Parirutong, kalingag, kulitis, sampinit. These days it’s likely very few know what they are beyond the places where they are grown and sometimes eaten. Many might be surprised that our purple rice actually has a name beyond its color, or that we have native and local species of cinnamon, spinach, and raspberry.
And they are just a few of the diverse indigenous crops that will be highlighted as key ingredients in plant-based dishes that will be served at the Gulay Pa More! fiesta.
To be held on May 25, 2024, from 10 am to 7 pm, at the CSSP Parking Lot in UP Diliman, Quezon City, Gulay Pa More! is the country’s first ever fiesta highlighting the abundance of Philippine flora.
It is a timely festival given Filipinos’ growing interest in our local biodiversity, buoyed by the widening public support for local farmers and the work of food heritage advocates like John Sherwin Felix of Lokalpedia and RG Enriquez-Diez of AstigVegan, environmentalist Celine Murillo, and paved by taxonomist Leonard Co, Lumad leader Bai Bibyaon, and food historians Felice Sta. Maria, Ige Ramos, and Doreen Fernandez, among many others.
And with the climate crisis bringing unprecedented heatwaves, drought, and stronger typhoons resulting in food shortages, the fiesta organizers believe that it’s high time the Philippines bring our often-neglected indigenous foods front and center as priority crops in this new normal of extreme weather.
“These crops are key to our food security and climate resilience, and Gulay Pa More! is our way of inviting people to celebrate and protect them by making sure they remain in our diets,” shares Chef Lao of Gulay Na, one of the fiesta organizers.
It’s been well-established that indigenous crops are more climate resilient. They are easily cultivated and have been grown for millennia by small farmers, with low water demands and no need of chemicals, because they are better adapted to their local environment. As plant foods, they are also nutrient dense, making them vital to health security in these times. Unfortunately they are being displaced by monocultures and ultra-processed, nutrient-poor foods that lead to biodiversity loss and a rise in chronic diseases.
Chef Lao adds, “As a fiesta, Gulay Pa More! wants to create a joyful atmosphere as we learn about food sufficiency, biodiversity preservation, healthy living, veganism, and collective care. That’s why we have invited chefs, professional home cooks, and small food retailers to create plant-based dishes using our abundance of native and endemic flora to reintroduce them to a new generation of eaters.”
Apart from the different food innovations using heritage, indigenous, and local ingredients, the fiesta will also have a talipapa of organic produce and rare native crops and artisanal products from different parts of the country. There will be learning sessions on food and agriculture, native tree walk within UP, art workshop, community cooking featuring wild leaves, and tributes to Leonardo Co and Bai Bibyaon.
Sherwin of Lokalpedia emphasizes the importance of protecting our heritage and traditional foods. He adds, “These foods are intricately woven into a community’s identity, history, and environment. They are often produced sustainably, celebrating cultural diversity, and honoring local ingredients and traditions. In contrast, mass-produced items prioritize uniformity and standardization, often controlled by a few large corporations, which marginalize small-scale farmers, fishermen, and artisans. By championing our heritage foods, we also champion our environment, support our people, and preserve our culture for future generations.”
This is why the festival also celebrates the recent court ruling to revoke the commercialization of GMOs and protect our traditional, indigenous, and farmer-bred rice varieties from contamination. MASIPAG National Coordinator Alfie Pulumbarit says, “The court ruling has affirmed what the Filipino peoples have been asserting for a long time—GM crops, developed and proliferated by corporations and our government, pose inherent risks to our health and environment, most especially to our rich local crop diversity. Preserving, defending and asserting our own is a step towards a food system that is just, healthy, equitable, and sustainable.”
Gulay Pa More! is organized by Agroecology X, Good Food Community, Gulay Na!, Lokalpedia, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pagunlad ng Agrikultura, and PRESENT Coalition. It is supported by University of the Philippines Diliman, SAMASA, Oxfam, Foundation for a Sustainable Society Inc, Foundation for the Philippine Environment, Agroecology X, Mga Likha ni Inay, CARD, CARD MRI Hijos Tours, and the Quezon City Government.
For more details:
Leona Yap, 0915 055 9948, Badz Patañag, 0917 499 3545
https://www.facebook.com/moregulaypa and https://www.instagram.com/gulaypamore/