The Congressional Spouses Foundation Inc. (CSFI) will hold its biggest fundraising event this year, the Kabuhayan Livelihood Trade Fair, Oct. 15-18 at the Megatrade Hall 2, 5th level, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

The fair aims to provide small and medium Filipino entrepreneurs the opportunity to display their products and widen their market reach.

Ninety-seven booths will be showcasing both well-loved and exotic Philippine products, which range from accessories and health supplements to home furnishings and ready-to-eat delicacies and fresh produce. All items are stamped with a quality that speaks of its Filipino nature.

The products reveal Filipino’s inherent creativity and resourcefulness. For instance, Lupe Saenz, a leather-shoe company from Marikina, offers custom-made ballerina flats that could give foreign brands a run for their money.

The Villar Sipag Foundation fashioned bags and footwear out of water lilies.

Fossilized flowers meanwhile are the expertise of the I Love Quirino Caravan.

If anything, the fair highlights the Filipinos’ knack for inventing. What’s usually considered as trash—water lilies, for example—is turned into something beautiful and even profitable.

A portion of this year’s proceeds will be donated to World Vision, an international Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide. The group seeks to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

Shop for a cause

“The Christmas countdown has begun, and everyone is invited to shop for a cause,” said CSFI chair and president Joy Belmonte.

“We would like to celebrate the success of our local artisans and entrepreneurs by promoting their products and at the same time support underprivileged children through our partnership with World Vision.”

1. Alavar sauce

The famous Alavar sauce of Zamboanga City is over 40 years old and remains a favorite of food lovers.  It was popularized as a seafood sauce for curacha (red frog crab), cangrejo (mud crab) and

locon (prawns) but has evolved to an all-around gravy.

2. Villar Sipag (water hyacinth weaving enterprise)

The water lilies that grow along the two rivers of Las Piñas are regularly harvested and used as main raw material for native baskets and other practical or decorative crafts. These crafts form part of the livelihood activities of the poor families or communities living along the riverbanks.

3. Quirino province (fossilized flowers)

Fossilized flowers are made of fibrous leaves of guyabano, guava, avocado and cherry from Quirino province. The leaves are dried for up to two weeks, scoured and dyed. Some are dyed a solid color, while others are dyed with several colors to produce a natural, variegated look.

4. The Tap’s Handmade Handicraft

The Tap’s Handmade Handicraft is located in Guingawan, Tanauan, Leyte. The raw materials used are ticog, sea grass and abaca pandan.

5. Lupe Saenz

Lupe Saenz is a Philippine shoe company offering leather shoes made with premium materials by Marikina artisans. The shoes are made following traditional shoe-making methods and use genuine leather for uppers (including the soles for selected styles).