Maritess L. Lopez (5th from right) with the team behind the Philippine embassy’s ALFS bazaar participationThe Philippine embassy in Tokyo led by Ambassador Manuel M. Lopez and Maritess L. Lopez participated in the recent 40th Asia-Pacific Festival and Charity Bazaar organized by the Asia-Pacific Ladies Friendship Society (ALFS) at the ANA Inter- Continental Tokyo.

The Asia-Pacific Festival and Charity Bazaar is an annual event of the ALFS, whose members include spouses of former ambassadors of 26 Asia-Pacific countries, including the Philippines. The event provides visitors an opportunity to check out fashion accessories, special clothing and fabrics, and indigenous food and crafts from Japan and various countries.

Princess Hitachi and Akie Abe, spouse of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, were among those who graced the event.

This year, through the efforts of Madame Lopez, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Tokyo (PTIC Tokyo), the Department of Agriculture and the cultural section of the Philippine embassy, a wide variety of Philippine food and nonfood items were sold and showcased—from culinary favorites such as adobo, chicken and pork barbecue, pancit, lumpia and turon to designdriven products, highlighting the craftsmanship and sensitivities of Philippine design.

The event serves a continuing platform for PTIC Tokyo to expand its reach in showcasing the quality of exports from SMEs and MSMEs and the regions to end-users in Japan. It is also an opportunity to identify trends in current demand, allowing PTIC Tokyo to ascertain the acceptability of Philippine food, handicrafts, products, gifts and souvenir items to Japanese consumers in terms of functionality, utility and price points. (Excerpted from tokyo.philembassy.net)