more at the many stalls and restaurants. At the Activity Center, there is even a cultural dance presentation, with dancers showing off the traditional dances of the Igorots, Tagalogs, Visayans and Muslims.

Recently, there seems to be a boom in restaurants specializing in Filipino cuisine in the country. On the fine dining and casual dining side, we have Abe and Fely J of the LJC Group; Chef Laudico’s Bistro Filipino at the Fort; Travel Café Philippines, Café Bola, and Sentro 1771 in Greenbelt; Adarna on Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City; KKK at SM North Edsa Annex and Mall of Asia; Serye in Parañaque and Quezon City Circle; Pamana in Tagaytay; and so much more. On the fast-food side, Davao Tuna Grill is attracting loyal diners.
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YES YOU read it right. The level of outsourcing to the Philippines is growing faster than in any other country, according to the Global Outsourcing Statistics Report released last December 15 by oDesk, the leading marketplace for online workteams for employers outsourcing technology jobs to certified, freelance developers and programmers.

The report also states that the Philippines remains a popular destination for outsourcing work. Other popular countries include the U.S., India, Pakistan, Canada, Ukraine, and Russia.

The bulk of the outsourcing jobs received by the Philippines is in the Knowledge Processing Outsourcing (KPO) sector. This includes data entry and virtual assistants. India’s largest work category, on the other hand, is in the software and web development field.
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SOME OF the old established art galleries in Artwalk at the fourth level of SM Megamall are leaving the mall scene. Finale Art File, Gallery Genesis, and West Gallery will be moving out soon, says artist and gallery owner Soler Santos of West Gallery.

According to Soler, Finale will be closing down its Megamall gallery this month and will concentrate on its new art space at La Fuerza Compound on Pasong Tamo Street, Makati. West Gallery, after 16 years in Artwalk, is leaving Megamall in February 2009 and will just operate its main gallery on West Avenue, Quezon City.

High rent in malls has put a dent on art galleries’ incomes over the years. West Gallery, for instance, used to have branches in Glorietta 4 and The Power Plant, but closed them down a few years ago. Galleria Duemila left Megamall earlier, and now operates from its space on Loring Street in Pasay City. The trend now seems to be to locate art galleries outside central business districts to lower overhead costs. Doing so also allows galleries to have free rein over their storefront designs, which they cannot have when doing business in a mall as tenants.
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