Pangasinan Brought 11 MSMEs to the Biggest Food Exhibition in the Philippines. Two of Them Are Already Ready for Export.

For the third time, Pangasinan showed up at the International Food Exhibition Philippines with a delegation of local enterprises ready to compete in a room full of the country's best food manufacturers and an audience of international buyers looking for exactly what the province produces. The 2026 edition, held from May 21 to 23 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, brought 11 Pangasinan MSMEs onto a stage that is as close to a direct international market access point as a local food enterprise in Northern Luzon can get.

Governor Ramon Guico III visited the booths personally to deliver the signal that matters most to an MSME competing at that level: that the provincial government is not just sending them, but showing up alongside them. DTI Assistant Regional Director Natalia Dalaten accompanied the delegation, providing the institutional framework that transformed booth space into a structured export development programme.

The 11 MSMEs That Represented Pangasinan

The delegation covered the full breadth of Pangasinan's food enterprise landscape, from seafood processors and bagoongan manufacturers to organic nutrition producers, cooperative enterprises, and food manufacturing corporations:

• Nutridense Food Manufacturing Corporation

• Bantog Samahang Nayon Multipurpose Cooperative

• Abundance Organica Nutriment

• Subhanallah TJ's Food House

• Mama Cili Enterprises

• Eldica Seafood Processing

• JB Bernal Bagoong

• Rotico Food Products

• Anjo Farms, Inc.

• Dimalupig & Gabrielle Food Products Mfg.

• Hou Yang Food Corp.

Among the delegation were new MSMEs joining the IFEX roster for the first time in 2026, alongside returning participants who have been refining their products, packaging, and market positioning with each successive appearance. Two of the participating MSMEs are now confirmed ready for export, representing a measurable step forward from previous years. Some enterprises in the group have already exported to Europe, Australia, and Canada, with the United States market identified as the next target. [Province of Pangasinan Facebook]

What DTI Is Actually Doing for These Enterprises

DTI Assistant Regional Director Dalaten was specific about what the agency's role in IFEX participation involves. Market exposure, business matching, and market promotion are the three primary functions: connecting local products with potential international buyers, providing the presence and credibility of national government backing, and sustaining promotion of Pangasinan food products in the global market beyond the three days of the exhibition.

The DTI's selection criteria for MSME participation are equally specific. To qualify for IFEX participation, enterprises must have complete business registration, an LGU-issued business permit, a License to Operate from the Food and Drug Administration, and a Certificate of Product Registration essential for export. These are not administrative formalities. They are the baseline compliance credentials that any international buyer will require before placing an order, and the DTI's insistence on them ensures that enterprises arriving at IFEX are actually ready to receive and fulfill international inquiries rather than simply display their products.

Beyond the exhibition, DTI continues to monitor participating MSMEs on laboratory analysis, product labeling, and food manufacturing practices. Enterprises are also required to attend seminars on Current Good Manufacturing Practices to maintain product quality standards that hold up to international market scrutiny. The support pipeline is designed to ensure that an enterprise's IFEX appearance is the beginning of an export journey, not a one-time event.

The Provincial Government's Role

Dr. Arlyn Guico, Founder of Project Abound, highlighted the contribution of the Provincial Government of Pangasinan to the delegation's participation: the provincial government provides free booth rental and covers other related expenses for participating MSMEs. For small enterprises that would otherwise be unable to absorb the cost of exhibiting at a national international trade fair, that support is the difference between participation and absence.

Governor Guico expressed satisfaction at the continued rise of Pangasinan food products in international recognition, and used the occasion to articulate a vision that extends beyond the exhibition floor. He called for the establishment of a dedicated local product center in Manaoag, citing the town's heavy tourist traffic as an ideal commercial environment for Pangasinan food enterprises to reach both domestic visitors and international tourists. Beyond packaged products, the Governor also identified fresh produce, vegetables and fish comparable to a farmer's market format, as products that should be featured alongside the province's processed food offerings.

That vision positions IFEX participation not just as an export development initiative but as part of a broader strategy to build Pangasinan into a recognized food province with both international market reach and a strong domestic retail presence anchored in the province's agricultural identity.

Why This Matters for Northern Luzon's Food Enterprise Ecosystem

Pangasinan's third consecutive IFEX appearance with a growing roster of export-ready enterprises is one of the clearest signals available that Northern Luzon's food sector is not waiting for the market to come to it. The province is building an enterprise pipeline with real international commercial credentials: FDA-compliant, CGMP-trained, export-documented, and globally visible.

For other provinces in Northern Luzon watching Pangasinan's trajectory, the model is replicable. The combination of DTI market access support, provincial government financial backing for exhibition costs, Project Abound's product development mentorship, and a multi-year commitment to building enterprise quality standards has produced a delegation where some members are already selling into European, Australian, and Canadian markets, and two more are ready to join them.

The products of Pangasinan, from its bagoong and seafood to its organic nutrition products and food manufacturing output, are finding buyers across four continents. The province is three IFEX editions into a story that is still building.

Source: Province of Pangasinan Official Facebook | DTI Pangasinan | IFEX Philippines 2026 | Project Abound | May 21–23, 2026