by Daniel Long

 

As I prepared to visit IFEX Philippines 2026, I realized that I had to reflect on the experience while wearing several “hats.”

I came not only as an entrepreneurship student, but as someone learning to think with a mind for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, social responsibility, and global competitiveness.

I also came as a foodie, as a Filipino-Chinese, as a promoter of people-to-people ties between the Philippines and China, as a guest host of the “PH-China Talks” radio program on DWAD 1098 every Friday, and as a member of the Youth Committee of the Association for Philippines- China Understanding (APCU), the largest and oldest NGO promoting bilateral relations between the two countries.

Personally, I also carried with me the influence of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, whom I consider a mentor and a friend. I remembered my promise to her to continue the next generation of Philippines-China friendship through a “multifaceted” view of relations, rather than a unidimensional one that focuses mainly on the disputes. She is the Chairperson Emeritus of APCU.

As the Philippines and China continue to mark the 50th, and soon the 51st, year of bilateral relations, I was reminded of my participation in last year’s “Meet the Youth: For the Next 50 Years” summit at the Chinese Embassy, hosted by then-outgoing Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian. For my generation, especially Gen Z, the responsibility is now ours to continue building bridges.

With all of that in mind, I can say with confidence that the ₱100 student discount at IFEX was definitely worth the return on investment.

IFEX

Held from May 21 to 23, 2026, at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, IFEX Philippines 2026 carried the theme “Tropical Flavors for the World.” It is the country’s premier international trade show for food, beverages, and ingredients.The event brought together more than 300 exhibitors, including business owners, exporters, food professionals, innovators, and industry players from the local and global food and beverage sector.

As part of Thames International’s experiential learning approach, we were encouraged to go beyond the classroom and observe real business operations, product marketing, innovation, and sustainability in action.

On the first day, May 21, I visited IFEX with my fellow students, classmates and GMA Sparkle Artists Winston Stolk, Akira Kurata, and John David Bunagan. It was a valuable learning experience for all of us.

LONG, D. AT HALL D

One of the main areas we explored was Hall D, which served as both a marketplace and a retail hall. It featured local products, food businesses, social enterprises, established brands, and innovation-focused exhibitors. For us students, the hall reflected the spirit of “Likhang Pilipino,” showcasing Filipino-made products, creativity, flavors, and solutions that can serve both local and international audiences.

Hall D was divided into three main sections: Festival of Flavors, Sustainability Solutions Exchange, and IFEX Kitchen.

The first section, Festival of Flavors, carried the theme “A Taste of the Islands Curated for the World.” It presented regional food from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Some of the featured dishes and products included pork tamalos de Samar, turmeric bringhe, Mega Spanish Sardines, chili keso pimiento in cherry tomatoes, banana blossoms in coconut milk, sugar-free banana chips, canned tuna sisig, tuna chunks with spices and raw vegetables, plain rice with calamansi, and sinigang kangkong chips. This section showed the richness of Filipino food traditions while also presenting them in ways that can appeal to other markets.

As a foodie, I appreciated how Filipino flavors were positioned as globally competitive offerings while retaining their local identities.

The second section, the Sustainability Solutions Exchange or SSX, focused on sustainable practices, resources, and technology for essential industries.

It served as a platform for micro, small, and medium enterprises across export sectors that are starting or continuing their journey toward a circular economy. It also supported sustainability efforts aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

SSX featured sustainability-focused exhibitors such as Bambuhay, which presented plantable toothbrush variants, and ClimateTech, a social enterprise creating products that help reduce harm to people and the planet. Its solutions address issues such as plastic pollution, deforestation, climate change, and poverty through bamboo and technology.

The SSX area also included a denim upcycling workshop featuring products such as the Vero denim bag, made from upcycled denim jeans. This showed how waste materials can be transformed into sustainable fashion items.

Another innovation displayed was a hydrogen fuel cell FMC tricycle powered by Francisco Motors, which highlighted the potential of cleaner transport solutions in local industries.

This was especially meaningful from a food industry perspective.

Transportation is important because ingredients and finished products need to move from one place to another. Cleaner transport can help reduce carbon emissions in the food supply chain, making sustainability more practical and measurable.

The third section, IFEX Kitchen, carried the theme “Secret Kitchens of Samar.” It focused on Filipino heritage desserts and traditional preparation methods.

The showcase emphasized care, memory, identity, and authentic native flavor. It presented heritage food not as something rushed or mass-produced, but as something preserved, reimagined, and shared with new audiences.

HALLS A-C

Aside from Hall D, David and I also visited Hall C, where we tried Royal Ube Instant Ube Dessert by Oh So Healthy Corporation.

The product is celebrated as “ASEAN’s Best Ube” after winning the ASEAN Heritage Food

Excellence Award at the 1st ASEAN Food Product Excellence Awards, supported by the ASEAN Food & Beverage Alliance.

This recognition is significant because the Philippines is chairing ASEAN this year.

Royal Ube’s success highlights the strength of authentic Filipino innovation, standing alongside outstanding products from Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Crafted with real purple yam, Royal Ube represents homegrown excellence being introduced to a regional and global audience.

It was also worth noting that the free samples ran out quickly, which usually means the product was good.

After trying it, I understood why ube has exploded into a global culinary phenomenon. Often described as the “next matcha,” ube’s natural violet color and sweet, vanilla-like flavor have made it a favorite across international menus.

Here in the Philippines, it is already a staple, but globally it has become an Instagram-friendly food trend and considered as the next big thing.

David and I also tried the Dona Maria Jasponica Brown premium quality hybrid rice by SL Agrifood Corporation.

This stood out to me because hybrid rice technology has deep agricultural significance. It reminded me of Yuan Longping (a similar name to mine), also known as the father of hybrid rice, who introduced and developed hybrid rice practices in the 1970s.

These rice variants are less dependent on pesticides and other chemicals and can significantly improve agricultural yields.

From an entrepreneurship and sustainability perspective, this matters because increased yields can improve food security and farmer income.

Hybrid rice technology can increase yields from around 4 to 5 tons per hectare to around 7 to 8 tons. In top-performing fields, yields can reach much higher levels, even up to three times higher than traditional local varieties.

Hybrid rice is now cultivated on over 2 million hectares nationwide, and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has attributed and testified that it has contributed to higher production and boosted local farmer incomes.

Later, Winston and I became very interested in product labeling and private labeling opportunities, especially as it relates to beverages. We visited the IFEX Philippines Grocers’ Exchange Mart, or GMART. GMART connects trade buyers with qualified Philippine food manufacturers equipped for private labeling and toll manufacturing solutions built for business growth.

As a special feature of the 19th edition of IFEX Philippines, GMART served as a gateway for Philippine MSMEs to occupy a major seat in the multibillion-dollar private label food market.

GMART connects qualified local manufacturers with local and international trade buyers across the value chain.

For buyers and business-minded students like us, this was an important point.

It showed how MSMEs can accelerate market entry, get their foot in the door of major supermarkets, and the global hotel and food service industry.

GMART focuses on nine priority product categories: bakery products and confectioneries; beverages; fruits and vegetables; seafood; gourmet and specialty food; ingredients, condiments, and sweeteners; meat, poultry, and dairy; plant-based food products; and snacks and ready-to-eat food.

From a student perspective, this opened my eyes to how much opportunity exists in labeling food and beverage products for local and wider regional markets.

CAEXPO

After exploring the general IFEX exhibits, I visited the dedicated China-ASEAN Expo, or CAEXPO, booth and attended the related seminars by myself.

This was especially meaningful to me because of my interest in Philippines-China relations.

This year’s IFEX Philippines featured a dedicated CAEXPO booth and specialized seminars.

I visited the 23rd CAEXPO Global Roadshow in the Philippines the same day in Manila.

During the event, CAEXPO Deputy Secretary-General Cheng Gong highlighted a more open Chinese market and digital innovations, including AI applications such as DeepSeek, which I viewed as very similar to ChatGPT.

The CAEXPO Secretariat also set up a specialized pavilion showcasing flagship products from more than 40 food enterprises, helping premium Chinese products expand into the Philippines and other ASEAN markets.

I was personally able to inquire about a Dutch chocolate or cookie product that is not available domestically and exchange contact information with the Chinese seller.

The China-ASEAN Expo, or CAEXPO, is a state-level and international economic and trade event held annually in Nanning, Guangxi. It provides a major platform for China-ASEAN cooperation.

For the upcoming 2026 edition of CAEXPO this September, the Philippines has been granted the prestigious distinction of “Country of Honor.”

This means the Philippines will organize a national participation and mobilize dozens of local exhibitors from multiple sectors, including but not limited to food.

For local enterprises and exporters looking to introduce their flavors to the Chinese market and wider ASEAN region, joining the official Philippine delegation to CAEXPO 2026 will be a valuable opportunity.

THE ‘FOODTURE’ OF PHILIPPINES-CHINA RELATIONS

Philippines-China relations have improved under the new Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Jing Quan, who I personally see has been very proactive in strengthening bilateral ties.

In January, the Philippines rolled out a 14-day visa-free policy for Chinese tourists. Since then, 120,000 Chinese visitors have come, representing a 57% increase.

A new Guangzhou-Cebu direct flight opened at the end of March, and a Chongqing-Manila flight was launched earlier this month. Direct flights to Changsha and Hangzhou were also launched a few days ago.

This matters for food and trade because more flights and easier travel create more interaction between people.

More people-to-people exchanges also create more opportunities for food tourism, market demand, and business partnerships.

China’s population of around 1.4 billion represents a major opportunity for Philippine food exporters, especially as Filipino flavors become more visible internationally.

As former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo often said, China is in a class of its own, or sui generis. She views China as a market, a donor, and a collaborator. This is especially significant for the Philippine food market.

In April, the Philippines continued to expand in the international aquaculture industry after successfully completing its second export shipment of Philippine eel, locally known as igat, to China.

This milestone is a major boost for the country’s fisheries sector. The latest shipment involved approximately 1.5 tons of eel sourced from Bukidnon, strengthening the country’s presence in the Chinese seafood market.

This followed the Philippines’ historic first export of two tons of eel in March, officially marking the country’s entry into China’s eel industry.

According to the Department of Agriculture Region XI and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources XI, the pioneering export shipment was valued at around ₱461,991 and was purchased by China-based company Runkong Foods.

The success of the export initiative was attributed to the participation of the Davao Region delegation in the 2025 China International Import Expo held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10, 2025.

Another opportunity is in coconut processing. Three China-based firms are considering the Philippines as a base for coconut processing facilities.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said she met with Larry Chan of Liwayway China, Roy Yip, and Allen Wang to discuss a partnership with Joyvio Freshcall for the establishment of a coconut processing facility in the Philippines, with General Santos City chosen as the planned investment location.

These examples show how stronger Philippines-China ties can directly support agriculture, fisheries, food exports, and local livelihood opportunities.

GEOGRAPHY IS DESTINY

For former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and myself, there are four major reasons why strong Philippines-China relations are important.

First is geography. Good relations between neighbors are always important, and food is one of the best ways to build understanding. Food is the ultimate universal language. It transcends borders, bridges cultural divides, and brings people of different backgrounds together at one table. As American chef James Beard once said, “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”

Second is China’s relationship with ASEAN. This is even more significant now because the Philippines is ASEAN chair. Platforms like IFEX and CAEXPO show how ASEAN cooperation can become practical, especially for MSMEs, exporters, and young entrepreneurs.

Third is China’s role in the global economy. China is on track to become the world’s largest economy and is already the top trading partner for 60% of the world’s countries.

It has also been the Philippines’ biggest trading partner for 10 straight years, accounting for more than 25% of Philippine imports.

At last year’s China International Import Expo, just three durian exporters from Davao secured $36.6 million in deals that went directly to our farmers.

Fourth is the strong Filipino-Chinese community in the Philippines. Filipino-Chinese families and businesses have contributed greatly to the Philippine economy. As a Filipino-Chinese myself, this feels natural because it has been part of my life growing up and part of what I will inherit as it relates to family business and responsibility.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

Overall, my experience at IFEX Philippines 2026 was three things: a school activity, a very yummy food exhibition, and most importantly a real-world lesson in entrepreneurship, sustainability, friendship, innovation, and diplomacy.

As an entrepreneurship student, Halls A-D showed me how Filipino businesses, from established brands to emerging local enterprises, continue to create products that are proudly local and ready for global markets.

The Festival of Flavors showed the richness of our food heritage.

The Sustainability Solutions Exchange showed that sustainability can be applied in actual products.

Hall C showed how products like ube and hybrid rice can represent Filipino innovation.

GMART showed how MSMEs can enter private labeling and global supply chains.

CAEXPO showed how the Philippines can expand its food, agriculture, and business opportunities through ASEAN and China.

For my generation, the opportunity is clear: we must continue building bridges, supporting local producers, promoting Filipino excellence, and helping bring our flavors to the global food menu.

   

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